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Woman hydrates after finishing a workout outside
(Photo: Getty/Jordi Salas)

Is Overhydration More Dangerous than Dehydration?

Here's why you need to monitor your water intake

Published: 
Woman hydrates after finishing a workout outside
(Photo: Getty/Jordi Salas)

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Being human is all about balance. We strive to find an ever-elusive equilibrium between work and life. We go to yoga classes in hopes of improving our physical steadiness. We eat an assortment of fruits and vegetables, but we also munch on chips and dip. And, from a physiological standpoint, our blood cells need balance, too.

As athletes鈥攅specially ones who spend time outdoors during a heat wave鈥攖he ethos we usually hear is 鈥渉ydrate, hydrate, hydrate.鈥 However, a 2020 research article from Stanford University School of Medicine offers a different perspective. In the piece, the study鈥檚 lead author notes that

How Much Water is Too Much?

One of the most important things to maintain balance in our blood cells is the sodium-to-water ratio, says , associate professor of exercise and sport science at . When you鈥檙e dehydrated, you contain less water, causing your blood cells to shrink. However, when you drink some H2O, your cells recover quickly.

When you consume a lot of water (more than three liters in an hour), your sodium levels dip to abnormally low levels, taking you into dangerous territory. If the water count in your body is much higher than your sodium levels, you can develop 鈥攁 dangerous result of overhydration. 鈥淚f you drink too much water, all of your cells start to swell,鈥 Hew-Butler says. 鈥淭hat becomes a problem in your brain, because your brain can only swell five to eight percent [beyond its normal size] before it runs out of space in the skull.鈥

It鈥檚 not something to be taken lightly. In some cases, hyponatremia , Hew-Butler says. 鈥淭he amount of water that leads to hyponatremia is different for everyone,鈥 she adds. 鈥淚t depends on the size of the person, the ambient temperature, and exercise intensity and duration.鈥 However, if you need to quantify it, typically , potentially prompting a seizure, coma, or even death, Hew-Butler says.

Why Is Overhydration More Dangerous Than Dehydration?

Overhydration is a particularly large concern during the summer months. 鈥淭he first thing that everybody tells you鈥攁nd it’s not always wrong鈥攊s to drink lots of water,鈥 Hew-Butler says. 鈥淏ut, when it鈥檚 hot out, .鈥

That鈥檚 because your blood cells actually retain water as a result of the heat, so you鈥檙e not quite as dehydrated as you may think.

This isn鈥檛 necessarily new information, Hew-Butler says. 鈥淭he results of a support that hyponatremia is [generally] more common than heatstroke.鈥 She adds that it鈥檚 the most common cause of serious illness in the Grand Canyon鈥攎ore than heat exhaustion, grand mal seizures, nausea, and dizziness.

How to Hydrate Properly

What should you do to achieve that balance of hydration? Drink to thirst, recommends , a sports physiologist and the founder of sports nutrition brand . (So yes, that means skipping out on your emotional support water bottle.) However, even when you鈥檙e feeling parched, make sure to monitor your H2O intake.

鈥淒uring exercise, the thirst mechanism will prioritize [sodium] balance over water balance,鈥 Lim says. 鈥淎s we lose sodium in our sweat, we will naturally drink less water to maintain sodium balance. Since there鈥檚 not as much sodium in the body, we don鈥檛 drink everything we lose, so we can keep the ratio of water to sodium the same.鈥 Essentially, your body makes you thirsty when that sodium-to-water ratio is skewing high on sodium. And that鈥檚 when you should drink water.

You know that old saying, 鈥淟isten to your body?鈥 That鈥檚 sage advice when it comes to hydration, especially when it鈥檚 hot out. 鈥淒rinking to thirst is important even though it can result in dehydration,鈥 says Lim. 鈥淭hat dehydration is important to keep the sodium balance correct.鈥

Lead Photo: Getty/Jordi Salas

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