This is why drinking more than a litre of water an hour could kill you

19 November 2018, 13:59 | Updated: 19 November 2018, 15:06

The average adult needs between 3-4 litres of water each day but drinking more than 800ml within an hour could be putting your kidneys in danger.

Since childhood we're constantly being told to drink enough water and stay hydrated - but how much is too much, and what are the dangers?

The NHS recommends a minimum of 1.2 litres of water each day as the minimum - or around six to eight glasses, but the average adult should be aiming for somewhere between 3-4 litres of water for optimum health levels.

While an unhealthy amount of water consumption varies on factors such as gender, age, and activity level, our kidneys can process between 800ml to a litre of water in an hour.

Drinking more than this can cause sodium levels to dramatically plummet and with nowhere for the excess water to go, it's stored inside the body's cells which leads to swelling.

Read more: This is why you should NEVER give water to a baby

The process is known as water intoxication with symptoms can include drowsiness and headaches.

If the conditions worsens it can lead to brain damage, falling into a coma, and in very extreme cases even DEATH.

Liz Weinandy, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre, told Popsugar that healthy amount of water consumption should lead to "straw coloured or lighter" urine.

One of the biggest groups in danger of water intoxication are athletes, specifically marathon runners.

They're likely to consume a lot more water than usual in a shorter amount of time to combat heat, but the physical act of running will cause stress to the body as it tries to process the fluid.