Symptoms of water toxicity may include a general feeling of being unwell, muscle cramps, soreness, nausea, and headaches.
An Indiana mother-of-two has died after drinking 64 ounces of water in just 20 minutes. Ashley Summers, 35, succumbed to water toxicity shortly after enjoying a relaxed day at Lake Freeman during the extended Fourth of July weekend.
On the final day of her trip, Summers experienced lightheadedness and a headache, common signs of dehydration. However, her thirst couldn’t be quenched despite consuming the equivalent of four 16-ounce (500ml) bottles of water. She told her family that it felt like she couldn’t drink enough water to feel satiated and then collapsed and died from water toxicity, a rare consequence of drinking too much water too quickly.
Shocking Way to Die
After Summers returned home, she collapsed in her garage, having suffered severe brain swelling and remained unconscious. Doctors at the hospital identified her condition as water toxicity, or hyponatremia, which occurs when there is an excess of water in the body and insufficient sodium levels.
Devon Miller, Summers’ brother, was in a state of disbelief when he learned about his sister’s condition.
« Someone said she drank four bottles of water in 20 minutes, » Miller told WRTV. « She just felt like she couldn’t get enough water… When they left the sand bar when they got to the dock, it was about a 20-minute boat ride I mean, an average water bottle is like 16 ounces, so that was 64 ounces that she drank in a span of 20 minutes.
