How long can a sick person live without food? How many days can a person live without food? I heard that she will soon start vomiting vomit mixed with feces. How long can a patient live like this?

Are we, mere mortals, capable of going against nature and resisting those biological needs that underlie our existence? As practice has shown, we can, but the question is whether we need to abuse our body in this way and what goal we set for ourselves. Reading about various interesting cases, I was a little surprised how long a person can live without food, sleep or water.

Firstly, I got into history quite unusual man- Yakov Tsiperovich. According to the data, his own wife tried to poison him, and as a result of the damage caused to his body, he suffered after which he did not sleep for 16 years and never slept a wink. Doctors, conducting examinations, confirmed that everything was fine with the man’s body. Unique, what can I say.

But still, the average person can stay awake for no more than two days without causing visible harm to health, after which various deviations begin to appear. Thus, many experimenters experienced hallucinations, irritability, apathy, and the first signs of psychosis after three days. By the way, even a day without sleep is harmful, as the blood sugar level rises, the joy hormone is not produced, hence the ugly mood. And if you don’t sleep for more than three days, then there is a high probability of irreversible consequences - the death of brain cells.

Enough interest Ask- How long can a person live without food? There are many cases where it lasted several months, for example. However, this should only be done by trained individuals, because an ordinary person is unlikely to be able to withstand a hunger strike for more than three days.

The beginner's manuals say that in the first days you will be overcome by symptoms such as dizziness, weakness, dissatisfaction, irritability, but then, if your body is ready for such a life, these problems will go away. A second wind will open, after which the body will begin to work with renewed vigor, and you will truly feel healthier than ever. And to the question of how long a person can live without food, answer it yourself, based on your own feelings.

But there is a certain amendment that states that weight with such a lifestyle, if it is not excessive, should always remain at the same level. If there is an extra one, then gradually it will reach the ideal mark, but should not move further. Otherwise, you should stop all attempts to join fasting, because it will only lead to the appearance or exacerbation of diseases.

How many days can a person live without food, following all the rules of fasting and at the same time being observed by competent specialists? It is unknown, it all depends on the constitution. Perhaps a month, perhaps six months.

Most often, the question of whether a person can live without food or not is asked by representatives of the fair sex who want to remove excess weight and get in shape. Nutritionists admit that short and proper fasting can lead to positive results, but not for everyone. Chronic diseases may worsen and arrhythmia may appear, so no one should fast on their own without seeking advice from a doctor.

By the way, when refusing food, you should not neglect water, but gradually the amount required by your body may be reduced from a liter to one glass per day. Remember that food gives us strength. You can limit it in quantity, you can eat only healthy foods, create a varied menu, but refusing food is a very responsible and serious step.

So, we figured out how long a person can live without food. An important question remains: how to do without water and whether it is possible. There is only one answer - a person will last no more than three days without water, as it will lead to improper functioning of the kidneys, heart and brain.

A person needs to drink 1-2 liters of water per day, not counting juices, tea and other drinks. Of course, few people follow this routine, but it’s worth trying and seeing how sometimes a glass of water discourages you from eating a huge portion. fried potatoes with meat. You will still want to eat, of course, but just much less. Here's an alternative to fasting to lose weight.

We looked at questions about how long a person can live without food and other essential components of our lives. We sleep, eat, drink water due to the natural needs of the body, this is our nature. Perhaps it is not worth disturbing normal existence with various experiments, which, for the most part, lead to not very good consequences.

How long can a person live without water, food, air and sleep? What is he capable of? human body? Almost no one wants to carry out such experiments. But only practically.

There are “dared souls” in the world who deliberately expose themselves to danger, risking their lives, in order to prove to themselves or others what their “special” body is capable of. Thanks to such desperate adventurers, we have answers to many questions.

How long can you live without food?

Depending on the condition of the body, gender, age, climatic conditions and other factors, a normal person can survive absolutely without food from five days to six weeks. But under certain conditions, according to unconfirmed data, up to 100 days.

The official record for the number of days lived without food is 50. It was set by Agassi Vartanyan. But recently, such records have not been included in the Guinness Book of Records, as they can cause harm to health or lead to death.

How long can you live without water?

If a normal person can live without food for quite a long time, then without water from a couple of days to a week and a half, at best.

The record in this area, not by choice, but by fateful accident, or, rather, thanks to human carelessness, was set by Andreas Mihavic, who held out without water and food for 18 days, being forgotten in the cell.

