Persons with spinal cord injury understand too well the perils of not drinking sufficient water. Constipation and urinary tract infections are two symptoms related to insufficient intake of water. Constipation can cause autonomic hyperreflexia while persistent urinary tract infection may damage the kidneys. To avert those problems, they are often advised to drink at least two litres of water. More often than not, many drink too much.

Drinking too much, known as hyperhydration, gives rise to another set health complications. Hyperhydration causes hyponatremia where sodium in the body is over-diluted and washed out from the body by the kidneys in the forum of urine. Sodium regulates fluid balance in the body, maintains blood pressure, helps transmit nerve impulses and is vital for muscle contraction. If sodium is not replaced, essential cellular functions will be disrupted.

Symptoms of hyponatremia include nausea, fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, disorientation and can lead to coma or even death. Minor hyponatremia can be treated by eating salty food and drinking sports drinks like 100Plus and Gatorade. Severe hyponatremia needs urgent medical attention. The problem of hyperhydration is apparent on hot days when too much water is drunk to quench thirst, especially by those who are taking Detrusitol which tends to cause dryness to the eyes, nose and mouth.

Therefore, it is important to pace the intake of water throughout the day. An adult needs to drink an average of two litres of water daily. A regulated intake of water not only reduces the likelihood of hyperhydration but also allows better bladder management by keeping the schedule for intermittent catheterisation and eliminating instances of a full bladder in between that.

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