Know when to stop drinking water

Dear Dr. Donya,

I wonder about drinking water -- most doctors always recommend drinking a lot of water. Is it possible to drink too much? Jane

Dear Jane,

Yes, it's possible to drink too much water, but it is uncommon.

If you drink more water than your kidneys can excrete, the excess water moves into the cells of your body. Water-soaked cells in your brain can cause brain swelling and lead to signs and symptoms of water excess, or overdose, including fatigue, confusion, nausea, vomiting, seizures and unconsciousness.

You normally drink fluids because of thirst, to replace perceived fluid losses and out of habit. You may drink more water on warm days, during or after strenuous exercise, with the first meal of the day or when your mouth feels dry.

Problem with too much water intake will happen if you have certain conditions that impair the excretion of water, including heart disease and some types of kidney, liver, adrenal and thyroid disease

Those who compulsively drink large amounts of water, even when not thirsty, may actually overwhelm their kidneys' ability to get rid of the water. This can lead to symptoms of water excess.

But if you are healthy the chance of this happening is very uncommon.

Dr. Donya