Exploring ways to enhance your health through fasting can lead you to various methods, one of which is “dry fasting.” Unlike typical fasting, dry fasting involves completely giving up both food and fluids. Although this practice can be more challenging than standard intermittent fasting, it offers a range of potential health benefits for those who choose to try it.
Let’s take a closer look at how it works, the benefits it offers, and what you should be aware of if you are considering participating in this particular type of fast.
What is Dry Fasting?
Dry fasting, also known as absolute fasting, involves refraining from both food and all liquids, including water, coffee, tea, and even calorie-free beverages. In the context of intermittent fasting (IMF), dry fasting means eliminating drinks and other liquids during fasting periods.
This approach can be more demanding than other fasting methods and raises concerns about dehydration, making it less suitable for beginners or highly active individuals like athletes. Nevertheless, dry fasting can be safely practiced by those who are generally healthy, have adapted to fat-burning, and only fast for short periods.
It is incredibly similar in practice to Ramadan, a period observed by Muslims during which they fast from dawn to sunset and abstain from both food and water.
The main distinction between dry fasting and fasting during Ramadan lies in their underlying significance. Ramadan fasting is deeply rooted in spiritual and religious practices within Islamic culture, encompassing both food and water abstinence with a focus on spiritual growth. (1)
In contrast, dry fasting outside of Ramadan is generally practiced for health or personal reasons and does not involve these spiritual or religious aspects.
Types of Dry Fasts
There are a few different ways in which you can go about doing a dry fast. Here’s a brief overview of each:
- Soft dry fast: In this type of dry fast, you still have to abstain from consuming water and other fluids, but you are able to come into contact with water. This means you are still able to shower, brush your teeth, wash your face – basically, all of the hygienic habits you’re used to – for the full duration of your fasting period.
- Hard dry fast: In this particular type of dry fast, you cannot come into contact with any water source at all. This means that you can’t drink water or other fluids or take personal hygiene measures (e.g. taking a shower) that consist of coming into contact with water.
- Dry fasting by duration: The third way a dry fast can be categorized is by its duration. You could choose to do an intermittent dry fasting period, in which you fast for a short window each day, or a prolonged fasting period, in which you fast for 12 hours or more.
For beginners, a soft dry fast is generally more comfortable and mentally manageable compared to a hard dry fast. Additionally, if you haven’t attempted any type of fasting before, start with regular fasting – where water intake and other zero-calorie fluids are allowed – before jumping into dry fasting.
Potential Benefits
Just as traditional fasting offers a range of health benefits, so does dry fasting specifically. Let’s talk about the benefits of dry fasting and what you should know about the potential of each one.
1. Reduced Inflammation
One major potential benefit of dry fasting is decreased inflammation. In fact, one study has shown that dawn-to-dusk dry fasting (DDDF) is linked to helping reduce levels of low-grade chronic inflammation in those with increased BMI. (2)
Additionally, scientists have found that fasting can increase arachidonic acid, a lipid that helps decrease the activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome. (3) In other words, when you fast, your arachidonic acid levels go up, and your inflammation levels and responses go down.
In a 2012 cross-sectional study, both healthy male and female subjects participated in a Ramadan fast. At the end of the fasting period, their proinflammatory cytokines – which are released during an inflammation response – were significantly lower, and they had lower blood pressure, body weight, and body fat percentage. (4)
2. Induced Autophagy
Autophagy, a natural biological process that removes damaged or malfunctioning cells, is triggered by fasting.
Dry fasting can help your body induce autophagy, which supports healthy, slower aging due to how autophagy regulates and restores homeostasis. (5)
Furthermore, combining dry fasting with induced autophagy can enhance DNA repair and boost mitochondrial production, contributing to even healthier aging. (6)
3. Improved Skin Health
Another benefit of dry fasting is the potential for your skin health to be improved.
