What Would Happen If You Didn’t Drink Water?

Obviously at some point you die, but, before that?

Dust to dust

If we run out of water completely, from every cell in the body, then we will be a desiccated husk and, if not cradled by our surroundings in such a way that we become mummified, then we turn to dust.

But, that’s not going to happen because you didn’t get in your 8 glasses of water per day. Well, eventually yes, it can happen. But not today.

The water that currently makes up 55–65% of your body does a lot of things; it cushions and lubricates your joints, regulates your temperature, supports your brain and spinal cord, and helps maintain all manner of normal bodily processes, because every living cell in your body needs water to function.

Now, your body loses approximately 2–3 liters of water each day through your sweat, urine, bowel movements, and breathing, so you need to continually replace those fluids.

If you don’t, then falling water levels trigger your hypothalamus to release antidiuretic hormone, which helps your kidneys retain more water. Even moderate dehydration can reduce your energy, mood, skin moisture, blood pressure, and cognitive performance (due to making your brain work harder to perform the same tasks, like an overheating CPU, except your brain is also physically shrinking when dehydrated, too).

But don’t overdo it, though, because on the flipside, drinking excessive* amounts of water in a short period can cause hyponatremia, diluting sodium in your blood and causing your cells to swell. Severe cases can lead to headache, vomiting, seizures, and, rarely, death.

^{*A pair of healthy kidneys can process around 1 liter of water per hour, so there is never any reason to drink more than that, unless you somehow have more than two kidneys or something. And if you have fewer than two kidneys and/or kidney disease, then please get personalized advice from a urologist who is familiar with your specific situation.}

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

• Hydration Mythbusting
• When To Take Electrolytes (And When We Shouldn’t!)
• Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy (Especially After 60)

Take care!