We are constantly reading articles and hearing in the news about drinking plenty of water to stay healthy. In fact, many of us don’t drink enough water. It is recommended that the average person drink at least eight - 8 ounce glasses of water (64 ounces) per day to stay properly hydrated. One of the easiest ways to make sure you do this is to fill a large container (like an empty one gallon milk jug) with the amount of water you want to drink for the day and make sure you finish it by day’s end. Half a gallon equals 64 ounces, so filling a one gallon jug at least ½ way will help you meet your minimum daily goal.

But remember, you can get too much of a good thing. Believe it or not, there is actually such a thing as drinking too much water. When you drink too much water, it can reduce the level of sodium in your body. This condition is called hyponatremia. This situation usually arises when people drink too much water during heavy, prolonged exercise like a marathon or long, extremely strenuous hike. This phenomenon has been found in Grand Canyon hikers and Boston

What happens is that an exerciser takes in large amounts of plain water and sweats out a lot of fluid that contains sodium and other electrolytes needed in the body. In extreme cases this can cause a dangerous electrolyte imbalance. When that happens, water enters the body’s cells, which causes them to swell. If swollen, brain cells start pressing against the skull. The result can be brain damage, paralysis, coma, and sometimes death.

This problem can also happen in people who are taking medications for hypertension (high blood pressure) or in people who suffer from hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). This happens because both of these situations can increase sodium loss.

So, make sure you drink plenty of water, but keep in mind that too much of a good thing can sometimes cause problems.

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Online fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site "fitness-after-50". He has a master's degree in exercise physiology and over 20 years of practical exercise experience.

This site is designed with the mature adult in mind. There is a lot of information available on the site for anyone looking to start or restart a sensible exercise program. Learn more by going to fitness-after-50.com

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