The death of a woman Ashley Summers recently  has sparked discussion about the dangers of water toxicity.

Her family members said, 'she drank four bottles of water in 20 minutes. An average water bottle is like 16 ounces, so that was 64 ounces that she drank in a span of 20 minutes. That's half a gallon. That's what you're supposed to drink in a whole day'!

Water toxicity is drinking too much water too fast; although rare, the condition can be fatal. While the body obviously needs water to function, drinking too much water in a short time can lead to serious health risks, largely because the kidneys can only filter about a liter of water per hour.

To avoid hyponatremia, it is important not to outpace the kidneys by drinking more water than they can eliminate. Researchers report that hyponatremia symptoms can develop if a person drinks 3–4 liters of water in a short period. However, they do not give a specific time estimate.

Excess water can cause hyponatremia—as the increased amount of water dilutes the body's salt levels. In extreme cases, this can lead to brain swelling and progressive neurological symptoms, including confusion, disorientation, seizures, coma and even death.

Water intoxication  can happen if a person drinks a lot of water without correctly accounting for electrolyte losses. For this reason, hyponatremia often occurs during major sporting events, military training, high-exertion physical work, and heavy exercising.

Severe cases of water intoxication can produce more serious symptoms, including: drowsiness, muscle weakness or cramping, increased BP, confusion, double vision, inability to identify sensory information, difficulty breathing.

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:

• About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
• About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

That again depends on your body weight. Aim to drink half an ounce for every pound of body weight. In other words, divide what you weigh in half and aim to consume that many overall ounces of water daily from a variety of sources. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, there are no official guidelines about how much water a person needs to drink each day.

The right amount differs, depending on factors such as body weight, level of physical activity, climate, and whether they are breast-feeding.

Your food too contains water. The coffee, tea, milk, fruit juices, soft drinks you consume also contain water. You should count that water too.

Read this article for more information: stop-counting-glasses-there-s-an-ocean-of-difference-in-our-water