How does drinking too much water affect blood pressure?

Answer 1

Hi Sarah!

Water makes up a large part of the total volume of your blood. That amount is kept in check by the kidneys and hormones like anti-diuretic hormone and aldosterone. However, drinking an excess of water (it would have to be A LOT in a short amount of time) would raise your blood volume.

Blood pressure is determined by a number of factors including peripheral vascular resistance, contractility of the heart, and the total volume of blood in the body. When there is a lot of blood in the vessels, it exerts a higher hydrostatic pressure against the walls of those vessels, resulting in increased blood pressure.

Hope this helps!