Earlier this week, US Senator Cory Booker stood on the floor of the House and spoke non-stop for 25 hours and 5 minutes, breaking the record for the longest Senate speech ever. While the rules allow members to speak for as long as they wish, as long as they do not stop or sit down, the 55-year-old New Jersey Democrat started his speech Monday at 7 p.m. ET and didn’t stop until Tuesday night.

Neither did Booker take any breaks to eat, sit, drink, or use the bathroom.

“I think that had good and bad benefits. I definitely started cramping up from lack of water,” Booker said in an interview with CNN later. “In the end, I was just trying to do something to stop my muscles from cramping,” he added.

Booker, who spoke about the harm he sees the Trump administration is inflicting on the nation, said his intent was to disrupt normal Senate business for as long as he could, because "these are not normal times in our nation. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate."

Booker said he fasted and stopped drinking water, limiting the consumption for days before the speech to avoid feeling the need to use a bathroom.

Doctors warn against this practice, saying that for such a feat, you need to do the opposite by replenishing electrolytes, as depriving your body of fluids and nutrition for a long time can be hazardous. According to experts, to test your endurance, you need to carb-load your body and hydrate to the max.

Experts say if you don’t do that, it can lead to severe dehydration, as not having enough electrolytes to support your muscles and your blood volume can give you the symptoms of fatigue and dizziness. In the long run, it can also affect your kidneys, causing urinary issues. Since Booker did not even use the bathroom during the course of his speech, doctors believe it can also take a toll on your body in the long run.

After the speech was over, Booker said he was recovering. Doctors recommended that he rehydrate slowly and eat easy-to-digest foods like bone broth, rice with vegetables, or bananas. Along with electrolytes in the body, even calorie count goes down because your energy stores and glycogen stores in your body have essentially been depleted after 25 hours.

Despite feeling tired, Booker told CNN, “my spirit is soaring. My body is definitely weary." Asked if the speech was a preview of a presidential run in 2028, Booker told CNN, “I need to get re-elected. That’s my focus.”

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Health and around the world.