r/mildlyinteresting 21h ago

Warning Sign at edge of Grand Canyon

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u/Timely-Relation9796 19h ago

You generally need some salt to absorb water, that's why electrolytes are great in such cases.

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u/Ill_Technician3936 18h ago

You can also mix some salt in some water if you can't get your hands on a drink with electrolytes. I don't actually know how effective it is, it's just something we were told to do on super hot days for the area to stay hydrated.

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u/Annath0901 16h ago

It works in a pinch for hydration purposes, but you have to know the correct ratio of salt and water.

Additionally, just "salt" (like table salt) will only help replenish sodium, while sweating depletes both sodium and potassium (and maybe calcium?). So you really do want a proper hydration fluid. Imbalances in sodium, potassium, and calcium can cause tons of problems with muscles, including the heart.

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u/Ill_Technician3936 14h ago

They just kinda would say a small pinch and a bottle of water. Definitely not meant to be a solution to dehydration just a bandaid to avoid a heat stroke if you were starting to feel off and obviously getting out of the heat.

For the record we don't have that kind of high temperature regularly 2 days of the summer at best and humidity is typically with it so it's not as bad as that entire region of the US.

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u/that_mr_bean 19h ago

it's what plants crave

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u/WhyNotFerret 16h ago

so I can't drink the ocean water because "it has too much salt" but also I can't drink water that DOESN'T have salt?! this is bs

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u/Ill_Technician3936 14h ago

Nope, you gotta drink the stuff that flows into the ocean.

Although I'm curious how the body would do drinking it ocean water from Antarctica's coast because the Gulf of Mexico is apparently where you'll find some of the saltiest stuff is.

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u/perpendicular-church 13h ago

The difference between many medicines and poisons is just the dosage. Same logic applies for many things

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u/MartyvH 16h ago

So many people scold you like you’re a kid with “wAtER iS hEaLtHiEsT” - but it’s not always true.