Hey there, welcome to Life Noggin!
I'm trying out my new invention today, the Qbot-9001.
I'm using machine learning technology to generate incredible thought provoking questions to
answer.
Let's test it now.
Prepare to be amazed!
let's see what we have here!
"Why Can't People just drink a jar of their own spit to stay hydrated?"
Well, clearly I have some bugs to work out with the Qbot, but, uh, this is a science
channel, so I'm still gonna answer it.
Your body is constantly producing saliva, every single day, even when you’re asleep.
On a daily basis that means you’re swallowing roughly one to two liters of spit, and up
to 99 percent of that is water.
So if you wanted for some reason to gather a jar or your spit or dare I say the spit
of another to stay hydrated, would that work?
Well, First off, don't do that,
Second, let’s consider this logically.
Each day the human body loses 2 to 3 litres of water from breathing, sweating and going
to the bathroom.
If this vital fluid is not consistently replenished then dehydration sets in.
One of the earliest signs is thirst, and that’s probably going to make your mouth and tongue
feel like the desert.
So wait - where did all that saliva go that you were planning on drinking?
The simple fact is when your body is losing water, there just isn’t enough fluid left
over to produce normal amounts of spit.
When your body’s fluid level drops, it actually activates your fight or flight response, and
this sends a signal to your salivary glands to conserve their usual water-y output.
If you want to properly quench your thirst, what you really need is a source of H20 outside
your body.
So what if you prepared for future dehydration by storing up vast reserves of spit.
Again, don't do this.
It won't work, but there's a good reason.
You see, hydration isn’t just about fluid levels; it’s also about what’s contained
in those fluids.
Even though saliva is made mostly of water, it also contains electrolytes, mucus, enzymes,
bacteria and bicarbonate.
This makes saliva much more concentrated than just plain old water, and your body can tell
the difference.
The water you actually drink will enter your stomach and then the bloodstream.
From here, it’s the job of your kidneys to filter through the contents and maintain
a nice balance of water and solutes in the body.
At first, after drinking water, the concentration of solutes in your circulatory system are
diluted, and to balance this out, excess water will move into your cells and organs, hydrating
them via the system of osmosis.
The problem is, because the kidneys are so good at their job, the fluid that is lost
from your body, like saliva, has about the same concentration of solutes as the rest
of your body.
This means that if you drink your own spit, the body isn’t gaining any extra electrolytes
or water, and so this isn’t going to inspire any water movement or hydration.
But all of that’s assuming you’re drinking the right saliva.
When you get dehydrated, your saliva becomes less water-y and more mucous-y and if this
thick liquid is concentrated enough when you drink it later on, it could actually draw
fluid away from your vital organs instead of to them, dehydrating your cells and making
you thirstier.
No matter which way you bottle it, DON'T BOTTLE IT, TRIANGLE BOB, saliva just isn’t going
to hydrate you.
But that’s not exactly a bad thing.
If spit was made solely from water, humans would choke more often on food, bacteria would
flourish in your mouth, your teeth would be at risk of decay, and you might even lose
a sense of taste.
Saliva is great for many reasons, but just make sure to keep it in your mouth for the
maximum benefits.
So why don't you give me some great questions down below that I can feed to the Qbot-9001,
and maybe it'll learn what a great question is.
If you thought this spit video was interesting you should probably check out the one we did
on the tiny creatures living in your water!
These and other disease-causing microbes are called pathogens.
If we come into contact with them and they enter our bodies, they can cause an infection
As always, my name is Blocko, this has been Life Noggin.