How long can you live without sleep?

To normal healthy person You need 6-8 hours of normal sleep per day. It is possible to survive without sleep at all for about three days, but poor health, irritability and mental imbalance may appear within a day.

Long periods of sleeplessness lead to memory loss, hallucinations, and permanent damage to the mind.

The official record for time spent without sleep was set by Tony Wright, who lasted a full 11 days.

How long can you last without air?

Well, there's not much here at all. A normal, untrained person, up to three minutes, professional freedivers about nine minutes.

The world record of 22 minutes 22 seconds without air was set by Tom Sytas in 2012.

They were hungry always and everywhere: in 2014, Cambodian monks announced a one-year anniversary in front of the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, protesting against China's construction of a dam and violations of human rights in Tibet. A hunger strike is a desperate and, most likely, the last step of people who rebel against something and want to achieve goals even at the cost of your own life!

Although, in our time, adherents of a healthy lifestyle ( healthy image life) quite often practice dry fasting, when you can’t even drink. At the same time, they boast that it is supposedly useful. Ok, maybe so, just read first what happens to your body during a hunger strike, and how it affects the vital processes occurring inside it.

Experts believe that after more than two weeks of fasting, the human body begins to break down.
Katie Cowbrow of the British Nutrition Association says dry fasting can lead to death from dehydration after 8-10 days. If a fasting person continues to take water, then he has a chance to live up to two months.

First days
Nadezhda Savchenko's hunger strike is now in its second month. During the first days, the body uses its own energy reserves. First glycogen and then fat tissue provide the necessary energy.
But soon the starving person’s skin begins to lose color and bad breath appears. Saliva destroys bacteria, and during a fast, the body saves saliva in anticipation of food.
The person experiences headaches and loss of strength.
In the first days, despite the strong feeling of hunger, there is still no significant threat to the body.

3-7 days
After three to four days, the feeling of hunger begins to subside.
At the same time, glucose reserves in the body are depleted.
The body accepts the fact of hunger as a given and begins to use any remaining sources of energy: fat, and then muscle tissue. There is a sharp weight loss.
During this stage, the body produces ketones, a large number of which are harmful to the body.
According to Sharman Russell, who wrote a book about the hunger strike, early stage fasting, the biggest threat is low blood pressure. The person may lose consciousness and hit their head, which can lead to death.
However, death can occur already at this stage if the hunger strike is dry.

Second week
Antidiuretic hormone regulates the amount of urine excreted, thus participating in maintaining a constant water-salt metabolism in the body. An exhausted body begins to consume tissue from vital organs such as the heart and liver.
It all depends on the constitution of the body specific person. If, for example, a person has a lot of fatty tissue, then the hunger strike may last longer.
If a person has health problems, then a hunger strike will only aggravate them.

3-4 week
After two weeks of fasting, symptoms worsen and health begins to deteriorate rapidly.
There is muscle atrophy, general weakening, and difficulties in the musculoskeletal system.
Slows down heartbeat(bradycardia), the fasting person freezes. The effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency begin to appear.
In a fasting person, vomit consists of gastric juice, problems with vision and consciousness appear.

4-5 week
In May 1989, Chinese students went on a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square to demand reforms. Thiamine deficiency is worsening.
There is involuntary movement of the eyes, dizziness, and the person begins to see double.

More than 6 weeks
At this stage, there is a direct threat to the life of the starving person. Problems with brain activity appear; most of the time the person is unconscious and does not react to others.
After the body has depleted all its reserves of vitamins and minerals, the starving person becomes ill with jaundice and scurvy.
Some people experience deafness and blindness at this stage.
After six weeks of fasting, people die from heart failure or excess toxins in the body.
In some countries, when there is a threat to the life of a prisoner on hunger strike, he is force-fed.

Including humans, they need to eat several times a day to maintain the energy needed to survive, and they cannot survive more than a few weeks without food.

However, some animals have adapted to survive in conditions of scarcity of food and water and can live quite a long time. Here are a few such animals.

Proteas are amphibians that live in water in underground caves and have to put up with a meager amount of food. Research has shown that proteas can live up to 10 years without food.

The hump on the camel's back is not filled with water - it is adipose tissue, due to which the animal survives during long treks through the desert. As the hump burns fat, water is also released into their system, allowing them to survive without food or water for up to 40 days.

