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Real Life Diet Questions Answered

Angela Dowden
Nutritionist

Posted 14 Jul 11

Do I drink too much water?

I have just worked out that on an average day I tend to drink between 3.5 and 5 litres of water and so I was wondering if this is too much and if it could cause any problems? Thanks, Katie

Our expert says...

Hi Katie,

 

Thanks for your query. 6-8 cups or 1.5 litres of fluid (not just water) is the amount normally recommended, though of course this will vary according to your physical activity levels and the weather. It does seem you are on the high end of intake however, which is fine if you are drinking because you like to / feel thirsty, but not if you're drinking just because you think you should.

 

Water intoxication is very rare and only occurs after drinking several litres over a  short period of time. Symptoms of confusion, brain damage and even death, occur because the kidneys cannot excrete water fast enough and the blood becomes diluted. What you are drinking is very unlikely to be dangerous, but signs you may be drinking too much would be going to the toilet more than once every two hours, especially if your urine is very pale. If you are drinking this much because of voracious thirst, do see your GP as being very thirsty can also be a sign of diabetes.

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