Is there a such thing as drinking to much water in a day?

I have been told both yes and no!

If yes, why?

Yes, you can have too much water, but this is usually the result of extreme circumstances. It typically happens with people who are endurance athletes who drink too much plain water and not enough electrolyte-containing liquid (like Gatorade), OR with people who have a mental illness. Still, I coud see where it would happen with someone who is really gung-ho on "dieting" and who takes the "drink more water" suggestion to the extreme. There's no hard-and-fast rule of how much you should drink, but if you are worried you may be drinking too much, give your doctor a call.

funniegrrl, Thank you for answering my question. I've been told to drink 6-8 glasses a day, half my weight, a gallon, ect.... I know that these amounts are not alot of water but I was curious "how much is too much." I had overheard this conversation at my gym and there was mixed opinions. Your response makes sense to me as far as it being an extreme circumstance.
Thanks again,
Marina

I say try to get atleast 8-8oz glasses in for your absolute minimum and listen to your body after that. I'm sure if you were at the point of drinking to much (which would probably need to be TONS) that your body would be telling you something.

I believe cases of water intoxication are usually people drinking 8-10+ liters. Of course it depends a lot on how fast you drink it, your salt consumption, and the weather etc. It's usually only a problem for long distance runners or people hiking in the desert. I've heard of a few cases related to college hazing rituals as well.

The problem is caused by the excess water drastically lowering the salt level in the body. Symptoms include dizziness, headache & vomiting, and can lead to seizures.

I read a health article somewhere where someone said 8-10: 8oz glasses was too much because it floods your kidneys and dilutes your electrolytes.

"The body has a built-in way of controlling hydration and telling us how much we should drink. It’s called thirst.

An extensive review, published recently in the American Journal of Physiology, could not find medical evidence to support a need for those eight glasses a day. Drinking large amounts of water will not curb your hunger, “flush” away toxins or make your skin look moist and dewy. (Your skin will look dry if you become medically dehydrated, but no one is telling you to stop fluid intake. You will become thirsty long before you become dehydrated.) "



"And if you imbibe faster than your kidneys can process, you risk dilution of electrolytes and water intoxication, causing confusion and coma."

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6929115/