Bottom line: The kidneys can remove 20–28 liters of water per day, but they cannot excrete more than 0.8 to 1.0 liters per hour. Drinking more than this can be harmful.
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is: About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men. About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women.
5 litres of liquid is excessive and can lead to depletion of important minerals like potassium sodium, calcium and magnesium leading to electrolyte imbalances. Some people even develop a condition known as 'water intoxication'. So try and be moderate with your liquid intake.
But how much water is too much? "Drinking more than the kidneys can eliminate could cause hyponatremia in some people," says Hultin, noting that the kidneys can eliminate 27 to 34 ounces of water per hour, or a total of 676 to 947 ounces (20 to 28 liters) per day. More than that might put you in the danger zone.
The body needs water to function correctly, but drinking too much too fast can have serious health consequences. The kidneys can only remove 0.8 to 1.0 liters of water per hour, and a very high water intake can upset the body's electrolyte balance.
The process is known as water intoxication with symptoms can include drowsiness and headaches. If the conditions worsens it can lead to brain damage, falling into a coma, and in very extreme cases even DEATH.
How much should I drink a day? A healthy adult needs around 35 ml of water each day per kilogram of body weight . At least according to the general guidelines from scientific organisations.
General recommendations. The National Academy of Medicine suggests an adequate intake of daily fluids of about 13 cups and 9 cups for healthy men and women, respectively, with 1 cup equaling 8 ounces.
If you drink more than 8 to 10 liters of water, your kidneys will get in trouble. Your kidneys can process a maximum of 0.7 to 1 liter of water per hour. If you drink too much, your kidneys can't handle that huge amount of water.
Drinking enough water offers health benefits, however, drinking too much water, such as 3-4 liters of water, in a short period leads to water intoxication. For proper metabolism, a normal human body requires about two liters of water.
On average our food is thought to contribute about 20% of our fluid intake which, therefore, suggests a woman should aim to drink about 1.6 litres and a man should aim for 2 litres.
So, on an average, consume 4-5 liters (women) or 6-7 liters (men) of water for weight loss (if you participate in vigorous workouts regularly and tend to sweat a lot). Also, water isn't the only factor.
A more calculated way to look at it is – drink a litre of water per 25kg of bodyweight, so if you weigh 50kg that's around 2 litres of water per day and if you weigh closer to 75kg you should be drinking broadly 3 litres per day.
The 70 kg 'standard male' contains 42 liters of water - 60% of his body weight. The hypothetical adult female contains 55% of her body weight as water: this lower percent being due to a higher fat content.
As a general rule, you can use this simple calculation. Water (in litres) to drink a day = Your Weight (in Kg) multiplied by 0.033. For example, if you are 60kg, you should drink about 2 litres of water every single day. At 90kg, you'll around about 3 litres of water.
Volume overload can be both the cause and effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Overhydration often accompanies renal insufficiency. In cardiovascular disease (CVD), fluid overload can also be the cause of renal function impairment.
Salt supplements won't prevent overhydration problems. Overhydration is a fluid-intake problem, not a salt-loss problem. You dilute your blood when you drink too much and you're not able to pee out the excess.
Water helps the kidneys remove wastes from your blood in the form of urine. Water also helps keep your blood vessels open so that blood can travel freely to your kidneys, and deliver essential nutrients to them. But if you become dehydrated, then it is more difficult for this delivery system to work.
Evening: If you've been to the gym or done any exercise be sure to rehydrate by slowly sipping around 500mls of water. Don't glug it down in one go. Before bed: Drink some water around an hour before you go to bed, to ensure that your body is hydrated while it repairs itself overnight, but your kidneys get to rest too.
"The kidneys have limitations of how much water they can excrete at a time, which is a maximum of 800 to 1,000 milliliters per hour," says Koskinen. "Anything that exceeds that amount essentially waterlogs the body."
Every hour, a healthy kidney at rest can excrete 800 to 1,000 milliliters, or 0.21 to 0.26 gallon, of water and therefore a person can drink water at a rate of 800 to 1,000 milliliters per hour without experiencing a net gain in water, Verbalis explains.