Water is a blessing, given from God to mankind. When one thinks life, he sees water. Water is the root of all existence. If you and I are alive today, it is because of “water. If it wasn’t for water, we would have perished a long time ago. Every living thing on the planet requires some amount of water to survive, be it mammals, reptiles, amphibians or even human beings. There is no alternative to this God-gifted thing. Now, imagine what happened if you had to live without water? Hard isn’t it? This is where a common question arises as to how long can a human go without water? We will discuss this here today. Rea don.
How Long Can A Human Go Without Water?
Water is tasteless and colorless, but still holds the key to existence. Water is the most essential thing on earth. It even makes up for more than half of the planet itself. Seawater isn’t drinkable for humans but still there is a lot of aquatic life one can see underwater. In the deepest parts of the oceans these humble creatures live off water, catching prey, escaping predators and what not. According to science, water makes up to 60% of the human body. Life on other planet is not possible only because there is no water available on the other planets.
When one comes to think about it, the cycle of water is very diverse or different one might say. It starts from an ocean, river, lake, or even a pond. The sunlight falls onto this water, turning it into vapors. These vapors then go up into the skies turning into clouds. These clouds roam around in the skies for some time then again comes to the sun. Direct sunlight falls onto these clouds causing them to melt; melting clouds take up the shape of rain and gently fall back on to the surface of the earth covering vast distances and fields. Eventually, going back to some river, sewer or canal only to be let into the ocean. And then this cycle continues. A drop of water turns into a vapor and flies away only to be reincarnated as rain. Mother Nature, it seems as if it wasn’t for water it wouldn’t ever prosper. Plants need water to live just like humans. Water is the most valuable asset man has, but still man doesn’t value it even a little. Perhaps, it is so abundant? Abundant –but useless, in a way, if we can’t drink water it’s of no use to us anyways.
What Would Happen In Case Of Dehydration ?
Humans can survive without food but cannot survive without water. Human body needs water to survive, to function, to repair & self-heal the internal organs and continue working properly. That’s how important the water is to our body. But in the summer/sever heat, an average adult could lose around a liter of water through sweat. Summer time is when you have to put extra care in maintaining your water intake and levels. High heat, very low water content in your body can lead to heat stroke. Drinking enough water will keep your core temperature stable.
You are mildly dehydrated if you experience:
- Reduced urination frequency & urine output
- Dark colored urine
- Strong odor in urine
- Lack of saliva
You are dehydrated moderately if you experience:
- Even less urine output & frequency
- Dry mouth
- Sunken eyes/ dry feeling in the eyes
- Increased heartbeat
You are severely dehydrated if:
- No urine output
- Irritability in the urine path
- Lethargy, vomiting & diarrhea
The critical stage of dehydration leads to shock, blue-grayish skin that turns cold and a severe drop in blood pressure.
Most doctors support the fact that normal healthy humans can survive without food for even up to 6 weeks as long as they have enough water. They also say that people have starved to death in less time when there’s no enough water for them. A strong healthy normal person can survive longer and so are the excess fat in the body. The body takes its dose of energy to function from the fat storage which explains why people with more fat tend to survive long without food longer.
Your metabolism plays a major role in the way the food breaks down and converted to energy. If you have a slower metabolism rate, the body burns down the food slowly and will make you feel fuller for long time. If you’re going without food for some time, your body will slow down and adjusts itself according to the ‘low or no food intake’ and functions accordingly i.e. the body does what it needs to survive and thrive.
To rephrase the question more properly, how long can humans go without water? The answer to the question asked is, not long. Not very long, an average person can go without water for 3 whole days but his or her condition after those days won’t be good. While a person can go up to 3 weeks without any kind of food, a person could possibly die due to the complications on the 4th day. Water is a very important part of our life and we as human beings should value this asset we have. We should stop wasting so much water. Water shouldn’t be taken for granted. People in the poorer parts of the African continent don’t have access to clean drinking water. It’s safe to say that these people are desperate for the same water we widely waste every day.
Also, a person shouldn’t try experimenting with this, as the results and facts are known. If a person goes without water for a considerable amount of time, this will have a very lasting effect on the body. The person’s body will not be able to function properly anymore. He or she will suffer from dehydration and occasional nausea. These conditions are very serious. Without the beautiful gift of water, the human body will not be able to digest food. Only in survival extreme conditions should a man face these kinds of daunting tasks. It’s no child’s play to go without water for such a long time.
A person can’t survive without water for very long — meaning only 3 days or even more or less depending on the conditions. A person should always be hydrated. Experts say that a person should drink 8 glasses of water per day routinely. Keeping yourself hydrated is a big part of being healthy as water basically makes up for half of our bodies so the intake is considered to be very important.
Conclusion
There are oceans upon oceans filled to the bone with water but pity it isn’t drinkable. To be able to drink salt water, it must go through a purification process, there are purification units set up in most major cities in each and every country, the cities which regulate the flow of water to smaller cities and more rural areas. The water purification process is quite simple. The water from the nearest river bank, ocean or lake goes into the purification unit inside where there is machinery that helps clean and purify the water. The water is cleaned of all unnecessary things, the bacteria is killed, leaving the minerals behind. Due to this process the sea water gets fit for drinking. It is a daunting task but with great outcome. Via this system millions of homes across the globe are provided with clean drinking water daily. The water in your tap goes through a purification plant as well. This process kills all the germs and bacteria in the sea water, which can be harmful for human health, making it fit for human consumption.
Water makes up for a huge part of our daily lives. We start our days off with showering, washing our self, drinking a glass of water. Over the course of the day we drink many glasses of water, wash our hands many times so water is almost an integral part of our living. Just imagine life without water for a moment, How will you wash your hands or clothes? What will you drink when you are thirsty? How will you bathe? How will you wash stuff? It sends chills down a person’s spine by even thinking about that. But, if it was the reality it would be next to impossible to survive in such a world.
Hope, you loved reading this article and got the answer to the question — how long can a human go without water. If you wish to write something to us, feel free to drop it in the comments box.