For starters, lowered insulin levels may help reduce your risk of acne. (7) Additionally, it can accelerate wound healing by enhancing endothelial angiogenesis, which supports the migration, growth, and differentiation of endothelial cells. (8)
While more research is needed on the effects of fasting on skin health, these two benefits have been researched and are considered proven.
(Side note: Fasting is one of the best ways to avoid loosening skin on keto or another weight loss diet. Autophagy helps improve your skin’s ability to regenerate and tighten as you lose weight.)
4. Weight Loss
One of the biggest benefits of fasting is the ability to reduce body weight. While fasting is known as a primary weight loss method, dry fasting is a little different.
The weight loss that comes as a result of dry fasting – specifically if you are doing a short-term dry fast – is primarily just the loss of water weight. This means that you’re not really losing any fat mass, but rather your weight is dropping because of the reduced amount of water in your body.
The cause of this is the depletion of your body’s glycogen stores that occurs during fasting. The depletion of these stores reduces water retention – as glycogen binds to water in your body – and cannot be replenished, as you are not drinking any fluids during your dry fast. (9)
It’s really only by fasting consistently over time that true fat loss can be achieved.
5. Reduced Insulin Resistance
Another one of the many dry fasting benefits is the enhancement of your cells’ sensitivity to insulin.
According to a study in healthy adults who took part in intermittent fasting during Ramadan, the fasting period increased insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin resistance and adiponectin levels. (10)
A boost in insulin sensitivity reduces the risk of diseases, such as prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease (11). Dry fasting also helps to lower the body’s natural production of glucose in people with diabetes, which can help maintain balanced insulin levels. (12)
6. Improved Cardiovascular Health
A recent study discovered that dawn-to-dusk dry fasting (DDDF) could potentially help lower the risk of heart disease. (13)
The study showed that apolipoprotein B – a better predictor of heart disease risk than LDL cholesterol – was significantly reduced after four weeks of dawn-to-dusk dry fasting. This decrease remained even a week after the fasting ended.
This is a huge achievement within this field of study, as it will allow for more clinical trials to be completed to discover how DDDF could further help with cardiovascular health, metabolic syndromes, and overall wellness.
Risks, Side Effects, and Complications
Just like with any type of fast, dry fasting comes with its own precautions and short-term side effects you should be aware of before taking the plunge. The most common side effects for those new to dry fasting include:
- Dry mouth
- Increased thirst
- Hunger pangs
- Low energy/fatigue
- Headaches
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mood swings
- Fluctuating urination patterns
These dry fasting side effects are similar to when you’re new to the keto diet. With dry fasting, it’s usually because you’re entering ketosis combined with diminished fluid intake.
It’s important to note, too, that extended dry fasting leads to an increased risk of dehydration, which can contribute to complications such as:
- Low blood volume
- Heat stroke
- Seizures
- Kidney damage
- Coma
It’s best to consult with your healthcare provider if you are considering doing a dry fast and have any concerns about how it may affect you and any underlying health conditions you may have.
Dry fasting is generally not recommended for the elderly, pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with a history of eating disorders, or those with specific medical conditions.
How to Do a Dry Fast
Dry fasting can be integrated with various intermittent fasting methods. Whether you’re practicing spontaneous meal skipping, the 16:8 method, alternate-day fasting, one meal a day, or a shorter 4 or 12-hour dry fast, you can incorporate dry fasting by simply ensuring you don’t consume any liquids during your fasting period.
Preparation
Before doing a dry fast, make sure that it’s the right fasting option for you. Dry fasting isn’t the perfect choice for everyone, as staying hydrated at all times is absolutely necessary for some people.
