Water is so necessary for life that the signals that the brain sends us when we thirst are especially urgent. In other words, when we are very thirsty, the body asks us to drink a lot of water. However, doing it at large is a mistake.
Thirst is an indicator that we are dehydrated, but drinking a whole bottle of flushing water will not help us recover fluids faster. Quite the contrary. In these cases applies that popular phrase attributed to Napoleon and Fernando VII (its origin is not clear) that says: Dress me slowly that I am in a hurry.
Gastrointestinal Surgeon Leonard Smith explains to Mel Magazine why drinking large amounts of water in a short time is not a good idea. In essence, the problem is that the kidneys process it faster and go through the toilet before it can hydrate us:
If you drink very fast, you run the risk that water will dissolve too quickly in the blood, which causes the excretion of water in the kidneys to accelerate.
What to do then? Ideally, we should always stay hydrated by drinking small amounts of water throughout the day. The daily amount depends a lot on the age, body weight, sex, ambient temperature and the amount of liquids we ingest in the diet. It is generally recommended to drink about two liters daily, but it is not a scientific figure, but a general recommendation.
The question is what do we do to rehydrate properly if we have spent too much time without drinking? The answer is to drink water in small drinks of about 60 or 70 centiliters spaced a few minutes between drinks and drinks. To give a more visual example, a half-liter bottle of water should last about 7 or 8 divided drinks, not disappear through our throat in a single desperate drink.
As for the amount, more than three and a half liters of water in an hour are already enough to trigger symptoms of hyponatremia (water intoxication). It is considered that water can be lethal of 6.7 liters at that time, but it depends a lot on the person. Even with water you have to moderate yourself. [via Mel Magazine]