Our body needs water to be able to survive and keep us operating at maximum capacity. Without water, the necessary processes in our bodies will not take place, and eventually, you will start noticing issues in your day to day life.
How Long Can We Live Without Drinking Water?
The maximum that a human can go without drinking water is about three days. This is going to vary depending on how much an individual needs, so some people will be able to survive longer while others may survive for less. There is no exact amount of time that humans, in general, can go without water, but it is only a short period, as it is so vital to most of the processes that the human body does.
Amount Of Water Our Body Needs That Is Essential For Survival
This is going to depend on how much fluid you are losing per day. If you are sweating minimally, urinating minimally, and overall losing the least amount of water possible, you are going to need about one liter of water per day. However, if you are taking part in activities that cause you to lose more fluids, then you are going to need more. Again, this varies from person to person, but you need to replace any fluid that you are losing. You will know if your body is hydrated properly because you won’t experience the symptoms of dehydration.
Dehydration Symptoms
There are a number of dehydration symptoms that you need to look out for because if you start experiencing any of these, then you could be putting yourself at risk. So, some of the things that you are going to need to watch out for include but are not limited to thirst, dry mouth, cool skin, headache, yellow urine, muscle cramps, and dizziness.
Factors That Contribute To Your Body’s Use Of Water
Your body uses water for almost everything that we do. The natural processes that occur in the body require water to work effectively and properly, so all of these will contribute to how much water you use. As well as this, sweating means that you are losing more fluids as your body is trying to cool you down through your pores. So, your body is going to use more water if you are doing things that require you to sweat.
What Happens If You Don’t Drink Water?
If you don’t drink water, your body is not going to be able to provide for you the way it does when you are properly hydrated. The natural processes that we mentioned above won’t be able to happen, and your body is going to have to prioritize what is most important and what you can go without. You will start to experience symptoms of dehydration when you aren’t getting enough water, and eventually, you are no longer going to be able to function. If you don’t get water soon after noticing these symptoms, you could be putting yourself at risk of death.
Impact Of Body Functions Without Adequate Water Intake
Without water, your body is going to stop doing anything that isn’t absolutely essential, and only using the water, you do have to go to the more important things. As such, you can expect to experience things such as dry skin, fatigue, dizziness, and other side effects of not drinking water. Your body will fight to keep you alive as best it can, but without adequate water intake, this is not going to be an easy task.
Foods High In Water Will Help Prevent Dehydration
If drinking the right amount of water each day seems like a challenge, there are foods that you can eat to get the necessary hydration. For example, cucumber is made up mostly of water, so if you eat this, you are going to be getting the water that you need. Tomatoes, apples, spinach, and broccoli are all other foods that are high in water, so you can try eating these to help prevent dehydration.
Side Effects And Risks Of Restricted Water Intake
If your water intake is restricted, you are going to start noticing the symptoms of dehydration pretty quickly. It is not a slow process because your body will be trying to get you to hydrate yourself as quickly as possible. Once you notice the signs, your body is already in danger, and you could be putting yourself in harm’s way, even going as far as risking death by restricting how much water you are consuming.
How Should We Improve Our Water Intake
There are a number of ways that you can improve your water intake, and one of these is to simply drink more. Monitor how much water you are drinking by using a bottle that has measurements on the side. By monitoring how much you are drinking, you can improve how much you are consuming because you will know whether or not you are meeting your daily goal. A lot of people think that you have to drink plain water for it to be counted, but this is not the case. If you don’t like the taste of water, you can always mix it with something else to help make it taste better.
Alternatively, you can eat your water like we discussed above, by consuming foods that contain high levels of it. We discussed this a bit above, so if you are looking for ideas on what kind of foods these are, scroll up a little.
Bottom Line
The bottom line here is that water is essential to keeping our body’s functioning at the highest possible capacity. It will vary depending on an individual’s needs to how long they can survive without water, but the general thought is that you cannot last without adequate amounts of water for longer than three days. As such, you should be doing everything that you can to get the right amount of water, whether this means drinking it or getting it from other sources such as food. As long as your body has enough water, you are going to be fine.