If you’ve decided that dry fasting is the correct fasting plan for you, you’ll want to start planning your pre-dry fasting meal. Focusing on getting healthy fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates. Some excellent choices for creating a pre-fasting meal include:
- Eggs
- Grass-fed beef
- Fatty fish
- Cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower and broccoli)
- Avocados
- Berries
Make sure to stay away from highly processed and sugary options, as these will lead to blood sugar spikes which will cause you to feel extremely hungry later on – making it harder to successfully complete your fast. (14)
Fasting Schedules to Incorporate Dry Fasting
As with regular intermittent fasting, you can dry fast for 12 to 24 hours, depending on your level of tolerance and comfortability. Here are some of the most popular dry fasting schedules:
- 16:8 – Restricting food and water for 16 hours, followed by a feeding window.
- 20:4 – Eating and drinking within a 4-hour, time-restricted feeding window and fasting for 20 hours.
- Alternate-day fasting – Fasting for 24 hours every other day.
- One meal a day (OMAD) – This is when you fast for 23 hours and consume all your calories from food and drinks within a one-hour, time-restricted eating window.
These are just a few of the main dry fasting period options. If you’re brand new to fasting, keep your dry fasts as short as possible. Restrict food and water for a few hours — let’s say 4 — and gradually increase those hours until you feel comfortable with a full 12-hour fast.
From there, you can proceed to a 16-hour fast, then a 24-hour fast. However, end your fast right away if you feel ill or experience unusual symptoms.
Breaking Your Fast
It’s essential you break a dry fast properly, as you will want to avoid any side effects from ending a fast too quickly or drastically (e.g. bloating, nausea, gas, etc.).
To break your fast, focus on reintroducing nutrient-dense, unprocessed, low-glycemic, and easy-to-digest foods, including:
- Bone broth
- Fermented foods (e.g. kimchi, sauerkraut)
- Eggs
- Fatty fish
- Whey protein
Make sure to avoid eating unhealthy foods to break your fast, such as simple carbs like white bread, pasta, and pastries.
You should also practice mindful eating when breaking your fast. Chew your food slowly, savor it, and stop eating when you’re about 80% full. This allows you and your body to ease back into eating regularly again.
Last but not least, replenish your electrolytes. This is key to helping your body hydrate again after a period without water or fluids.
Try our Perfect Keto Electrolytes, which are designed to provide maximum hydration, boost nutrient absorption, support immune system function, and even fight off keto flu symptoms.
The Takeaway
Dry fasting presents a unique approach that goes beyond traditional fasting methods. By abstaining from both food and liquids on your fast, you may enjoy benefits like reduced inflammation, better skin health, and improved insulin sensitivity.
However, it’s essential to recognize that dry fasting is not suitable for everyone, particularly those at risk of dehydration or with specific health conditions.
As you explore the benefits and challenges of this fasting method, remember to prioritize your well-being by preparing appropriately, starting slowly, and consulting with a healthcare provider if you have any concerns about the period of time you’re wanting to fast for.
Read Next: The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)
FAQ
Can you exercise while dry fasting?
Exercise is allowed during any type of fast, but it is recommended that you exercise during the windows when you are eating – not in the middle of your fast. Exercise causes you to lose water from sweating, and if you don’t replace fluids, you raise your risk of dehydration.
Can you eat food during dry fasting?
The only time you are allowed to eat during a dry fast is when you break (aka end) it. You’ll want to break your fast with foods and drinks rich in vitamins and minerals but not high in carbs.
What’s the difference between water fasting and dry fasting?
Water fasting, which allows for water consumption while restricting food, helps maintain hydration and supports autophagy without the risk of dehydration.
In contrast, dry fasting involves abstaining from both food and liquids, which can increase the risk of dehydration. Dry fasting requires more caution, as opposed to water fasting. Both have great health benefits to offer for overall health, though, if each is done right.
How often should you dry fast?
There are no strict guidelines on the exact number of times you should fast. Whether you choose to dry fast once a week or a few times a month, it’s essential to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet overall.
The quality of your meals before and after fasting will help meet your nutritional requirements, support weight loss, and lower your risk of disease.
I did a 48 hour dry fast with absolutely no problems whatsoever. It improved my balance, which means it improved my brain.
