What Happens When Drinking Too Much and Too Fast

Medical Video: What Happens When You Drink Too Much Water

When the weather is hot or after exercising, sometimes our throats are choked up, so a glass of water is something to look forward to. Because of my thirst, sometimes we drink very excited, very fast, and very much. Not infrequently, we feel strange or feel bad after swallowing lots of water. Is it right for our actions?

What will happen when you drink too much in a short time?

Dehydration sometimes makes us drink unconsciously, we gulp water again and again, without knowing how much has entered our body. It turns out that drinking too much and fast is not a good thing to do. This can even trigger a dangerous situation. The body will experience a drastic decrease in the level of sugar, or sodium in the blood. This condition is called hyponatremia or water poisoning (water intoxication), this condition is very serious and even dangerous. Hyponatremia is associated with low sodium in the blood.

Normally, young and healthy children will not experience hyponatremia, unless they drink liters of water at the same time. This happens because the kidneys can only remove water at most for about one hour. The task of sodium is to maintain fluid balance in and around cells. Drinking too much water can cause imbalance, and the fluid will move from the blood into the cell, making it swell. The swelling can spread to the brain, and become a serious problem. This problem can sometimes be found in infants, because the baby's small body cannot hold too much water. This is the reason why babies should only drink milk or breast milk.

Symptoms and treatment of water poisoning

Signs that arise from hyponatremia look like symptoms of fatigue or heatstroke. You will also feel heat, headaches, and feel cramps. The initial symptoms of this condition can also be diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. If you see someone after exercise, or you experience it yourself, try to pull them to a safe place, leave them in the shade, and immediately seek help. It is rather difficult to distinguish the difference between water poisoning and heat thirst.

If people with this condition do not immediately get help, it will get worse, as explained above, swelling can cause serious conditions in the brain, seizures, and coma. After getting help, the doctor will inject water in the concentration of salt water to relieve swelling, in order to reverse the condition. This is done so that blood regains sodium.

How to prevent water poisoning

The best prevention is not to drink a lot at a short time. The water you drink will try not to be as much as when you take it out. However, it is indeed difficult to measure. Experts say, drink it until you don't feel thirsty, then stop. There are other ways, you can also measure it by looking at urine. If it's dark, it's a sign that you're dehydrated. When that happens, you need to drink.

You certainly know that water is very good for the body. However, energy drinks, or drinks for sports, are a better choice than water when you do strenuous exercise. Why is the drink so much better? Because energy drinks contain sodium and electrolytes. You need to know, too much fluid entering in a fast time can cause problems. So, still, whatever the drink, try not to drink it quickly.

An athlete must stay hydrated, there is even a slogan 'drink before you thirst'. But this can worsen performance and be very dangerous. According to Clinical Journal or Sport, quoted by the ZME Science website. Educating athletes, trainers and event organizers about the dangers and risks of being too hydrated needs to be done. Knowing this does not mean you are letting yourself be dehydrated. You must maintain body fluids. However, try to be aware of how much you have to drink.

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