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  • We've all heard the recommendation to drink eight glasses of water per day.

  • And while the science is still out on exactly how much water you should drink each day, there's no doubt that hydration is essential.

  • Each day we lose around two to three liters through normal functions like sweating, breathing, and going to the bathroom.

  • But can you drink too much water?

  • Believe it or not, you can!

  • Known as water intoxication, or water poisoning, it occurs when you drink more water than your body is able to handle.

  • Your blood contains a certain level of sodium that your kidneys regulate.

  • If that level drops too low, say by drinking more water than your kidneys are able to process at once, then your blood becomes diluted and watery.

  • A condition known as hyponatremia.

  • That excess water in your blood is carried around your body where it enters your cells, causing them to swell up like balloons.

  • Now most of the cells in your body are able to handle putting on a little extra size, but there's one place where you definitely don't want that to happenthe brain.

  • Your brain sits snugly inside the skull, which means it has no room to expand.

  • As your brain swells and pressure in the skull increases, blood flow is decreased depriving your brain of oxygen.

  • The first symptoms of water poisoning are headaches and nausea.

  • But as the brain swells further you can have trouble breathing, experience seizures, go into a coma, or even die!

  • The exact amount of water needed to cause water poisoning varies from person to person and depends on a number of factors like how much you are sweating, but most of the reported cases involve people drinking multiple gallons in just a few hours.

  • So don't force yourself to drink more water than you feel like you need.

  • If you let your thirst be your guide you should be just fine.

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We've all heard the recommendation to drink eight glasses of water per day.

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