Contrary to popular belief, bears do not hibernate in winter, but they do sleep for long periods of time during the cold season. During this time, they can slow down their metabolism by half and last up to 100 days without water or food.

Emperor penguins can survive in the harshest climates of Antarctica and even raise their young in very cold environments. Males can incubate eggs and keep young for months, surviving on a layer of subcutaneous fat for up to 120 days without food, while females search for food.

Snakes, like all reptiles, are cold-blooded, meaning they cannot regulate their body temperature and during cold weather they enter a state of low energy consumption. Many snakes burrow underground during this time, slowing their metabolism by up to 70 percent, surviving for up to a year without food.

Many frogs, being amphibians, depend on humid environment. During periods of drought or food shortage, some species hibernate for up to 16 months, while others can survive freezing conditions by entering a state in which very little energy is used.

Spiders are great at fighting pests, but they are dependent on their prey, meaning they have to go for long periods of time without food. Many species of tarantulas can go months without eating, and spiders of the species Steatoda bipunctata can survive more than a year without feeding.

Crocodiles are among the oldest reptiles in the world and can go for long periods without food, conserving energy by remaining motionless while waiting for prey. They can usually go for months without food during cool periods, and can survive up to 3 years without food.

Giant tortoises are known for their longevity. Some species of tortoises in the Galapagos Islands live more than 100 years, and these reptiles can live for long periods without food or water, in some cases up to a year.

Some species of horntooths, such as mudskippers, live in Australia, Africa and South America are also known for their long lifespan. In times of drought, they can hibernate without food or water for up to 4 years, going through the process of digesting their own muscle tissue.

What ultimately kills us when we are deprived of the essentials and how long can we actually live without food, water, sleep or air?

How long can you live without food?

This depends on factors that include general health, age and body fat reserves. According to one medical research On average, adults can last between 8 and 12 weeks without eating. There are documented cases of several people lasting 25 weeks.

It’s not just hunger that kills; sometimes death occurs from dehydration, because... a hungry person is less sensitive to thirst. Due to a weakened immune system, there is also a greater chance of contracting a fatal infection. Vitamin deficiency can also lead to death. If a person fasts long enough, the body begins to use protein from the muscles (including the heart) as an energy source. The cause of death may then be cardiac arrest due to tissue damage and electrolyte imbalance.

How long can you live without water?

Depending on your age, gender and weight, you are made up of 50-65% water, which is needed to digest food, carry oxygen and nutrients through the circulatory system, removal of waste products and protection internal organs. Since we need water so much, it is not surprising that dying from dehydration is a painful process.

At first you feel unbearably thirsty. The kidneys suffer because not enough fluid to produce urine. Attempting to urinate may result in a burning sensation in the bladder and urethra. The skin becomes dry and cracks. The cough hurts my throat. Increased stomach acidity can lead to vomiting. The blood thickens, increasing the heart rate. Dehydration causes the tongue to swell and the eyes and brain to dry out. My head is just pounding. Dehydration eventually leads to hallucinations, seizures and coma. Death may result from liver failure, kidney failure, or cardiac arrest.

It is believed that they die of thirst after three days without water. But there are numerous reports of people lasting a week or longer. This depends on several factors including weight, health, stamina, temperature and humidity. The record is 18 days without water - this is how long one prisoner managed to survive, who was accidentally forgotten. However, he may have been licking condensation from the walls of his cell, which is what allowed him to go without water for so long.

How long can you live without sleep?

Sleep is known to play an important role. Lack of sleep leads to decreased concentration, slower mental processes, decreased motivation, and a distorted perception of reality.

It was experimentally confirmed that normal people can stay awake for 8-10 without any obvious damage to their health.

The world record is held by Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old high school student who stayed awake for 264 hours (about 11 days) during a science experiment in 1965.

However, there are rare disorders, such as Morvan syndrome, in which a person may not sleep for several months! The question of how long people can stay awake ultimately remains unanswered.

How long can you live without air?

How long can a person live without air, or rather without oxygen? When the brain is deprived of oxygen, death occurs because there is not enough glucose to nourish the brain cells.

Brain death occurs approximately six minutes after the heart stops beating. If help arrives during this time, the brain cells will not suffer significant damage.

However, people can exercise to use oxygen more efficiently. The world record freediving holder held his breath for 22 minutes and 22 seconds without damaging his brain!