Drinking too much water can lead to "water poisoning"? Is it advisable to drink a lot of water in the game of flying flowers and spinning dice?

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In many people's minds, drinking more water is a way to stay healthy. Elders often advise us: drink more water, as long as you drink more water, you will be healthy. But at the same time, some people say that drinking too much water will lead to "water poisoning"?
So, is drinking more water really effective or is it just pseudoscience? Can drinking too much water really lead to "water poisoning"? So what is the correct way to drink water? Let's find out together.

Is the dice-spinning and water-drinking game in the inspirational drama Feihualing advisable?

"Dragon Boy" is a recent inspirational TV series. It tells the story of a group of high school students, led by teacher Lei, who are preparing for the college entrance examination and reaching the peak of their lives. In one episode of the series, the history teacher introduced the flying flower order dice game she invented in order to turn boring learning into something interesting.

Teacher Qi rolls the dice, and the students start with a historical event starting with the number they land on. They can look up books or research materials, but they must give the correct answer within one minute.

If you can't say it or say it wrong, you have to drink a lot of water as a " reward ". After explaining the rules, Teacher Qi put two large buckets of mineral water and a timer on the table. At the end of the episode, the two senior high school students Jiang and Yu had basically finished a large bucket of mineral water each...

But in reality, some people were admitted to the ICU after drinking water?

What is water intoxication?

analyze

Drinking water does have many benefits

Water is the source of life and an important condition for the survival of the human body and all living things. Water accounts for about 2/3 of the human body weight. More than 70% of the substances in the human body are made up of water. Water can maintain normal physiological activities of the human body and is the source of life passed down from generation to generation.

It can be said that there is no life without water.

Drinking an appropriate amount of water can replenish moisture to skin cells, making the skin plumper. It is a natural "beauty agent" that can also prevent muscle cramps and allow the body to move better.

When you drink water regularly, you will also find:

1. It helps reduce blood viscosity;

2. It is beneficial to body metabolism and helps to lose weight;

3. The risk of stone problems will be lower;

4. It can accelerate the excretion of uric acid;

5. Can reduce bacterial-induced urinary tract infections!

…

Since drinking water has so many benefits, shouldn’t we drink more water?

"Everything has its limits." No matter what it is, as long as it exceeds the appropriate amount, it will cause harm, even the source of life we ​​often talk about - water is no exception.

The main organ for human body to discharge water is kidney. Healthy kidney can discharge 800-1000 ml per hour, so we can drink 800-1000 ml of water per hour at most.

The essence of water poisoning is hyponatremia. The human blood needs to maintain a certain ion concentration (mainly sodium ions). Drinking water normally only affects the blood concentration, but it can quickly reach a steady state through urination and other methods.

"Water intoxication" occurs mainly because of excessive water intake in a short period of time, that is, the total amount of water taken in by the body greatly exceeds the amount of water excreted, resulting in dilutional hyponatremia.

If the ion concentration drops rapidly, the concentration inside and outside the cell will produce an osmotic pressure difference, and a large amount of water will enter the cell. The fragile brain cells will become swollen, compressing various important centers, causing headaches, drowsiness, confusion, epilepsy, coma, and even respiratory arrest, which is life-threatening.

Therefore, drinking water in moderation does have many benefits, but the more the better is not the case!

In what other situations is it not recommended to drink more water ?

1. People with kidney disease

People with kidney diseases such as acute and chronic nephritis, renal failure, and uremia who drink a lot of water will cause electrolyte imbalance in the body, put a burden on the kidneys, and increase damage to kidney function.

2. People with heart disease

If people with heart diseases such as coronary heart disease and heart failure drink too much water, the heart will have to increase the force and speed of blood delivery, which may cause uncomfortable symptoms such as chest tightness and difficulty breathing.

3. Glaucoma patients

Drinking too much water at one time will increase the intraocular pressure, and the abnormal drainage of aqueous humor in glaucoma will increase the intraocular pressure. Glaucoma patients should pay attention to the amount of water they drink.

