9 Situations When Drinking Water Should Be Strictly Avoided
Few people go to the gym or eat dinner without drinking some water. However, too much fluid consumption can lead to some serious heath issues. It’s always a good idea to cut down excessive liquid intake during the day than to deal with the possible side effects.
At Bright Side, we decided to find out when drinking water can actually be harmful. As a bonus at the end of the article, we’ll tell you what will happen to your body if you drink too much liquid during the day (spoiler alert: nothing good will come out of it).
1. Right before bed
There are at least 2 reasons why you should avoid drinking water before sleeping:
- Drinking water before bed can possibly result in interrupted sleep. There’s a good chance that you’ll need to urinate during the night more and it may take a longer time before you are able to fall asleep again.
- Our kidneys work slower at night in comparison to the daytime. That’s why you may notice some facial and limb swelling in the morning. Drinking water can increase these symptoms.
2. During an intense workout
According to scientists, excessive water intake during exercising can have negative side effects. During an intense workout, a person’s body temperature rises causing them to feel hot. But drinking too much water to cool down during a workout can cause electrolyte depletion.
As a result a person may suffer from:
- headache
- nausea
- dizziness
Moreover, excessive liquid intake can be dangerous for people with heart diseases as it increases heart strain.
That’s why doctors recommend drinking water only after a workout.
3. If your urine is colorless
Completely clear urine is a sign of over-hydration. If you have colorless urine, you probably drink too much water during the day even if you don’t feel thirsty. This over-drinking can lead to low sodium levels that result in some serious health problems including a possible heart attack.
4. To wash down spicy food
You should never drink water after eating hot peppers as the burning sensation is caused by a molecule called capsaicin. Since capsaicin a non-polar molecule, it can be dissolved only in other non-polar substances like milk.
If you wash down hot peppers with water consisting of polar molecules, it will allow the capsaicin to spread throughout the mouth and gullet and will only make the situation worse.
5. Right before, during or after having a meal
Drinking while eating can cause indigestion. This happens because our mouths produce saliva with enzymes that are essential for a healthy digestive process.
Drinking during meals leads to a decrease in salivation and for that reason, undigested food piles up in your body and may become toxic even if you’re eating healthy foods. Keep in mind that consumption of cold water or alcoholic drinks makes the situation even worse.
6. When it comes from a garden hose
Even if a hose is connected to a pipe with a clean water system, the elements from the pipe itself can be dangerous for your health for the following reasons:
- Organotin disrupts the endocrine system
- Antimony is linked to liver, kidney, and other organ damage
- Phthalates can lower intelligence and cause behavioral changes
7. When it contains artificial sweeteners
This advice will come in handy for people who are trying to lose weight. Artifical sweeteners enhance an appetite and can lead to weight gain.
Note that water with lime or lemon juice can contain these elements as well.
8. Water that comes from the sea
Everyone knows that you should avoid drinking sea water but few people know why it is harmful your health.
First of all, most coastal waters contain pathogenic human viruses. That’s why if you accidentally get some water in your mouth while swimming you should spit it out immediately — that is, if you don’t want to spend the whole vacation suffering from a rotavirus and all its nasty symptoms.
Secondly, sea water contains a tremendous amount of salt and our body needs a lot of pure water to get rid of it. That may result in serious dehydration.
9. If you’ve already had lots of water throughout the day
We have already mentioned this advice, but would like to remind you that excessive liquid intake leads to low sodium levels and unpleasant side effects.
Besides, drinking too much water is harmful for your kidneys as it prevents them from doing their job and regulating important components in the blood.
Bonus: What will happen if you drink too much water?
Drinking too much water can result in a disease called hyponatremia. Doctors recommend to take this seriously as it can put your life at risk.
Patients diagnosed with hyponatremia suffer from:
- seizures
- confusion
- dizziness
- depression
The situations mentioned above shouldn’t be a reason to reduce the amount of liquid intake to the bare minimum since water is essential for normal bodily functions. Still, it’s better not to go to the extreme and keep any over-hydration under control.
Do you keep track of how much water you drink during the day? Share with us in the comments!
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