Actress Brooke Shields revealed in a recent interview that she had a “grand mal seizure” that she attributed to drinking too much water.
While preparing for her one-woman show Previously Owned by Brooke Shields, the 58-year-old actress said she drank so much water that her sodium levels dropped to dangerously low levels.
At the hospital, doctors confirmed that Shields had “drank too much water,” she said in her Glamor 2023 Women of the Year interview.
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“I flooded my body and drowned. And if you don’t have enough sodium in your blood, urine or body, a seizure can occur.”
In describing the event, Shields said she was “foaming at the mouth, completely blue and trying to swallow my tongue. The next thing I know, I’m being loaded into an ambulance. I have oxygen on.”
Brooke Shields shared in a recent interview that she recently had a “grand mal seizure,” which she attributed to drinking too much water. (Getty Images)
What is a grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizure?
During a grand mal seizure — now officially called a tonic-clonic seizure — muscles alternate between the tonic phase (stiffening) and the clonic phase (twitching or twitching), according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website.
Early warning signs often include a “simple or complex partial seizure,” also called an aura, along with mood or emotional changes and abnormal sensory experiences.
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Once the tonic activity begins, the person may lose consciousness, scream, fall and/or drool or foam at the mouth, according to Johns Hopkins.
If the attack causes difficulty breathing, the person may gasp for air or have a gray or bluish complexion.
Drinking too much water can cause sodium levels to drop, potentially leading to a condition called hyponatremia, a doctor has warned. (iStock)
In the clonic phase, the person’s body begins to twitch, usually for one to three minutes.
The body then relaxes and the jerky movements stop.
Treatments may include medications, surgery, nutritional therapy, and/or nerve stimulation.
After a seizure, it usually takes a few minutes for the brain to recover.
During this time, the person appears to be asleep or unconscious.
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Tonic-clonic seizures require immediate medical attention because the muscle spasms can affect breathing, according to Johns Hopkins.
Treatments may include medications, surgery, nutritional therapy, and/or nerve stimulation.
How much water is too much?
Dr. Pooja Patel, director of the epilepsy monitoring unit at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, confirmed to Fox News Digital that drinking too much water can be dangerous.
“It can cause hyponatremia (sodium deficiency),” she said in an email. “Extreme hyponatremia can have serious negative effects on the body.”
According to a doctor, the recommended amount of water is about eight glasses per day, with one glass equaling 8 ounces. (iStock)
One of these possible effects is seizures.
“In severe hyponatremia, water moves to the brain, causing brain cells to swell,” Patel said. “If this is acute, it can lead to increased pressure and seizures.”
According to the doctor, the recommended amount of water is about eight glasses per day, with one glass equaling 8 ounces.
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“It’s usually safe to stay close to it,” she said.
“Drinking excessive amounts of water, especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition, can cause harmful effects such as hyponatremia.”
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Although it’s very important to stay hydrated, Patel recommends consulting a doctor to determine safe water intake before making any sudden dietary changes – especially for those with underlying medical conditions.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Stanton contributed reporting.
For more health articles, see www.foxnews.com/health.
Melissa Rudy is a health editor and member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.