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Drinking more fluids...or less?
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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The first thing doctors recommend during a cold is bed rest and plenty of fluids. But if everything seems clear with bed rest, then plenty of fluids can cause some controversy. According to British experts, too much liquid can cause negative consequences for the body.
Scientists believe that the concept of drinking plenty of fluids is too vague, and that excessive amounts of water, especially during illness or existing chronic diseases, lead to the leaching of sodium from the body.
During a cold, doctors usually prescribe plenty of fluids, antiviral drugs, vitamins, but British experts said that recommendations about plenty of fluids should be more specific. In England, there was a case where a woman almost died following a doctor's recommendations. When the woman caught a cold, the therapist prescribed her the appropriate treatment and recommended drinking more fluids.
In order to recover faster and cleanse the body of toxins, the woman drank several liters a day. But over time, the woman not only did not recover, but also began to feel much worse, weakness, nausea, and slurred speech appeared. After examination, it was established that the woman's body lacked sodium and was diagnosed with hyponatremia. Experts note that with this diagnosis, the number of fatal cases reaches 30%.
Hyponatremia can occur due to unregulated fluid intake or endocrine problems. The body experiences metabolic disorders, blood pressure drops, and vessels begin to lose fluid, which penetrates into the extravascular space and leads to swelling. A person essentially begins to suffer from dehydration. But scientists note that it is important to clearly understand what volumes are being discussed when doctors recommend drinking more fluid. More than 3 liters of water per day can certainly disrupt the body's functioning and cause sodium leaching.
Doctors recommend drinking more fluids during illness, however, this does not mean that you need to drink a bucket of water a day, but you do not need to limit your fluid intake, there should be a golden mean in everything. Doctors note that there have been no cases when a person with a cold drank so much water that hyponatremia developed (the Englishwoman's case can be considered exceptional). First of all, for this to happen, you need to drink more than 3 liters of fluid daily for a long time. But almost all patients claim that it is problematic to drink the required 2-3 liters of water per day, and this amount of fluid helps to remove only the decay products of viruses from the body and nothing more. Doctors note that when you are sick, it is enough to drink 2-3 liters of water a day, and this norm should include clean water, teas, compotes, etc. But each person is individual, if before the illness he drank 2-5 glasses of liquid a day, then you do not need to suddenly start drinking more, especially if there are problems with metabolism, kidneys, diabetes. Doctors once again emphasize that it is important to inform your doctor about any health problems so that he can prescribe the correct treatment.
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