Hi. I am doing a 90 hours dry fasting. 42h have passed, I feel still great and continue doing what is planned.
Hi, did you finish the 90 hours? I’d love to hear more about it!
Thank you for this well-researched and very informative article. It’s an eye-opener. I really appreciate quality content like this!
The article was very informative. Thanx.
I am on day 3 of my dry fast I am pushing to 7 days.
I have done 3 times 3 days dryfasting. one 6 days dry fasting and one 7 days dry fasting.
the last one l lost 9 kilos, and gain back 6 kilo, but one month after ending the 7 days dry fast, I lost another 2 kilo of body fat.
Because I do OMAD 22 hours fastimg 2 hours eating.
I just started another dry fast, lost 4 kilo the first day, so now l am on the same waight as when l finnish the last dry fast. I am OK not tired not tirsty, just a little bit under normal.
I am dry fasting to get rit of my stuborn belly fat. plus my body will be cleant up again. I had pimples every time l grow a beard, now l have a beard again, but no pimples.
so the dry fasting has cured my skin.
I did 72 hours dry fast,was dizzy on day three kept pushing.i broke my fast and next day had a minor stroke.This was not my first time doing this .I had successfully done it before so it wasn’t something really difficult for me I thought I could help so.eine out there
Does This fast cause hair loss?
This is flawed as the studies you mentioned didn’t include a control study. A ramadan study is inherently flawed because – it doesn’t compare benefits of dry vs wet fasting. You need to provide more specific studies.
I know this is not a scientific study, but many of the Muslims I know gain weight during Ramadan because they eat massive amounts of goodies before dawn (think Christmas treats but for Ramadan) and then again after sunset. My Palestinian neighbor even jokes about having period and Ramadan pants she can wear for that bloated, overnight weight gain.
I did my first 25 hour dry fast last week, I feel great my mind is awaken compare to my water fast for several months. This is amazing! Even 16 hours, 12 hours dry fast every day, I enjoyed the feeling of having always an extra energy. I just notice even I don’t get enough sleep, like I can wake up from 3 or 4 hours sleep and work all day and still has the energy to workout in the afternoon and in the evening. Mind you, I work in a call center where I have to wake up and work from 1AM to 10AM, still the energy is there. This is much better than my water fast.
I just completed a 60 hour hard dry fast. My first time. I did prepare for this hard dry fast with a week long soft bone broth fast. Meaning, I did have some of the onions celery garlic and meat off the bones that I used to make my bone broth. The last time I ate from my broth was Friday at noon. At 11:45 pm I washed my hands after work and I didn’t touch water again until Monday at 12:45pm. Through out the first day of the fast I had a minor migraine on the left side of my head. Nothing I couldn’t handle. It was gone the last half of the fast. Now a day after my 60th hour I’m not feeling great. I feel like I have a low grade fever. The headache is now more like a tension headache. I have some weakness. I broke my fast with 1 liter of coconut water. I drank the liter within the first hour. My second hour after breaking my fast I drank 1 liter of water. My third hour two liters of water. I felt fine. Functional. So I slowly returned to my normal routine. I had another liter of coconut water over an hour before work. I had to work at 7pm. Thought I should eat so I have some energy. Just in case. I didn’t want to be drained. I had rice chicken and some vegetables carrots zucchini squash. Big mistake!!! I had bad diarrhea. I thought I was gonna have to go home but I pushed through with no further bathroom incidents. I wait tables so I did a lot of walking and carrying plates. Just to give you an idea of the type of stress I put my body under. My upper back was hurting like an 8 on a 1-10 scale. I didn’t feel my best the whole time there but it was bearable. I’m a little concerned about my time in the bathroom. I thought maybe some bile dump from the liver or something. Maybe dehydration or stressed renal function. I don’t know. I have read online that a teaspoon of baking soda with water will help the kidneys. Is this a necessary step after a hard dry fast? Also what does the mixture do for the kidneys?My wife works in a hospital and thinks I might be dehydrated to the point of renal failure due to my feeling ill and weak. I’m just trying to gain some knowledge because I plan to make fasting a part of my lifestyle for the health benefits and I wanna make sure I don’t go through anymore bathroom incidents. Lol. If someone has any answers or pointers I would really appreciate that. Thanks. Emilio.
