Failure to drink enough water over two hot days made my heart stop for 4 seconds.
Sounds preposterous, right? I always thought that this water drinking business was an old wives' tale. Or rather, a new wives' tale, since it's mostly young people one sees toting around plastic water bottles.
But last year I learned something new about my body. Dehydration can be serious business especially if you are a bit older. Buildup of salts affects the body electrical circuits including those that produce the so-called "sinus rhythm" that times the heart rate. The result: a static-like and alarming condition called atrial fibrillation, which often leads to "sinus arrest", temporary stopping of the heart (see illustration). This is not as dangerous as it sounds, since the heart has backup beat sytems that usually refire the circuits. But the danger is that you are very likely to pass out for a couple seconds which could result in your falling down the stairs or other accident.
Result? I now have a pacemaker, which gaurantees 60 beats a minute. Effective, but a couple of extra bottles of water would have been a lot cheaper!
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| This is 4 seconds. How about 6 or 8 seconds? You'll mostly come out of it, but don't fall down the stairs in the meanwhile. Otherwise, a nice way to go. |
