Drink Sea Water: This Is What Happens When You Quench Your Thirst With Salt Water

Drinking seawater can have a very negative effect on your health. In this article we explain what happens in the body when you drink seawater and what other things you can use the water for.

Drinking sea water – this is what happens in the body

Anyone who has ever swum in the sea on holiday knows how salty seawater can taste. When we drink sea water, different processes happen in our body than when we drink fresh water. We explain why a person can die of thirst from sea water.

• Sea water contains a lot of salt, too much for the human organism. It has about four times the salt content of our blood.
• The so-called osmosis ensures that the salt is evenly distributed in the body. If we have too much salt in the body, the kidneys have the task of excreting it through the urine.
• The kidneys need water for this function. If we now drink seawater, the kidneys need more water for processing and excretion than they would take in with seawater.
• As a result, the more seawater we drink, the more dehydrated the body becomes. That is, the more we drink of it, the thirstier we become. This process can end in death.
• If you swallow a bit of seawater while swimming, that’s not so bad. The amount of salt you’re consuming is too small to be a problem. Still, drinking some fresh water afterwards can help.

The healthy side of sea water

Even if we cannot drink seawater due to the high salt content, we can use the salt in other ways. However, it is important to remember that seawater, no matter how it is used, still has a drying effect. Therefore caution is advised.

• Seawater is said to stimulate digestion and help with weight loss. A glass of sea salt is drunk in the morning. The intestines are cleansed and the appetite reduced.
• However, many physicians advise against this method because important bacteria that perform a protective function there are also flushed out of the intestine.
• If this weight loss method is used incorrectly or too intensively, numerous side effects can occur. From dehydration to nausea, vomiting, cramps, severe thirst, to high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.
• A salt bath can also be very beneficial to health. It softens and cleanses the skin, removes dead skin cells and disinfects. It also stimulates wound healing, but this can lead to burning. However, there is a negative side to this as well. The sea water draws moisture from the skin, so after a swim you should not expose yourself to weather conditions such as sun or wind for too long and it is best to apply a moisturizing lotion.
• You don’t necessarily have to go to a beach to swim in seawater. There are also mineral salts for the bathtub at home.