Yeah, I went to the doctor’s today and I was asked about my water intake. I drink about twelve bottles of water a day. I was told to drink less because that could cause bad kidney function and my metabolism to stop working. I never been to this doctor and can’t find anything online about this issue. Should I keep looking for a new doctor? Or am I just a bit ignorant on this?
In: Biology
Too much *anything* is bad for you. Too much water can kill you, too much food can kill you, too much oxygen can kill you… So yes, too much water can be bad though I don’t know if you need to drink less
No one here has asked you — **how big are these bottles?** Are we talking 12 *liters/quarts* of water per day? Twelve of those per day is *quite* a bit, actually (about 3 gallons), but there are lots of factors involved.
Just drink when you’re thirsty, hot or working out, as someone else said in this thread.
It is definitely possible to drink too much, I think others have adequately answered the possible effects.
To help you decide for yourself- How much water you need would depend on size. In general the rule of thumb is 1/2 your body weight in ounces at a minimum. At most an ounce of water per pound. I.e. a 200 lb human would need between 100-200 ounces of water in a day. Where you fall on that scale can depend on climate and what you do in a day.
Your search on the internet should be focused on hyponatremia or water intoxication, basically it lowers your sodium count in your body as you process all that additional liquid. This lack of sodium can then cause your cells to swell up with water, however don’t take my or any other Redditors word for it time to search for yourself.
Here’s the very simple way to explain this. Drink water when you are thirsty. Do not drink water when you are not thirsty. Don’t force water into your body. Your body is typically very good at keeping you properly alive. Your body sends a signal to your brain that is basically “Hey dummy, we need more water. Bring in some water.” When your brain gets that signal, drink water until you aren’t thirsty anymore. If you are getting that signal all the time and you are drinking way too much, you might have something wrong with you.
So, the question that should be asked is why do you drink so much water? Are you very active? Are you overly thirsty? Do you enjoy salty snacks? Where do you live? Is it the sun? Are you excessively overweight or do you have diabetes? The proper questions lead to the correct answers.
In general: If you went to the first visit to a new doctor and they told you to drink *less* water? Go to a different doctor.
Specific to you: Do not take medical advice from Reddit. Do not take medical advice from the internet.
I don’t know if it “destroys your metabolism” but there are negative consequences to drinking too much water, including throwing off your electrolyte balance. More people in the US suffer negative effects from over hydration than dehydration. Drinking too much water over a very long period of time could potentially overwork your kidneys as well. I have no clue as to whether or not you’re drinking too much water though.
Edit: I missed the detail about 12 bottles a day. Wow that’s a lot. I have no clue how that will affect you in the long run, but unless you’re an athlete or a farmer in a tropical area, it probably is causing unnecessary strain on your kidneys.
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