Have you ever wondered that we are running out of water day by day? Do you think what we will experience without water and how are we going to survive without this basic necessity in life? There is no basic prediction for how long a person can survive without water. Most of the blogs, studies, research and article papers suggest that a person can survive without water for two days to a week without any consumption of water or food. Many factors affect the survival rate of an individual such as the weather, an individual’s health and the amount of physical activity you perform. Mayo clinic states that older people, children, adults suffering from chronic diseases or people who are engaged in activities can suffer from dehydration.
According to Randal Packer from Washington DC, a person loses 1-1.5 liters of sweat in an hour when in very hot weather. If a person is dehydrated, he or she might die as the internal body temperature becomes very high. So most of us wonder how much water we need to lose before we suffer from dehydration. According to NHS guidelines in the UK, when an individual loses 10% water from their total weight they suffer from dehydration. Losing 1.5 liters of water during sweating on a hot day can lower the water level in the body leading to dehydration. Once the amount of water is severely low, he or she might suffer from dry skin, tiredness, fatigue, thirst, light-headedness, rapid pulse, dry mouth, confusion, and others.
When an individual suffers from dehydration and is brought to the emergency care, he or she feels lazy, tired, might vomit and is dizzy. But if the dehydration is very severe, the person can suffer from shock where they experience clammy and cold skin. The people suffering from shock become unresponsive and most of the time they feel unwell.
Once the water drops beyond the healthy levels, the liquid moves towards the vital organs to replenish them with blood resulting in the shrinkage of cells within the body. According to Jeffrey Berns, the water moves out of the brain cells leading to the contraction of brain vessels and ultimately they burst. Kidneys are the first organs that fail and they ultimately stop cleansing the waste from the body. At this point, other organs of the body also start failing to result in a painful cascade of reactions. All this results in complete replenishment of water and essential electrolytes from the body which is ultimately needed for staying stable and healthy.
Consider watching this video to know top 10 habits that damages kidneys.
The human body requires an ample amount of water to function appropriately and you might only survive for a few days without water. Dehydration varies from one person to another so it all depends on the environmental and body factors. Each person has a different tolerance level and a person might survive for a shorter or a longer period depending on their survival strength. The intake of water also depends on what you eat. If you eat water-rich foods you might need less amount of water. The environmental factors also affect the intake of water, if you are staying in a hot climate you need excess consumption of water as you’ll lose more water in sweat than the person staying in a cold climate. Humans need ample of water to perform functions like moistening the internal tissues, regulation of internal body temperature, performing processes like digestion, lubrication of joints, production of essential hormones within the body, balancing the pH within the body, providing oxygen supply to the essential organs and elimination of waste from the body through urine. Water is essential for all functions so drink 7-8 glasses of water daily to fulfill the water requirement of the body.
Until Next Time,
Team Doctor ASKY!