Man becomes hospitalized after drinking too much water within five hours
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/John Putnam / Getty Stock Image
A man was admitted to hospital with worrying symptoms after drinking too much water.
We're often told of the importance of drinking enough water, but less so about the dangers of drinking too much of it.
Particularly when the temperatures are extremely high, you may be inclined to drink more fluids. And we're often told to lay off the sugary drinks when it's hot, so water is seen as the perfect substitute.
Texas man John Putnam was working as a landscaper when temperatures reached a whopping 100F back in June.
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As a result of his thirsty work, the 74-year-old consumed almost three gallons of water in just a five hour period.
But the massive amounts of water he had consumed in such a short period of time made John feel extremely nauseas and tired.
Come the evening, John was rushed to hospital due to his symptoms progressing into chest pains and breathing difficulties.
Though medical experts believed he was having a heart attack, it turned out he had suffered from water poisoning, a condition that had made him extremely ill.
John told the Wall Street Journal: "I didn't even know there was such a phenomenon. I was really chugging down the water thinking that's what I needed."
Water poisoning, also known as water intoxication, occurs because of too much water in the body and not enough sodium.
According to the Mayo Clinic, when you drink too much water 'your kidneys can't get rid of the excess water'.
"The sodium content of your blood becomes diluted. This is called hyponatremia and it can be life-threatening," the website states.
Meanwhile, Medical News Today adds: "In severe cases, water intoxication can cause seizures, brain damage, a coma, and even death."
However, Mayo Clinic does reassure folks that "drinking too much water is rarely a problem for healthy, well-nourished adults."
According to Medical News Today, symptoms of water poisoning include headaches, nausea and vomiting.
More serious symptoms of water intoxication include drowsiness, muscle weakness or cramping, increased blood pressure, double vision, confusion, the inability to identify sensory information and difficulty breathing, according to the website.
Brooke Shields found out the hard way about drinking too much water when she was rushed to hospital last year.
Speaking an interview with Glamour last November, Shields explained she was preparing for the show and drunk 'so much water,' unaware she was 'low in sodium'.
The actor explained how she left her house, made it to the corner, and immediately got confused why she was out there.