Dehydration: How exactly does it kill you? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by thebestaquaman@lemmy.world to c/askscience@lemmy.world

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I mean, I've heard that you can typically only survive about three days without water, but what exactly causes your body to fail when you dehydrate too much?

I guess one point is lack of salts (if you sweat a lot) but I'm specifically wondering about lack of water (although a closer explanation about how lack of salts will kill you is also appreciated)

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[-] PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com -1 points 1 year ago

This was the response I got from Perplexity.ai.

The tl;dr is from there, too:

Dehydration can lead to death through mechanisms such as organ failure, blood thickening and reduced blood pressure, electrolyte imbalance, brain swelling, shock, and build-up of cellular waste.

Electrolyte imbalances and upset balance of salts and sugar can cause impaired cellular function, heart problems, neurological issues, kidney damage, and shock, ultimately leading to death.

this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2023

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