Daily Health

Is Overhydration A Thing?

by Cameron Greene January 13, 2021

I made one of my New Year's Goals to drink more water. I've been drinking about 80 or more ounces of water per day. The weird thing is I've been noticing that it hasn't made me feel hydrated at ALL. I've been getting more headaches from drinking more fluids.... So I quickly asked myself, "Is overhydration a thing?" Turns out, it is. If you don't have enough sodium or electrolytes to balance out all of the water you are drinking, it can lead to headaches, vomiting, and in severe cases, seizures. As drinking too much water can disrupt your body's electrolyte balance and lead to hyponatremia, 3 liters (100 ounces) may be too much for some people.

I'm not a big sodium lover--nor do I ever salt my food (unless I'm following a recipe), which is why I don't have a lot of sodium in my diet. Too much sodium can blow you up like a tick, but it's all about finding the right balance.

I highly recommend drinking an electrolyte drink such as Powerade, Gatorade, Ultima Replenisher, etc to make sure your body is getting essential electrolytes and some sodium it needs to help flush out all of the water you are drinking.