Is it possible to drink so much water that you die?

Question

To those you say it's called drowning: I said DRINK water, not inhale it! LOL.

Answer 1

Yes it is.....it's called water intoxication. This mainly happens to athletes, rather than most normal people. They drink so much water that it dilutes the salt in their blood and kills them.

Answer 2

There is a medical condition (not sure of its name) where a person can actually become intoxicated from drinking water. I worked in a nursing home where we had a patient who had this condition. We had to limit his water intake. One day he drank too much water without the nurse knowing and we found him dead in his room. His stomach had actually burst. So the answer to your question is yes, and just for future reference for a lot of your other answers, drowning is when water gets into your lungs by inhaling, not by drinking!

Answer 3

yes, too much water in your system can be toxic. we don't really hear about this, cuz folks just don't do it, but it is a very scary possibility for some - perfect example: diabetics. If their sugar level is too high, they experience certain side effects until they get some insulin -- one is unquenchable thirst. It may be a mechanical reaction of the body trying to "wash out" the sugar in the bloodstream, but the thirst is so extreme, if desparate, a diabetic will drop to his knees and drink from a mudpuddle if there is no water. The extreme thirst cannot be quenched, the mouth and throat stay dry, as the person continues to drink. Bad situation.

Answer 4

Yes, it is possible to drink too much water, which will result in a condition called "Water Intoxication"

In medicine, water intoxication (also known as hyperhydration or water poisoning) is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain function that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside of safe limits by a very rapid intake of water.

Answer 5

a few years ago i heard about a girl in the UK who died at a party from drinking too much water. she had taken ecstacy, and then she panicked and thought if she drank enough water, it would "reverse" the effects or what have you. she drank nearly 7 litres of water, and that's what she died from. swelling doesn't really harm most organs, but the brain doesn't have the option of being able to swell because it's trapped inside your skull...the pressure builds up, tearing all your blood cells, and basically crushing your brain.

her name was Leah Betts. if you want more information about that topic, try a google search on her and you'll get all the information.

i'm not sure if a person who is not intoxicated/high on drugs (in an altered state of mind somehow) would be able to force themselves to drink that much water. but then again, anything is possible.

Answer 6

It takes a lot, but it is possible, because too much water will dilute your electrolytes and will cause hyponatremia (sodium too low). If it is severe...it can be fatal.

This happens most frequently with athletes who engage in strenuous activity that drink too much water. The diluting property of the water and the sweat depletes a persons sodium levels. Not good. That's why electrolyte drinks are important.

Answer 7

Yes, someone did about a year ago as a fraternity hazing. Apparently he drank about 5 or 6 gallons of water in a short period of time and it was too much for his blood cells to handle. In 2003 someone did the same, but became comatose.

Answer 8

Absolutely...

Often called "water intoxication" or "hyponatremia" (low salt), water poisoning results when too much water is ingested in too short a time without replenishing electrolytes, particularly sodium and potassium.

The human body (as with other animals) maintains an equilibrium of electrolytes in the bloodstream as part of its normal operation. Sweating causes the body to lose salt, but the primary cause of hyponatremia is drinking enormous amounts of water, which dilutes the salt in the body to a dangerous level. As the electrolyte levels get dangerously out of balance, body systems begin to fail and the sufferer exhibits signs of crisis such as diarrhea, over-salivation, stupor, vomiting, muscle tremors, confusion, frequent urination and other general symptoms of illness, and their brain begins to swell. This swelling is called a 'brain edema' or 'cerebral edema' and can lead to brain damage, paralysis, and sometimes death.

Answer 9

Now provided that you will drink it slowly and only water and for an extended period of time it can cause liver & kidney failure, too much water can dilute your stomach acids to a great extent so that any food will poison you, and of course you can drown on it

Answer 10

Yes. Water is essential to survival, but if you consume too much in too short a period of time, you can actually get "water poisoning," where your body can't handle the amount of water and it shuts down. This is actually a danger to many drug users, who fear that they are dehydrating, and overhydrate themselves to the point where they get water poisoning.

You have to drink quite a bit for it to happen though, and you usually vomit long before you die, so you get plenty of warning. I wouldn't worrry too much about it happening by accident unless you are messing around with dangerous substances.