Theoretically, drinking more water can help the kidneys to detoxify and reduce their burden, but we should know that the human body is a closely balanced system, and the adult kidneys can only excrete 800~ 1000 ml per hour. If you drink more than 1000 ml in an hour, it will lead to hyponatremia and affect kidney health. So don't exceed 1000 ml at a time and1000 ml per hour. Water is the most important and abundant nutrient for human body. Many old people have the awareness that water can detoxify. The climate is dry in winter and spring, so they must drink more.
Is it really safe to drink more water? Zhao Dong, deputy chief physician of the Geriatrics Department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, told the reporter that drinking too much water will lead to "poisoning", especially for the elderly.
Dr. Zhao said that how much water the human body should consume depends on the constitution and illness. If you drink a lot of boiled water in a short time, it will lead to low sodium ion content in the body, and the elderly with degraded physical function are prone to headache, coma, confusion and convulsions.
Dr. Zhao once met a 78-year-old man with "water poisoning" in the clinic. In order to do colonoscopy, the old man began to cooperate with the doctor two days in advance, drinking a lot of boiling water to clear the intestines, eating a small amount of laxatives at the same time, then fasting for a whole day, and only drinking water for three meals. Unexpectedly, on the third night, the old man fell into a coma and twitched all over. When he was taken to the hospital by his family, the blood sodium concentration in the elderly was only 70% of the normal value. He was diagnosed as "acute water poisoning" and needed emergency infusion and sodium ion supplementation.
Dr. Zhao pointed out that "water poisoning" is not common, but the elderly who have suffered from high blood pressure for many years, adopted a low-salt diet for a long time, and insisted on taking diuretics to lower blood pressure, drink too much water at one time, which may easily lead to "poisoning" due to low blood sodium concentration. In order to prevent this phenomenon, the elderly should not drink too much water at a time. It is best to drink 200ml of water before going to bed every morning and evening, and about 600ml between meals during the day. Some people are not used to drinking boiled water, so they can drink green tea, or soak Boat-fruited Sterculia, Lycium barbarum, Ophiopogon japonicus and Siraitia grosvenorii in water. If there is soup for three meals, the amount of water consumed throughout the day should be reduced appropriately. When you need a lot of water to cooperate with physical examination, it is best not to drink only boiled water. Healthy old people can drink moderate sports drinks, while diabetics should drink diluted physiological saline. ▲