When cells are hypertonic, what happens to water movement in relation to the cell?

When cells are in a hypertonic environment, they are surrounded by a solution that has a higher concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cells. This concentration gradient causes water to move out of the cell in an effort to reach equilibrium between the intracellular and extracellular environments. As water exits the cell, it leads to cell shrinkage or crenation. Understanding this process is essential for comprehending how osmosis influences cell behavior in different solute concentrations and is particularly relevant in physiology and exercise metabolism, where fluid balance is crucial for optimal performance and recovery.