What is water toxicity?: Why a mom of 2 died from too much hydration

Guzzling too much water can make you seriously ill and could, in rare instances, even be deadly.

An Indiana mother of two died last month after consuming an estimated 64 ounces of water in just 20 minutes — that’s how much water the average human should gulp in one day.

Known as water toxicity — which hospitalized a young South Carolina boy in July and a content creator last week — the rare poisoning can have severe consequences.

What is water toxicity?

Water toxicity — also known as water poisoning or water intoxication — occurs when too much water is consumed in a short period of time, or if the kidneys retain too much water due to underlying health conditions.

Over-hydration can impair brain function by increasing the amount of water in the blood, causing sodium levels to dip dangerously low, according to Medical News Today.

Decreased sodium levels, referred to as hyponatremia in extreme cases, results in exterior cell fluid traveling into cells and causes swelling — in brain cells, this could turn fatal.

Though it’s difficult to achieve, water poisoning typically occurs while over-hydrating during a sporting event or in hot climates.

Symptoms of water toxicity

Water toxicity can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting and, in extreme cases, drowsiness, muscle cramps or fatigue, double vision, high blood pressure, confusion or difficulty breathing.

Central nerve dysfunction, seizures, brain damage, coma or death could occur in serious instances, which means immediate medical attention is vital to prevent fatal brain swelling.

How much water is too much?

Eight cups of water, or 64 ounces, seems to be the gold standard of water intake for the average human — not taking physical movement or environment into consideration — but expert advice varies from six cups to approximately 13 cups.

Water is necessary for optimal body functions, such as flushing waste, maintaining body temperature, lubricating joints and more — yet gulping down a day’s worth of liquids in mere minutes will do more harm than good.

Drinking more fluids than the kidneys can eliminate per hour — approximately one liter — will lead to over-hydration.

How to prevent water toxicity

Drinking no more than 13 cups of water every day and consuming one liter or less per hour will prevent over-hydration.

Loading up on 14 to 22 ounces of water two or so hours before exercise or spending time in the heat will prevent dehydration and subsequent over-hydration.

Sports drinks boosted with electrolytes are also helpful, as they replenish the sugar, sodium and potassium lost through sweat.

Does water toxicity only impact humans?

Humans are not the only ones who can experience water intoxication — our precious pets could fall victim to over-hydration, too.

While it typically only occurs in warmer weather when visiting beaches or lounging by the pool, our furry friends could suffer from water over-consumption, according to the ASPCA, which could result in nausea, vomiting, lethargy and a distended abdomen.

More extreme cases could result in fatigue, hypothermia, coma, seizures and bradycardia, or abnormal heart rhythm.

Animals are treated with a plasma sodium concentration to raise the sodium levels in the blood.