What happens if you constantly drink water

The bowel needs water to work properly. Dehydration can lead to digestive problems, constipation , and an overly acidic stomach. This increases the risk of heartburn and stomach ulcers. A lack of water can cause blood to become thicker, increasing blood pressure. When dehydrated, airways are restricted by the body in an effort to minimize water loss.

This can make asthma and allergies worse. These dissolve in water , which makes it possible for them to reach different parts of the body. The kidneys regulate fluid in the body. Insufficient water can lead to kidney stones and other problems. Some scientists have proposed that consuming more water might enhance performance during strenuous activity.

More research is needed to confirm this, but one review found that dehydration reduces performance in activities lasting longer than 30 minutes. Water may also help with weight loss, if it is consumed instead of sweetened juices and sodas. When partying, unsweetened soda water with ice and lemon alternated with alcoholic drinks can help prevent overconsumption of alcohol.

Water helps dissolve minerals and nutrients, making them more accessible to the body. It also helps remove waste products. Every day, the kidneys filter around quarts of fluid. Of these, approximately quarts are removed from the body in the form of urine, and the rest is recovered by the bloodstream. If the kidneys do not function properly, waste products and excess fluid can build up inside the body.

Untreated, chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure. The organs stop working, and either dialysis or kidney transplantation is required. Urinary tract infections UTIs are the second most common type of infection in the body. They account for around 8. If infections spread to the upper urinary tract, including the kidneys, permanent damage can result.

Sudden, or acute, kidney infections can be life-threatening, particularly if septicemia occurs. Kidney stones interfere with how the kidneys work. When present, can complicate UTIs. These complicated UTIs tend to require longer periods of antibiotics to treat them, typically lasting 7 to 14 days. The leading cause of kidney stones is a lack of water. People who report them often do not drink the recommended daily amount of water.

Kidney stones may also increase the risk of chronic kidney disease. In November , the American College of Physicians issued new guidelines for people who have previously developed kidney stones. The guidelines state that increasing fluid intake to enable 2 liters of urination a day could decrease the risk of stone recurrence by at least half with no side effects.

Dehydration happens if we use and lose more water than the body takes in. Electrolytes, such as potassium , phosphate, and sodium, help carry electrical signals between cells. The kidneys keep the levels of electrolytes in the body stable when they function properly. And if you somehow manage to drink more than that without throwing up, you can run into trouble. Because you're drinking faster than your kidneys can process it. So the excess ends up in your cells.

Normally, your cells are surrounded by a carefully balanced solution of sodium and water, which flows in and out through tiny holes in the cellular membrane, so it keeps the sodium concentration both in and out of the cell balanced.

But when you drink too much water, the sodium solution gets diluted. It's not salty enough. So some of that extra water rushes into the cell to restore balance and that causes it to swell up.

Doctors call this water intoxication and it's a big problem. Now, most of your cells can handle the swelling to a degree since soft, flexible tissue like fat and muscle can stretch. But for the cells in your brain, it's another story, because your skull isn't stretchy.

It's bone. It's hard — like a rock. But as the pressure increases, you risk brain damage, coma, and even death. And it could all be over in less than ten hours. A year-old woman, for example, died the same evening after drinking between glasses of water.

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