Are you drinking excessive water?
closeup of a refreshing glass of water which is being filled
It is often that we are told to drink as much water as possible. This elixir is considered as the beauty secret and many believe that it can cur many health problems as well. While it might be true to a great extent and may be true too in some cases, there are certain cases in which you can overdo this. Listed below are some myths about drinking excessive water, the right way to have it and how it can harm you.
Myth – Helps in curing UTI
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) occurs because of either obstruction or infection in the urine passage. It is only through medical diagnosis that you will know whether you are suffering from it or not. Antibiotics are prescribed for treating the infection. Although drinking water might provide some respite, however antibiotics would be needed for curing the infection completely.
Myth – Remedy for digestive problems
Digestive disorders like acidity, gas and constipation occurs because of sluggish digestive system for which digestive enzymes are accountable. If your digestive system is weak or slow, it means either you have diluted or digestive enzymes. There is no role that plays in improving your digestive system. Thus, if you have poor digestion then drinking plenty of water will not help. As a matter of fact, you should avoid drinking excess of water if you have poor digestive enzymes because it will worsen the condition.
Myth – Helps in Detoxification
Our metabolism causes a nitrogenous waste product that is urea in the body. Kidney takes out this waste from the body in urine form. This is auto-regulated and natural mechanism. If you drink more water, it will not help instead create lots of problems. When you drink excess water, it disturbs the mechanism of urine formation and ions needed by body also flush out with it. This, in turn, causes an electrolyte imbalance in the body which triggers the problem of high blood pressure.
Harm – Drinking excess water might cause high BP
It is important to note that drinking excess water might increase blood volume. An increase in blood volume places pressure on veins which causes rise in blood pressure, in addition, water retention can also cause swelling in the body.
Quantity of water and ways to consume it
- Drink 1 glass of warm water in the morning that too empty stomach
- Make sure you do not drink water right after consuming a meal as it might make you look obese. Rather drink 1 cup that 150 ml of water along with the meal, preferably, one sip at a time.
- Have one to two sips of water hourly after consuming lunch till bed time
- The right way to drink water is to let it be in mouth for five-ten seconds before gulping it down
- As far as quantity of water is considered, it cannot be determined. It depends on the physical activity of a person and weather conditions. Also, it depends on the quantity of other liquids that a person takes.
