Science Journal

How Drinking Too much water Cause Death

My geeky co-worker brought up a topic about water intoxication, wherein human can die from simply drinking too much water. He searched about it and showed to us to prove to his best friend that it is true. My curiosity peaked and wondered how too much water intake can cause death physiologically so I read what he searched for further understanding. I learned that dying from water intoxication is a rare event and the reason why it can end life is because of electrolyte imbalance. My left eyebrow raised when I read electrolyte imbalance because I could not imagine how electrolytes affect the human body. I asked about it to that geek and he simply shrugged.

So, to satiate my curiosity I consulted Google to know more about electrolytes and how electrolyte imbalance can cause abnormal activities in the body.

I learned that electrolytes are minerals and compounds that produce energy and help contract muscles, transmit nerve signals, regulate blood level acidity, help the blood to clot and build new tissue. It is versatile and essential for the body to function well. But there are different types of electrolytes in the human body and these are calcium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, phosphate, bicarbonate and sodium. Specifically, the sodium level is affected when there is too much water intake.

Hyponatremia is the condition termed where sodium in the blood is too low from drinking too much water. This electrolyte is needed in a bloodstream because it controls how much water is in and around the body cells. Inadequate amount of sodium, of course, increase the amount of water within the cells thereby swell. If the sodium level severely drops, the volume of the water increases, though our body is flexible but our skull does not expand. So if the brain absorbs extra water, it creates pressure by pushing against the skull which results in headache, a change in personality, loss of consciousness or possibly death. Also, low sodium levels can cause muscle cramps because sodium is in charge of helping the neural system send signals throughout the body to tell the muscles to contract. Then our brain overcompensates and sends a higher-than-normal amount of electrical impulses that overwhelm the muscles thereby preventing it from relaxing. And if this muscle is forcibly contracted and does not relax it results in excruciating cramps. 

This condition is more likely acquired by a marathon or triathlon athletes because they drink too much water and lose more sodium through sweating. Perhaps, sports beverages are better to drink for this kind of athlete, who are used to long intensive exercises because it contains electrolytes and compensates the lost sodium.

After learning about this, I became self-conscious about the amount of water I am taking. I am a little bit scared and tried to not drink too much water and let my thirst be the guide when would be a good time to drink, which most legitimate health-related sites recommended. And maybe it is time for me to replace my bottled water with a beer. 

jk.  ;)