4. Abnormal liver function and ascites

People with abnormal liver function often have hypoproteinemia, reduced plasma osmotic pressure, and water easily accumulates in tissues, often with abdominal and pleural effusion. Such patients should not drink more water to avoid aggravating edema symptoms.

For some special groups of people, special attention should be paid to the amount of water they drink! Especially for elderly patients, how to drink water should be based on their condition and they should listen to the doctor's specific advice.

“Drinking water reduces blood viscosity”?

Blood viscosity refers to the change in blood rheology, which is closely related to the components in the blood and can be confirmed by blood rheology examination.

The main factors affecting blood viscosity are: blood cell factors, such as the number, size, and morphology of blood cells, red blood cell deformability, platelet function, etc.

Healthy people can regulate their own functions to maintain a dynamic balance and relative stability in the blood environment. If the blood becomes viscous, it is easy to form blood clots. Blood clots are a risk factor for myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke and other diseases.

Drinking water has a certain effect in reducing blood viscosity, but the most correct and effective way to reduce blood viscosity is :

Change unhealthy lifestyles, eat a scientific and reasonable diet, avoid high-fat, high-sugar and high-calorie foods, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, increase exercise, promote lipid metabolism, quit smoking, limit alcohol, etc., and take targeted treatments.

If you blindly insist on "drinking water to reduce blood viscosity", it is easy to cause other health problems due to excessive drinking.

How much water does the human body need to drink every day?

The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that boiled water is the drinking water that best meets the needs of the human body.

Various sweet drinks are high in energy and have relatively monotonous nutrients. It is not recommended to drink them in large quantities, and they cannot be used to replace boiled water. Do not drink hot water with a temperature above 65 degrees frequently, otherwise it will increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022 Edition" recommends: Drink enough water, in small amounts and multiple times.

Under mild climate conditions, adult males with low physical activity levels drink 1700 ml of water per day, and adult females drink 1500 ml of water per day, which is roughly equivalent to three bottles of ordinary packaged mineral water or eight disposable paper cups. For people who sweat a lot during high-temperature work, the amount of water they drink can be appropriately increased.

However, everyone's gender, weight base, physique and other conditions are different, so the amount of water we need to drink every day will also be very different. For example, in the hot summer, sweating a lot, the amount of water you drink will naturally increase.

For infants under 6 months old, their kidney function is not fully developed and they do not need additional water if they have sufficient breast milk.

How do you know if you are drinking enough water every day?

1. Observe the color of urine.

The normal color of urine is clear and transparent light yellow. If the urine is transparent and colorless, it means that you drink too much water; if the color of the urine is dark yellow, it means that you drink too little water.

2. Observe the frequency and amount of urination.

Under normal circumstances, an adult urinates about 4-8 times a day, about 300 ml each time. If the frequency and amount of urination are significantly reduced, it means that you are drinking less water.

Is there a best time to drink water?

It is not recommended to drink a lot of water before, during or after meals. A large amount of water entering the stomach will dilute the gastric juice, affect appetite and digestion ability, and cause indigestion.

That is, after getting up in the morning, around 10 am, 3 to 4 pm, and before going to bed at night are the four "best times to drink water" in a day that are currently recognized.

These time periods are 2 to 3 hours apart from meal times. The water replenished during meals has been consumed, and drinking water at this time is very helpful in maintaining the body's metabolism.

in conclusion

Water poisoning does not mean that the water itself is poisonous or that there are toxic substances in the water, but it is caused by excessive intake of water in a short period of time. It is not advisable to drink a lot of water in a short period of time when playing Feihualing dice !

The amount of water you drink should be determined according to each person's specific situation. There is a lot of knowledge about drinking water. You must not only drink enough, but also drink it correctly!

From now on, be a person who knows how to drink water!

The author is an associate chief physician, registered nutritionist, health manager, and speaker for the Healthy China Action