Doing this after strenuous exercise can cause sudden death

Xinhuanet Wuhan May 9th Special Report (Reporter Li Changzheng) After playing football, he was sweating profusely and drank several bottles of mineral water in one breath, resulting in severe gastrointestinal pain, headache and other symptoms. Experts warn that it is not advisable to drink a large amount of water in a short period of time after strenuous exercise, so as to be careful of "water poisoning".

Mr. Hao, 29 years old this year, recently played a football match with his friends. After the game, Mr. Hao, sweating profusely, picked up the mineral water and gulped down 5 bottles in a row. After a while, he began to experience severe gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, vomiting, and unstable heartbeat, and was rushed to Wuhan Union Hospital by his teammates. Mr. Hao was diagnosed with "water poisoning".

Xu Li, an emergency doctor at Wuhan Union Hospital, said that after drinking a lot of water when you are thirsty, the water accumulates in the gastrointestinal tract for a short time. In addition to feeling heavy and bloated in the stomach, it also affects the activity of the diaphragm and thus affects normal breathing. A large amount of water entering the blood also causes the blood volume to increase rapidly, which suddenly increases the burden on the heart and leads to abnormal cardiopulmonary function. In addition, after drinking a large amount of water, the blood is diluted and the osmotic pressure is reduced. Water will penetrate into the cells through the cell membrane, causing the cells to swell. In mild cases, it may cause dizziness, vomiting or hallucinations, and in severe cases, it may cause coma, respiratory arrest or even death.

She suggested that when you are thirsty, you should not drink a lot of water at once. The correct way to drink water is to drink small amounts multiple times, with no more than 300 ml each time. When exercising, you should replenish water in batches before, during and after exercise. When sweating profusely, you can drink some light salt water.