Woman Addicted to Drinking Water Consumes 6 Gallons Per Day
A woman is telling others of her strange addiction to water and how it has affected her life since childhood.
Sasha Kennedy, 26, drinks up to six gallons of water a day which leads to her using the restroom about 40 times a day.
"If I feel my mouth start to get dry I have to get my next fix of water; it's all I can focus on," Kennedy told The Sun.
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Kennedy, of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England is a mother of two who has been drinking large amounts of water ever since she was a toddler.
"People never really think anyone can drink that much until they get to know me - then they just cannot believe their eyes. I feel thirsty pretty much all the time and always have to be sipping water - it's an addictive habit," she explained.
When Kennedy was only 6 years old, her mother routinely placed a jug full of water next to her bed and would still have to get up during the night and refill the container, according to the Sun.
And by the time she reached her teenage years she was consuming up to three gallons a day. But when she went to the doctor, after friends suggested she should, Kennedy said they found nothing wrong.
"They could not find anything wrong. I only start feeling ill if I don't drink - my mouth gets really dry," Kennedy explained.
Doctors do caution drinking an excess of water as it can lead to water intoxication, or hyponatremia, a condition created when there is not enough salt in the body's fluids. Both can cause serious health problems, including death.
"Over-hydrating with any fluid is possible and in extreme cases it can be dangerous but this is very rare," nutrition consultant Emma Derbyshire said.
The recommend amount of water that should be consumed according to the Department of Health is between six to eight 8-ounce servings of fluids per day.
