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Water is the basis for life. That is a science, but water can also be toxic. Namely, if you drink too much of it in a short period of time. This applies not only to water but to everything you eat and drink. Too much of any one product is, after all, poison, whatever it is.

Water as a lifeline

We need water to stay alive. We can survive longer without food than without water. Without food, we can survive for weeks, but if you stop drinking, it can become dangerous after just a few days.
Our body consists of 60% water, and we lose a lot of water during metabolism and sweating. Therefore, drinking enough is necessary. However, drinking too much also poses a danger.

When water becomes poison

If you drink too much water in a short period of time, you get water intoxication, also known as hyponatremia. This involves consuming more than 5 liters of water within 3 hours. This occurs quite frequently under very extreme circumstances. We list a few examples here:

  • When it is very hot, you tend to drink a lot.
  • If you exercise a lot and sweat a lot as a result, there is a temptation to drink too much water.
  • When using the party drug XTC, you feel thirsty. There is a risk of overheating, which makes it easy to drink too much.
  • In extreme challenges such as student hazing, it has happened that students were forced to drink heavily with fatal consequences.

How much water do we need?

So, drinking water is good, but drinking too much water is not. How much water does a person need per day? That varies considerably from person to person. Weight and physical activity are important factors in this regard.
With this formula, you can calculate how much water you need:

(body weight in kilograms) / 31.5 = daily amount of water in liters.

For example, if you weigh 60 kilos, you divide this by 31.5. You then need 1.9 liters of water a day.
There are, however, a few exceptions to this.

  • If you practice a sport at a high intensity, such as running, the recommendation is to drink an extra liter of water per hour.
  • If you eat little fruit and/or vegetables, the recommendation is to drink at least 2 liters of water per day.
  • If you are sick and/or have a weak immune system, drink more water.

Healthy eating and drinking habits

Are you also curious about how you can integrate a healthy eating and drinking pattern into your lifestyle? The coaches at First Class Fitness can help and advise you. Make an appointment for an intake today.

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