Can you drink TOO MUCH water?

[Rhythmdvl]

Saw this in the NYT today, remembered that we had a thread a while back, and thought it would be good to attach a link in the thread.

Marathoners Warned About Too Much Water

In a first, the handbook for New York City Marathon runners warns of the dangers of drinking liquids in excess.

Dr. Lewis G. Maharam, the medical director for the New York City Marathon and marathons in San Diego, Phoenix, Nashville and Virginia Beach, said he was taking every opportunity this year to educate runners about the biggest threat to their lives on race day - drinking too much water.

He knows the danger: in their zeal to avoid becoming dehydrated, runners may end up drinking so much that they dilute their blood. Water rushes into cells, including cells of the brain. The swollen brain cells press against the skull, and the result can be fatal. The resulting condition is known as hyponatremia - too much water.

“There are no reported cases of dehydration causing death in the history of world running,” Maharam said. “But there are plenty of cases of people dying of hyponatremia.”

[Sailboat]

We had an unfortunate case in August in Washington DC of a police officer dying of hyponatremia. Seemed like a real nice guy, too.

Sailboat

[II_Gyan_II]

@Muad'Dib

I have seen more than one news report about ravers high on ecstasy dying after drinking far too much water trying to quench the artificial thirst the drug causes.

It’s quite the reverse. If you’re a raver on MDMA, in your amped up condition, you don’t quite recognize that you’re dehydrating yourself during all that dancing. So what used to happen in the early days of E was that a few ravers died after experiencing massive fevers (106F+). Then the precaution caught on to replace the fluids that one is losing. Now, a few went overboard and drank too much water. They suffered hyponatremia. Some of them died.

[CynicalGabe]

What is this, the day of the living Zombie Threads?

[bubastis]

Let me do an animaniacs “Good idea/Bad idea” here.

Good Idea:
Drinking two litres of water a day.

Bad Idea:
Drinking two litres of water in one go, several times a day.

I thought it would help detox, flush me out a bit.
Oh, it flushed me out alright. it flushed me out all down the inside of my leg, after what i thought was just going to be a simple fart.

I know, I know, too much information.