Brooke Shields Suffered Seizure After Drinking Too Much Water. Her Health Scare Explained

American actress Brooke Shields recently opened up about a terrifying situation in September during which she was rushed to the hospital with frightening symptoms. In Glamour's Women of the Year 2023 issue, she detailed how she suffered a grand mal seizure after drinking too much water. She recalled that her health scare caused her to "turn blue" and "froth in the mouth" as she was taken to urgent care. "I start having a grand mal seizure. It means frothing at the mouth, totally blue, trying to swallow my tongue. The next thing I remember, I'm being loaded into an ambulance. I have oxygen on," she told the outlet. 

Brooke Shields' health scare explained

Ms Shields' revealed that she suffered a grand mal seizure after drinking too much H2O. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a grand mal seizure, also called a tonic-clonic seizure, is a type of major generalized seizure affecting both sides of the brain. With this type of seizure, the muscles in the body can stiffen and then the body can start shaking or jerking periodically. A grand mal seizure causes an individual to lose consciousness, cry out, fall to the ground, or experience muscle spasms or jerks, as per the CDC.

Ms Shields' said that her doctors believed her seizure came as a result of drinking too much water and not having enough salt in her diet. According to the CDC, over-hydration, also known as water toxicity, can cause seizures. Therefore, doctors urge people not to drink more than 48 ounces (around six cups - 1.4 litres) per hour.

Speaking to Glamour magazine, Ms Shields' revealed that the doctors told her that she had low sodium levels at the time she was consuming lots of water, which can be very dangerous as water dilutes the sodium in the blood, causing a condition known as hyponatremia.

According to Mayo Clinic, low levels of sodium cause cells to swell. In the brain, this can lead to increased pressure on the skull, possibly causing a seizure. Doctors describe hyponatremia as "life-threatening". 

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Experts say that 3.7 litres of fluids daily for men and 2.7 litres for women is plenty. This includes beverages other than water, such as milk, juice and coffee. Doctors generally advise drinking eight glasses of plain water per day, however, modifications may need to be made depending on the environment and the amount of exercise undertaken.

To avoid overhydration, Mayo's experts advise drinking no more than 13 cups of water every day and consuming less than one litre per hour. According to Mayo's site, seizures are not the only potential problem that can occur from over-hydration. The condition can also cause headaches, nausea, vomiting and, in extreme cases, drowsiness, muscle cramps or fatigue, double vision, high blood pressure, confusion or difficulty breathing.