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A normal adult needs to drink around 2 litres of water a day. This is around 4 pints or 8 glasses of water. People who do lots of exercise or who live in hot climates would need to drink more water than this as they will sweat more! It's best to spread the consumption of water out throughout that day rather than drinking it all at once.
However the consumption of too much water can cause a condition known as water intoxication and in severe cases can be fatal.A It is caused by a dilution of electrolytes (sodium in this case) in the body.B
Symptoms include confusion and headaches,C light headedness, nausea and vomiting.D If water continues to be absorbed by the body, the symptoms can worsen, leading to seizures, coma and ultimately death.D
Treatment is straight forward, however diagnosis can be more problematic as the patients confused state may give the impression that they have taken drugs.C
Groups at risk include infants under 1 year, endurance athletes and people with kidney problems (as well as a number of others).D
So as stated earlier if you are drinking lots of water try to spread the consumption out through the day and if you have been exercising, and think you may be dehydrated consider drinking a rehydration drink that will replenish lost electrolytes as well as water (examples include Gatorade, Powerade or Lucozade etc)!
Water intoxication is extremely rare (unless your an endurance athlete such as a marathon runner when you might be more at risk). If however you or someone you know is experiencing the symptoms described above it is important to seek medical attention!
Please see related links.
A Farrell, D. J. and Bower, L. (2003) Fatal water intoxication, Journal of Clinical Pathology, Vol. 56, No. 10, pp. 803-804.
B Can You Drink Too Much Water? From about.com.
C Why is too much water dangerous? BBC News.
D Water intoxication. Wikidoc entry.
What else can I help you with?
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Drinking too much water after eating will probably lead to a stomache ache and possibly vomiting. Consuming too much water throughout the day can lead to water intoxication, which is a serious condition.
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