How Much Water is Too Much Water and Why It’s Not Good for You
A man carries two bottles of drinking water on July 10, 2023.
I drink a lot of water, especially in the summer. Most do I guess, just because we’re much more thirsty this time of year. We’re sweating it out so we’ve got to replenish or else we’re going to feel run down, tired, and dehydrated. I’ve always been told the best thing you can drink is water, but the question is, can you drink too much water? Can you overdo it? And if so, how much is too much?
It’s hot all over the country and you hear the reminders all the time about how we need to stay hydrated. However, according to a report by CBS News, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the answer is “yes” we can drink too much water.
The CDC says that we should never drink any more than forty-eight ounces, which is the equivalent of six cups, approximately three pints, or about three regular-sized bottles over the course of an hour. If you haven’t done the math yet, that’s one bottle every twenty minutes.
So now the question is why is drinking more than that not good for us?
The medical director of New York Presbyterian in Westchester, Dr. Mahesh Polavarapu says that doing so “will lower the concentration of salt in one’s blood, which can trigger a dangerous chain of events.” He continued, “If you have too much water, it’s going to basically push that water into cells to kind of balance out that sodium and other electrolyte concentrations.” This causes the many cells in you including brain cells to swell. This can cause nausea and cramps which are also symptoms of dehydration, so it can be confusing.
It’s recommended that we drink about eight cups of water a day because we also get fluid from food (about one-fifth of our intake) and other drinks we enjoy.
How can we tell if we’re drinking too much? The Mayo Clinic’s Jason Ewoldt says it’s clear, literally, “clear urine could be a sign that a person is drinking too much water.”
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A 'Definitive' Ranking Of The 5 Fast-Food Restaurants
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) recently shared a study that details the top fast-food chains in the country based on customer satisfaction. While I agree with the top choice, the others are questionable. And hey, taste is subjective. I’m something of a fast-food restaurant connoisseur. So, here I will re-rank the country’s top five fast-food restaurant chains based on personal experience. (Hence, “Definitive” in quotes in the headline.)
First, let’s examine the numbers in this report, as there are certainly some valuable points to consider. It appears as if their customer satisfaction entails 11 important factors. These include areas such as the accuracy of food orders, staff courtesy, and cleanliness. Another important measurement these days is the efficiency of the chain’s app.
The ACSI report is based on 16,250 customers who were surveyed. Their top five looked like this:
- #1 Chick-fil-A
- #2 Jimmy Johns
- #3 KFC
- #4 Papa John
- #5 Domino’s
Technically “other” landed at number three, but for the sake of top brands, that is the top of the list.
Re-Ranking Methodology
While I do like the variety in cuisine displayed in ACSI’s list, I am surprised at many of the names I see there. To create this ranking, I did follow and considered the customer satisfaction criteria previously laid out in the survey. Though I am a drive-thru-first type of person, I will quickly peel out of the parking lot if I detect the joint doesn’t look like it takes cleanliness seriously. Regardless of how much I am craving that chicken sandwich. In other words, those scored questions are legit measurements.
It’s worth mentioning that I travel quite a bit as well. Whether taking my kids to a weekend lacrosse tournament or heading south to visit family, a fast-food meal is often all I have time for. Nonetheless, I don’t just stop for anything, and I do aim for the healthiest option possible (most of the time).
So, imagine I just pulled off a magical interstate exit where all of these fast food restaurants had an open establishment. I’m considering the criteria points ACSI has laid out, and looking for a quality meal. Here is my official re-ranking of the top five fast-food restaurant chains in the country.
*Side-note, the ACSI also includes statistic results on full-service chain restaurants. That is not applicable to my ranking, but Chili’s is the clear number one, with all the rest being second.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.