Hyponatremia- Water Intoxication

Even though water is very good for you, is there a possibility of too much water. If you drink too much water than necessary this will result in low concentration of sodium in the blood. This type of situation has ocurred a couple times during sporting events in the past however you tend to see these occurences in high endurance sports. An example of this type of endurance event would be the iron man or even the Boston Marathon. For instance there was a study done that showed that 13% of the runners in the marathon acquired Hyponatremia.
some symptoms that occur when Hyponatremia would be very similar to dehydration, however they would be naussea, muscle cramps, confussion, and even slurred speech. If any of these symptoms are prevailant then this could mean either not enough water, or too much water meaning not enough sodium. So with that in mind an example of prevention would be drinking energy drinks with high sodium amounts. Also you should try not to drink as much as you sweat. If you are involved in a high endurance race, try to add a decent amount of salt to your foods.