Emilio,
I have been been doing different length of hard dry fasts ove last 2 months and everyone has been somewhat different. one
Emilio, Ive done about 8 hard dry fasts of varying duration, 2 to 7 days. Everyone has been somewhat different, it is getting easier tho. had an exit from fasting similar to yours, but it hasnt happened again. Ive used the baking soda many times within the first hour after exiting my fasts with no ill effects but Im not sure it helps anything either. Wont hurt to try. in Sergei Filonov’s book, Dry Medical Fasting/ myths and reality. There is a simple example of exiting a dry fast that Ive tried, it is simple and used for whatever the duration of the fast.
Slowly drink water for 2 hours after exiting fast then eat yogurt or keifer, plain of course, only for the next 2 hours. then slowly resume healthy vegis and whatever you tolerate after that. I found that to be simple and without any problems for me. Just an example I thot to pass along.The yogurt only helps reestablish bacteria I guess, and it is very mild on starved stomach. Blessings on your dry fasting journey! Dry fasting is the bomb!!!!
This has been a great read and inspiring on cleansing as a whole. I’m on day 8 of a water fast and saw in another article about dry fasting. I looked up dry fasting and it brought me to this page. I am going to try and do a dry fast this weekend. I’m excited. Thank you everyone who shared their experience.
We in India, specific Hindu community do the Dry fasting for 36 to 40 hours every fortnight ( 2 times in a period of 30 days) and the day is called “Ekadasi” – 11th day of Hindu Calendar. It helps a lot and many individuals are very very Healthy.
Thanks for the great article! I think intermittent dry fasting is quite normal. Honestly, without even really realizing it at the time, I’ve been doing these short dry fasts for decades. You know how you go out for dinner on Friday evening, then sleep in late on Saturday and get up and start doing stuff around the house without eating breakfast or drinking anything? Several hours go by and your like, “Oh, wow, time has flown by. I guess I should go eat” and it’s like 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Or that will happen on Saturday to Sunday.
I’ve been dry fasting for the last 19 hours and I feel fine and don’t plan to eat or drink until dinner tonight, but then again, I’m keto/fat-adapted and have done 18/6 IF every day for the last few months in addition to a few 24-hour water fasts.
Rao, that’s so interesting! I didn’t realize that. I’ve often noticed that you rarely see overweight Eastern Indians. Ekadasi must be part of the explanation.
I used to do dry fasting all the time as a teenager. Except I called it depression.
9.oclock tonight will be 3 days into this dry fast, never thought a dry fast is good for you as long as you follow what is outlined in this article. I saved my life in 2004 I was 300 lbs and had issues did a 36 day water fast, after 3 days I was not hungry the toxins that I peeded out I was going for 40 days but was talked out of it. I did a 21 day water fast in 2017 and worked every day, another 21 day in late 2018 each time felt no hunger ,I believe totally that it is all mental, if you’re mind thought is you can’t do it then don’t even attempt it?
So I accidentally broke my fast twice today, once at 0800 with honey in my coffee, then again in the afternoon by drinking a g2 gatorade (about 100 calories), which I did at 1700. Do these 2 beverages delay me from going into ketosis significantly, even though I know I have burned them off today?? My plan is to resume my food/drink tomorrow at dinner. (48 hour dry fast originally planned, but will actually be 24 hours dry dry). How much of that 48 hours really count??
Hi Thomas, if possible, you could just eat normally now then redo another 48-hour fast, starting from the first hour.
I m also doing Ekadashi as 36 hours dry fasting—- without water and food… my body start cleansing during the dry fasting Coz you are not feeding food and water to your stomach ,, so body don’t work to digest food and water and like our weekends body can do extra work of cleaning the body… but every morning and night before sleep I take water enema by myself… which push out extra waste of body in form of hard stool..
