Can you overload your kidneys if you drink too much water, or is it filtering mostly a passive process?

Question

I always really liked drinking water. Not an insane amount, about 2 liters (100 fl oz) a day. So I always wondered whether I’m overworking my kidneys or if they are just passive filters benefiting from the water passing through.

In: 10

Answer 1

Your kidneys aren’t the problem drinking too much water. Your brain is and drinking 2 liters of water/day isn’t an excessive amount of water. The blood flows through your kidneys anyway and it’s a “passive process”. Drinking too much water can cause an ion imbalance in your brain which can cause water intoxication due to the sodium imbalance.