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Drinking too much water, especially during exercise, could kill you!

A group of 17 international experts worked together to design a new set of guidelines that provide details on how to drink water in the safest way and avoid getting into overboard. The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine published the new guidelines which came with warnings and was official launched at the International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference.

Reportedly 14 athletes already died because of exercise-linked hyponatremia, which is caused by overdose of water or sports drinks.

The guidelines, however, underscored that individuals could avoid hyponatremia: drink water only when thirsty.

"Using the innate thirst mechanism to guide fluid consumption is a strategy that should limit drinking in excess and developing hyponatremia while providing sufficient fluid to prevent excessive dehydration," the guidelines specified.

Exercise-linked hyponatremia (EAH) occurs when a person consumes excessive water, which could overwhelm the kidneys from eliminating too much water. When it this happens, sodium in the body becomes diluted causing the cells to swell, which could place a person's life in threat.

An individual with mild EAH usually manifests one or all of the following symptoms: lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, puffiness and weight gain during an athletic event. However, when the condition worsens, vomiting, headache, confusion or worst delirium, seizure and comatose are manifested.

An individual is at risk of EAH during activities that require excessive stamina, like marathons, swimming, military exercises and even yoga.

Athletes and individuals engaged in excessive physical activities are advised to take 1.5 to 2. extra cups of water to replenish fluid loss. At this time, the body's sodium level drops because of excessive perspiration, thus, instead of taking too much water, drinking sports drink with sodium will help replace lost sodium and restore balance in the body. This eventually reduces a person's risk of suffering from hyponatremia.