Dangers of drinking too much water

You might think drinking lots of water will help keep your skin clear and your mind alert, but experts warn that drinking too much fluid is unnecessary and can be harmful.

Professor Mark Whiteley, a vascular surgeon at Whiteley Clinic London and a leading expert in treating hyperhidrosis, says he sees hundreds of patients each year considering surgery to remove their sweat glands. In many cases, the cause is drinking too much water.

“The first and most important thing I usually ask them is how much water they drink each day,” says Dr. Mark Whiteley. The benefits of water are often exaggerated, with people saying they should drink 2-3 liters a day.

This is not medically correct. If you drink too much water, your kidneys have to work harder to excrete urine. You have to sweat more and the more you sweat, the more water you need to drink.

According to Professor Whiteley, we should focus on drinking when we are thirsty, rather than drinking because we are sweating.

According to Whiteley, you should only drink when you are thirsty. Photo: Huffington Post.

Although excessive sweating does not pose a serious health threat, it often causes a lot of psychological distress. Its inconvenience also negatively impacts the quality of life, often requiring a long time to find the right treatment.

Doctors usually start with medical treatments, such as antiperspirants and medications that block sweat glands. If these treatments are not effective, surgery may be considered.

Professor Whiteley is not the first medical expert to warn that drinking too much water can have adverse health effects.

In a previous study, Dr. Margaret McCartney said that drinking too much water can cause hyponatremia, which can be fatal. Drinking too much water can also cause insomnia because people have to wake up at night to go to the bathroom. Not to mention the chemicals used to disinfect bottled water can be harmful.

The European Food Safety Authority recommends that women should drink around 1.6 litres of water a day and men should drink around 2 litres. However, the amount of fluid each person needs to drink will vary depending on factors such as the weather and the physical activity that the person does.

According to VnExpress