Every living creature needs water to survive. Yet sweating, peeing,
vomiting, or having diarrhea can cause a loss of fluid further increasing your fluid
needs, threatening your survival, and making you feel thirsty. Being dehydrated
doesn’t only mean you’re body is losing water, it also means you're losing electrolytes like salt and potassium, which help your body breathe, move, talk, and do all the
other things it needs to do to functional.
People who are especially vulnerable to losing fluid include
those who are unable to quench their thirst because of disability or disease
(like diabetes), those who are athletes, or those who are too young or too old
to replace it on their own. Becoming extremely
dehydrated is when you lose more than 10
percent of your body weight in fluid. This can lead to fatal complications like
seizures, cardiac arrhythmia, or hypovolemic shock. This all happens when your blood volume is too
low.
You can easily replenish your fluid stores to prevent dehydration.
The truth is you can lose 3 to 4 percent of your body weight through
dehydration without feeling any real symptoms. Yet, once you have lost 5 to 6
percent, you’ll start to feel the symptoms of mild dehydration. Thirst,
fatigue, dizziness, or constipation is signs it’s time to reach for water or a sports drink
that’s low in sugar and high in electrolytes. The signs of
dehydration aren’t always obvious. Here are the surprising details of
dehydration:
75 Percent of Americans Are Chronically Dehydrated. A survey of 3,003
Americans found that 75 percent likely had a net fluid loss, resulting in
chronic dehydration. Although the survey found that Americans drank about eight
servings of hydrating beverages per day, this is offset by drinking caffeinated
beverages and alcohol and eating a diet high in sodium.
Bad Breath Is a Possible Warning
Sign of Dehydration. Saliva
has antibacterial properties, but dehydration can prevent your body from making
enough saliva. You can get bacterial overgrowth in the mouth, and one of the
side effects of that is bad breath.
Dehydration Causes Fatigue. A pair of recent studies found that young people
who were mildly dehydrated were much more likely to feel fatigued during
moderate exercise and even when sedentary. Unsurprisingly, fatigue is a common
dehydration symptom, and it’s said to be the number one cause of midday
fatigue.
Dehydration Causes Foggy Memory, Irritability, and More. Dehydration, even mild dehydration,
has been shown to put stress on our cognitive functioning. In younger adults,
for instance, dehydration was linked to a dip in concentration and short-term
memory, as well as an increase in feelings of anxiety and irritability. With
children, studies are more conclusive that hydration can improve attention and
memory.
Dehydration Is One of the Most Common Risk Factors for Kidney
Stones. A landmark
1990 study examined the causes of kidney stones in more than 700 patients.
Chronic dehydration, caused by a variety of factors, was believed to be a
factor in about 20 percent of cases. More recently, researchers have examined
the link more in-depth. In one five-year randomized trial, patients with kidney
stones were told to drink more water, which resulted in a drop in kidney stone
recurrence.
Dry or Flushed Skin Could Be a
Symptom of Dehydration. Many
people think that people who get dehydrated are really sweaty, but in fact, as
you go through various stages of dehydration, you get very dry skin that may
appear flushed as well.
Fever and Chills Are More Symptoms
of Heat Illness, Which Causes Dehydration. Other symptoms of heat illness include fever and chills. You may sweat profusely while your
skin is cool to the touch. Fever can worsen dehydration. The higher the fever,
the more dehydrated you may become. Unless your body temperature decreases,
your skin will lose its cool clamminess and then become hot, flushed, and dry
to the touch. At this point, it’s important that you cool yourself down
immediately and see a medical professional.
Applying ice and cool, wet cloths, and moving to a cool area
are short-term strategies until you can see a medical professional. Children and infants lose more of
their body fluid to fever, and they are more likely to experience severe
diarrhea and vomiting from illness. Any fever in an infant or
toddler is cause for concern. Ask your pediatrician for guidelines on when
to call for help. If an adult has a temperature that reaches 103 degrees F seek
medical attention.
Food Cravings Especially for Sweets
May Just Mean You’re Thirsty. When you’re dehydrated, it can be difficult for organs such
as the liver, which uses water, to release glycogen [stored glucose] and other components of your
energy stores, so you can actually get cravings for food. While you can crave
anything from chocolate to a salty snack, cravings for
sweets are more common because your body may be experiencing difficulty
breaking down glycogen to release glucose into the bloodstream to use as fuel.
Headaches Could Be a Sign You Need
to Drink More Water. Mild dehydration can cause a
dehydration headache and trigger a migraine headache. Although various factors besides
dehydration can cause headaches, drinking a full glass of water and
continuing to sip more fluids during the day is an easy way to ease your pain
if dehydration is a cause.
Hydration Can Boost Your Metabolism. Although the evidence is limited,
your metabolism could benefit from drinking cold water. In fact, one study
found that drinking cold water helped boost healthy men and women’s metabolic
rate by 30 percent. The researchers concluded that the body expended more
energy heating the cold water, which resulted in the boost in metabolism.
Muscle Cramps Are a Dehydration
Symptom Likely From Heat Illness. When your body loses enough fluid, it’s unable to cool
itself off adequately, leading to heat illness. One symptom to look out for
is muscle cramps, which can happen while exercising
particularly in hot weather. The hotter you get, the more likely you are to get
muscle cramps, and that’s from a pure heat effect on the muscles. As the
muscles work harder and harder, they can seize up from the heat itself.
Changes in the electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium,
can lead to muscle cramping as well. Even in cooler weather, dehydration is
possible if you don’t drink enough fluids while working out. Symptoms may be
milder or come on slower, but dehydration carries the same risks, regardless of
temperature outside.
Thirst Means You’re Dehydrated. Dehydration triggers the body’s
thirst response. So when you feel thirsty, dehydration is already setting in.
In many experiments, just 1 to 2 percent dehydration has been shown to trigger thirst.
This level of dehydration can happen quickly especially following intense
exercise or when battling viruses.
How to
Tell if You’re Dehydrated:
·
Try
this skin test. Use
two fingers to pinch up some skin on the back of your hand, and then let the
skin go. The skin should spring back to its normal position in less than a
couple of seconds. When pinched, the skin of a dehydrated person may remain
“tented” and take some time to return to its normal, flat appearance.
·
Check
your urine. If
you’re well hydrated, your urine will be mostly clear with a tinge of yellow
(the color of light lemonade before it hits the toilet). Darker yellow or
orange are the “warning” colors to watch for. If you see those colors,
start drinking fluids.
Tips for
Staying Hydrated:
·
Eat Produce, Which is Full of Water
·
Keep Your Water Bottle Handy at All Times
·
Sip More Fluid During Meals
·
Swap Your Dry Packaged Snacks for Fresh Options That Contain Water
·
Try Spicing Up Plain Water
·
Turn to Sugar-Free Herbal Tea
“Drinking water is like washing out your
insides. The water will cleanse the system, fill you up, decrease your caloric
load and improve the function of all your tissues.” (Kevin R. Stone) [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“6
Dehydration Facts That May Surprise You” by DripDrop
·
“6
Unusual Signs of Dehydration You Should Know About” By Nancie
George
This topic was suggested
by my missionary daughter, Allena, who regularly deals with dehydration in
Ghana, Africa. Your mom and I love you, and are so proud of you. Please keep
hydrated however you can.
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