Hello All, today we are going to look at How Does Dehydration Affect YOU – Why We All Need Water.
You maybe very surprised at just how much we do. Obviously we need water to live but just how much?
Dehydration affects our body in many different ways. Everyone should know what it is like to go thirsty. Most people will more often than not, but did you know this?…
That being dehydrated can have severe consequences. You probably will to some degree. Especially if you live in a warm country.
However, do you know how dangerous? And I don’t actually mean like if you are lost in a desert. That is definitely pretty dire but just underestimating dehydration when you actually have water available is what I mean.
How Does Dehydration Affect You – Why We All Need Water!
What is Dehydration
Dehydration is when the body doesn’t have enough water. Water strangely makes up over 70% of the human body. This is mostly compromised of Intracellular fluid.
Your body needs a certain amount of water every day in order to function properly.
When you are dehydrated it means you have not had enough fluid for the body to maintain its normal functions.
This can happen to anybody at any age.
How Does Dehydration Affect You
What Are The Symptoms of Dehydration?
There is no one symptom that fits all.
Babies and Toddlers
- No wet nappies for three hours, or more
- No saliva in the mouth
- When crying there are no tears
- Sunken eyes and cheeks
- Soft spot on top of skull (the fontanel)
- Listlessness or irritability
Adults
- Having a high temperature
- Dizziness
- Fatigue, extreme tiredness
- Feeling confused
- Less frequent urination
- Dark-colored urine
- Strong smelling pee
- Feeling extremely thirsty
- Cramp
- Headache
How Does Dehydration Affect You
What Are Some Of The Causes
Dehydration is not only caused by not drinking enough water. Sometimes there are other factors that can cause this condition also;
- Diarrhea or vomiting: Severe, acute diarrhea. Which is, diarrhea that comes on very suddenly and violently — this can cause a tremendous loss of water and electrolytes in a short period of time. If you have vomiting along with diarrhea, you lose even more fluids and minerals.
- High Fever. In general, the higher your fever, the more dehydrated you will become. The problem gets worse if you have a fever over 38 as well as diarrhea and vomiting.
- Excessive sweating. You can lose a lot of body water when you sweat. If you do lots of different activity’s and don’t replace fluids as you go, you can become very dehydrated. Hot or humid weather increases the amount you sweat and the amount of fluid you lose. On a hot day you should consume at least 2 liters of water.
- Increased urination. This may be due to undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes. Certain medications, such as diuretics and some blood pressure medications, also can lead to dehydration, generally because they cause you to urinate more.
- Certain medications can also make you dehydrated because they make you pee more. Always read the side affects to be more aware.
- Alcohol – Drinking too much alcohol can also make you dehydrated. This happens because you urinate more.
- Burns, if you burn yourself you can become dehydrated.
How Does Dehydration Affect You
Those Most At Risk
- Babies and children. The most at risk people to experience severe diarrhea and vomiting are babies and children. One problem that occurs is not being able to communicate that they are thirsty.
- Older adults. As you get older, your body’s fluid reserve becomes smaller. This means it’s harder to conserve water and your thirst sense becomes less reliable. These problems are made worse by chronic illnesses such as diabetes and dementia. This can be worsened by the use of certain medications. Older adults also have difficulty with moving around and that makes it harder to get water for themselves.
- People who work or exercise outside. Are prone to getting sun stroke. When it’s hot and humid, your risk of dehydration and heat illness increases. That’s because when the air is humid, sweat can’t evaporate efficiently and cool you down as quickly as it normally does, this can then lead to an increased body temperature and the need for more water to be consumed more often.
- People with chronic illnesses. Having uncontrolled or untreated diabetes puts you at a very high risk of dehydration. Kidney disease also increases the risk, as do medications that increase urination. Even having a simple cold or sore throat makes you more liable to dehydration because you’re less likely to feel like eating or drinking when you are feeling unwell.
How Does Dehydration Affect You
Signs of Severe Dehydration
- Heat Injury: If you don’t drink enough fluids when you’re exercising vigorously and perspiring heavily, you may end up with a heat injury. These can range in severity from mild heat cramps, to heat exhaustion; or potentially life-threatening heatstroke.
- Urinary and Kidney Problems: Prolonged or repeated episodes of dehydration can cause severe urinary infections, kidney stones and even kidney failure.