Emilio did a mistake while breaking the fast… when you stop food and water supply to yor body… you should not start in a bulk
I have dry fasted once before and had to stop for personal reasons. Today, at noon I decided to try a dry fast (soft), and have been doing it for 9 hours and 17 minutes now. I think I might try to pursue this further until morning. Approximately 6 am which will be 18 hours. Thus far, I am feeling ok and starting to feel pretty good. I have headaches on a water fast and have no headaches at all through the past 9 hours. I do have a heart burn; I am not hungry or thirsty however. The only thing I am concerned about is whether or not I will be able to sleep because my energy level is through the roof.
I intuitively did my first Dry Fast one week ago… why? PMS and water retention. I thought “all the “protocols” for PMS bloating and water retention say “drink more water” and that doesn’t work for me as I retain that and feel more bloated, so why not try the opposite” .. so I thought to dry fast for min 12 hours to see if it made a difference… and yes it did.. I actually pee’d more, than if I was drinking water during PMS, I didn’t feel bloated and slept well (during PMS that’s always questionable)… AND actually went to the toilet with ease the next morning (whereas constipation is a PMS mainstay for me, sorry TMI) Also Dry Fasting is much easier to do that fasting with water… I have no hunger during my fast stage (I only do around 16-18 hours) So basically I did a George Kastanza and did the OPPOSITE of PMS protocols… and for me it worked. I listened to my body and it told me what it needed…funny that.
I have dry fasted for 24 hrs successfully three times. It was a miracle cure for getting rid of my arthritic knee pain, and bilateral torn meniscus. Works so well I do it now every two weeks. For anyone out there suffering with pain in your joints or back this truly works like a charm. I’m not on pain meds any longer with exception of a mild anti inflammatory if I’ve had an over busy or long day.. This dry fasting has changed my life and a sincere answer to prayer…from the heart, Vicki
That’s so wild to hear these guys in the video saying that they had such a hard time with dry fasting. I routinely (like weekly or at most monthly) go without water for 16 – 24 hours simply by just being busy and doing a tiny bit of effort. I have to make myself drink water so for me it’s very easy to dry fast. In fact, right now I have not had any food or water since last night at about 7pm and it’s now 9pm the next day. That’s 26 hours and I feel totally normal. I’m getting a little growl in my stomach and will probably go eat something in a bit but not a big deal.
I can’t imagine it being so difficult to go 24 hours without water. To me a 3-day water fast would be much harder. I like food! 🙂 Maybe I’m just adapted to be able to handle it by the fact that I’ve never been a big water guzzler. I’m 51 now and still have to MAKE myself drink when I don’t feel thirsty during the day and sometimes i just don’t want to force myself, even though I know I’ve only had about 50 ounces of water/liquids that day.
Maybe there are genetic differences in people’s need for water. I remember as a child in elementary school, when we would all come in from the playground, we would go down the hall in a single-file line and then visit the water fountain. All the kids would drink and I remember I almost never did. I just didn’t have the urge. Maybe the other kids played harder than me. That’s possible since I am an introvert.
Hi, nice article. Would like to mention that a 24/36 hour dry fast is practiced in Hinduism once a year. On days called “Ekadasi” (11th day after new/full moon), generic fasting (36 hour water fast) is practiced (along with staying awake the whole night). However once in a year around May/June a dry fast is suggested.
when dry fasting what do you about electrolytes?
Technically you would be avoiding them if you are truly dry fasting but that’s why this approach may not be for everyone @Mark
I started my dryfast yesterday, and so far has been 32 hours and I feel great.
My longest is 6 days (145 hours). I do 2 five days dry-dry fasts per year, and a bunch of 72 hour ones. My next one I will go 170 hours. Profound experience. I learned a lot and willing to share my knowledge and experience.