There are a lot of things in life that are important to us. We all have different priorities, and what’s important to one person might not be important to another. There are some things, however, that we can all agree are pretty essential – like oxygen, air, water, and food. But what about the other things that are important to us? What’s one thing you can’t live without?
What’s One Thing You Can’t Live Without?
Oxygen. Our cells need oxygen to produce energy. We can live without food for a while, but not without oxygen.
What Are Some Of The Essential Things You Can’t Live Without, Either Physically Or Emotionally?
1. Oxygen
Recreational and medical SCUBA divers risk their lives daily to explore the sea and everything that it holds within its depths, but without knowing what is below them, they would be doing so blindly. If oxygen was not constantly provided to our bodies, we would only live minutes before ceasing function (Pierson, 2003). The effects of a lack of oxygen can even be seen in humans during high-altitude mountain climbing; climbers experience headaches because of reduced levels of oxygen following long climbs (Bittner et al., 1987). However, there are limits to the human body’s ability to function normally while deprived of oxygen and these limits depend on both time and intensity (Pierson, 2003). So while you may get a little lightheaded if you haven’t had a chance to breathe in a few minutes, eventually, without oxygen, your heart is going to stop beating, and your brain is going to die.
2. Water
Water makes up about 70% of the average human body with the majority found inside cells that make up tissues and organs (Buzina & Acimovic, 1992). While some lower life forms can extract energy from organic molecules without needing water as an essential substrate, most organisms cannot survive for long periods of time without it. This loss of liquids affects humans quickly as well—a loss of only 2% total body water leads to a reduction in one’s physical performance by 25-30% (Pierson, 2003). The drought conditions seen throughout the world recently have shown that even a 2% loss of water can be devastating on a global scale.
3. Sleep
Humans cannot function without sleep, and lack of sleep has severe consequences even after one missed night (Plitnick, 2010). In fact, multiple nights without sleeping properly leads to decreased performance as quickly as after only 24-48 hours (Dinges et al., 2005). Lack of proper sleep also affects our emotions as well as our physical health—sleep deprivation increases the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which suppresses the immune system and can lead to cardiovascular disease (Tilkiss & Arnedt, 2009), while at the same time decreasing dopamine which is believed to play a role in of pleasure and satisfaction from activities (Mander et al., 2011).
4. Food
Food is the fuel that all human bodies need in order to grow, survive, procreate, and continue our existence as a species. Without food, we would die within three weeks tops—and it wouldn’t be due to starvation either because our body uses up stores of fat to survive well before running out of other nutrients (Pence & Menotti-Raymond, 1996). While humans are capable of eating almost anything in their path to satisfy their hunger, there are foods that help keep them healthy as well. Vegetables contain essential vitamins and minerals necessary for proper growth, while fruit helps maintain optimal immune system function (Cordain et al., 2000). Red meat acts as a high-protein source for muscle growth and repair, while whole grains are known to lower the risk of coronary heart disease (Cordain et al., 2000).
5. Social Interaction
Humans are social creatures who live in communities with others. Whether that is due to cultural expectations or genetic predispositions, it’s true nonetheless. Social interaction helps our relationships flourish as well as provides us with happiness by giving us a sense of purpose through helping others (Putnam, 2001). Humans have evolved through living in family groups together—caring for young children has required the cooperative efforts of multiple adults, thus strengthening social ties between families who would otherwise be strangers (Flannery & Marcus, 2012). Furthermore, human culture would not exist without other people—without communication between groups; we would not have been able to advance our society through the sharing of knowledge and practices (Tan, 2012).
How Would Your Life Be Different If You Didn’t Have That Thing?
This article goes through 5 steps on “How your life would be different if you didn’t have that thing,” about the human body parts listed above: heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain.
1. Heart would beat at a constant rate
The heart usually beats about 70 – 80 times per minute when you’re at rest; however, it can be counted in much smaller numbers if the body is in different situations. For example: when you do physical activities such as running, jumping, or lifting heavyweight, the rate will elevate to approx 120 beats per minute, and during sleeping to 60 – 70 beats per minute. If there was no heartbeat our blood wouldn’t be circulated throughout the body and every organ wouldn’t receive fresh oxygenated blood to function well, therefore resulting in death shortly after that. In other words – we won’t be able to survive without a heartbeat because our bodies can’t function without its blood supply.
2. Lungs would process oxygen into carbon dioxide
The lungs are paired with the heart because they work closely together to move blood around our body via breathing techniques. The act of breathing is known as external respiration and consists of two steps: inhalation (inhaler fills his/her lungs with air) and exhalation (exhaler breathes out). If there was no breathing, then how do we transfer that oxygen into the blood cells? Without the proper flow of oxygen throughout our bodies, everything will stop working properly. No organs can function without it – especially not for a longer period of time. Although people have survived without using their lungs, they’ve done so by using an iron lung, a device that serves as a substitute for the action of breathing.
3. Liver would remove toxins from the blood and produce bile
The liver is one of the major organs in the body because it performs several functions vital to all other organ systems. First, it clears out anything harmful from the blood, such as alcohol or medications. Second, it produces bile which aids in digestion – this process has been compared to “washing” food through our digestive tract helping us to extract nutrients from our food and excrete waste products. Without a liver, we won’t be able to break down fats because our digestive system wouldn’t be able to function properly without help from an outside source (in case of not eating). The absence of bile would stop the flow of digestive enzymes, and our bodies wouldn’t be able to break down any food because it gets stuck in the intestinal tract.
4. Kidneys will filter waste and drinkable liquids
The kidneys are paired with the heart because they work closely together to move blood around our body via breathing techniques. The act of breathing is known as external respiration and consists of two steps: inhalation (inhaler fills his/her lungs with air) and exhalation (exhaler breathes out). If there was no breathing, then how do we transfer that oxygen into the blood cells? Without the proper flow of oxygen throughout our bodies, everything will stop working properly. No organs can function without it – especially not for a longer period of time. Although people have survived without using their lungs, they’ve done so by using an iron lung, a device that serves as a substitute for the action of breathing.
5. Brain controls the body processes
The brain is responsible for controlling our bodies – including movement. We can’t sit or stand still because our brains are constantly working to make sure that blood keeps pumping throughout our bodies and that we’re breathing properly etc. The brain also allows us to process information about ourselves and other things around us, allowing us to identify objects, take in new information/learn something new, etc. Even though there are some cases where people have lived long with damage on certain areas of their brain, they’ve always been severely disabled. There’s no way to make sure that our brains are working properly because there are so many things going on inside of them.
I hope this article helps you understand the importance of each organ system in your body since everything is connected, and none of them can function without an outside source. This will teach us to take care of ourselves better – to eat healthy food, exercise, try not to take medicines for granted, etc. The only way that we’ll be alive is by keeping these organs healthy and active! I’m sure that you don’t want to end up like any one of those cases listed above. So stay healthy!
Conclusion
It’s safe to say that we can all agree on one thing – we couldn’t live without oxygen and food. These two things are essential for our survival, and yet they are so commonplace that we often take them for granted. We would quickly perish. In a way, these two items are the most basic necessities for life – without them, we cannot survive. So the next time you take a breath of fresh air or bite into your favorite food, be grateful for these gifts from nature that allow us to thrive each and every day.