Tag Archives: dehydration

What would happen to your body if you didn’t drink water?

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Water does more for us than just quench our thirst.

It’s one of the most vital substances for our body. Although drinking the recommended eight glasses of H2O a day seems difficult for most of us, not getting enough water can compromise our health because so many bodily functions rely on it. While we can withstand weeks without food, we can only survive five to seven days without water, but what would happen to our bodies if we stopped drinking water?

In their video, “What If You Stopped Drinking Water?” Mitchell Moffit and Greggory Brown of AsapSCIENCE explain how quickly we would begin to feel the effects of dehydration and what exactly those effects would be. Moffit and Brown explain the reason we feverishly look for water is because H2O is the most abundant molecule that makes up 65 percent of an adult. “As the universal solvent, it carries nutrients and hormones to the body, regulates body temperature, cushions the joints, and provides lubricants in our eyes,” according to the AsapSCIENCE video. However, as we produce 1.5 liters of urine every day, it is essential that the body replaces the liquid before it begins to shut down.

Completely depleting your body of water, even with fluids that contain water such as juice, coke, or tea, causes the brain to detect this change and creates the urge to drink something, hopefully water, immediately. When we don’t drink water, we begin to experience the initial signs of dehydration such as dry mouth, followed by dark urine with a strong odor. This signals the body’s attempt to conserve more fluids.

With one to two days of no fluids, we stop peeing altogether, have trouble swallowing, suffer from muscle spasms, and are more likely to experience nausea. The attention to digestion does not become a priority as victims become delirious and begin to suffer from severe brain function. Blood flow stops flowing to the skin, reduces heat loss, increases cork body temperature, and then gives us a bluish tint. Within three to five days, say Moffit and Brown, our organs and brain shut down.

Therefore, it is essential to keep our bodies hydrated with pure H2O, to keep our immune system functioning. As water is essential for our bodies, it’s important to fight for clean water availability for all.

Drinking Water? You Still Might Be Dehydrated

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Staying hydrated is important, especially during the heat of summer. Even if you drink a lot of water, though, other factors might be working against you.

  • If you’re under a lot of stress, the adrenal glands that pump out stress hormones become exhausted, causing dehydration and low electrolyte levels. While upping fluid intake can help, limiting stressors is the best long-term solution.
  • If you don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, you’re not getting the water they bring along with them. Fill up half your plate at each meal with produce — it could give you an extra cup of water a day.
  • Some prescription medications can cause dehydration as a side effect. Many medications act as diuretics, which increase urine output and a risk of dehydration.
  • Eliminating carbs from your diet can decrease the number on a scale, but it could lead to dehydration, too. Carbs such as oatmeal, whole grain pasta and brown rice soak up water during the cooking process, which can increase hydration levels.
  • Any type of workout can lead to dehydration. If you are sweating out more than you are drinking water, there is a risk of dehydration. Health.com says to weigh yourself before and after exercise and for every pound lost, drink 16 to 20 ounces of water.
  • Taking certain kinds of dietary supplements can send you to the bathroom more often, causing a loss of fluids. To combat dehydration, speak with a nutritionist or doctor about any potential side effects.
  • As you age, it gets harder to stay hydrated and harder to tell whether you’re really thirsty. Keep a bottle of water near you at all times and, each day, keep a running total of how much you’ve consumed.