- Seizures: Electrolytes such as potassium and sodium help carry electrical signals from cell to cell. If your electrolytes are out of balance, the normal electrical messages can become mixed up, which can lead to involuntary muscle contractions and sometimes to a loss of consciousness.
- Low blood volume shock (hypovolemic shock): This is one of the most serious, and can sometimes even be life-threatening. Complications of dehydration. It occurs when low blood volume causes a drop in blood pressure and a drop in the amount of oxygen in your body.
When To See A Doctor
- If you have had diarrhea for 24 hours or more
- If you feel very irritable or disoriented and much sleepier or less active than usual
- Can’t keep anything down
- If there is blood in your stools
- If your stools are a black color
How Does Dehydration Affect You
How Do You Test for Dehydration
- Gently pinch the skin on your arm or stomach between your finger and thumb to form a “tent” shape.
- Then Let Go of the skin.
- Check to see if it goes back to its normal position in one to three seconds.
- If the skin is slow to return to normal you could be dehydrated.
- If to does not go back to normal a blood test may need to be taken.
Treatment for Dehydration
Eat fruits and vegetables. Especially the watery kind that contain the right kind of vitamins and minerals. Another tip which goes without saying to drink plenty of fluids every day. If you live in a warm climate be sure to take extra care. You may need to avoid tap water dependent on your location. If necessary drink instead bottled water. Make sure you definitely have enough as well.
If you do regular physical exercise, work outside, have diarrhea or episodes of vomiting. Ensure you keep up the fluids little and often to prevent becoming dehydrated. The best thing to drink is water, and to avoid anything with caffeine (caffeinated drinks are diuretics). Fizzy drinks can also make you more thirsty.
If you have diarrhea, sweating, or vomiting you may need something like Imodium to bring this under control. Bananas are a good choice for food if you get like this because you need the potassium. Coconut water/milk is a great choice as it is high in electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium and Manganese).
My Final Thoughts
Not drinking enough fluid can have very serious health consequences. The first thing a hospital checks for is dehydration because it’s something an awful lot of people suffer from. Drinking a minimum of 2 liters of fluid a day is recommended and more if you are somewhere very hot.
For most people they not act before getting thirsty, and in more extreme cases this can definitely lead to problems.
So, like with most things prevention is the best medicine.
YOUR FEEDBACK
I wish to thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you have a question or would like to leave a comment you can do so below.
Also, If you know anyone else who would benefit from reading this then please feel free to share it.
I love hearing from you and I will always reply.
Take great care of yourself because you are worth It.
Alex C
DynamicIdeas4Life.com
Please note: This post is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat you.
If, you have a medical condition make sure you consult a medical professional.
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About Author
I’ve been quite concerned about sufficient hydration because it affects the skin so much. I notice that on days I don’t drink enough (because of travelling or just forgetting about it) my facial skin shows more fine lines and isn’t so plump.
I also have a low blood pressure and think that if I don’t drink enough it might make me more dizzy when changing my body position. So I try to control my drinking routine and be more aware of it. I don’t know if I had experienced real dehydration but I might have, when I think back at the few times I fainted when the weather was too hot.
Thank you for this article, it’s a great summary of dehydration causes and symptoms.
Hello Lenka,
You are so right it does affect the skin in a big way. I wish to thank you for taking the time to read and comment. It is very much appreciated.
Regards
Lisa
Thank you so much for sharing us an interesting and informative article. The main theme of this article is How Does Dehydration Affect You. It is really laudable that you have illustrated this topic so well in your article. I have learned a lot by reading your article and gained a lot of cognition about Dehydration. Of the points mentioned in your article, I like Best Ways To Prevent Dehydration. When I was dehydrated I drank plenty of water which helped keep me fresh.
Finally, I enjoyed reading your article and so I’d like to share your article in my Facebook group if you allow me.
Hello,
Thank you for reading and commenting, I’m delighted to hear you found it interesting. It’s great that you want to share it in your Facebook group. I hope it helps people.
Regards
Lisa
It’s been confirmed that keeping your body hydrated gives you a lot of benefits in return, for instance, it gives you a smooth and healthy skin and you tend to wash your body system when you take a lot of water. This article is very resourceful, I love the benefits of hydration and the effects that you’ve shared.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
It’s very much appreciated.
You are so right it’s very good for your skin.
Thank you for this informative article which was able to help me understand more about hydration. I have always had an issue when it comes to drinking enough water so hopefully this article will assist me.
Your welcome Thabo. Glad I can help.