The Dangers Of Dehydration

Nearly 75% of people in United States might be suffering from chronic dehydration. We all are aware of the importance of water in our lives, but did you know that dehydration can lead to many serious health complications than just a mild headache?

In this article, you’ll learn all about the symptoms of dehydration, the dangers of dehydration, and how you can make sure you stay healthy and hydrated.

Ready? Let’s get started.

What is Dehydration?

When your water intake is less than your water loss, dehydration occurs. Our bodies need water to function, and elderly and young people are more likely to get dehydrated.

55-60% of our bodies are made up of water. Water is a vital nutrient and acts as a building material. It flushes waste through our systems, lubricates joints, and acts as a shock absorber for our spinal cords and brains.

We routinely lose water when we breathe, sweat, and go to the bathroom. And we need to drink a significant amount of water so we can replace this loss.

When you haven’t taken in enough water, or there’s too much water lost, dehydration will occur.

Symptoms of Dehydration

Some of the symptoms of dehydration include:

1. Thirst

If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. This is a sign that you need to drink some water (not coffee, soft drinks, and energy drinks).

2. Dark Colored Urine

If you don’t listen to your thirst signals, you can expect to see dark urine. You’ll also go to the bathroom less during the day.

3. Muscle Cramps

While you may assume that only athletes get muscle cramps, this is not the case. If you’re not drinking enough fluids, you may become prone to muscle cramps. Dehydration causes your muscles to involuntarily cramp and also causes hypersensitivity.

4. Constipation

After you eat, your body breaks down your food in your small intestine. Any non-essential parts of your food are then converted to waste. When you’re dehydrated, your intestinal cells extract water from this waste, which causes it to become hard and leads to constipation.

5. Hypertension

One of the dangers of dehydration? High blood pressure.

When you’re body’s cells are lacking water, your brain will send a signal to your pituitary gland. This causes it to secrete vasopressin which constricts your blood vessels. And that makes your blood pressure increase, leading to hypertension.

6. Joint Complication

When you’re chronically dehydrated, the cartilage in your joints begins rubbing against each other. This causes them to weaken and wear over time. When you don’t drink enough water, your body has to do more repair to those damaged joints every day, and the cartilage can even completely wear out over time.

8. Gallstones

When you’re dehydrated, your kidneys reduce their urine formation. The capillaries then begin constricting in your brain and heart, which increases your blood pressure. This combination of urine retention and high blood pressure, causing kidney damage and eventually even kidney disease.

9. Depression

Your brain needs 85% water- which is more than any of your other organs. When you have water deficiency in your brain cells, the energy in your brain decreases, which leads to depression, lethargy, and fatigue.

10. Headaches

Dehydration causes you to experience headaches. This is because you lose electrolytes like chloride, potassium, and sodium. Headaches caused by dehydration an either be distributed throughout your head or on just one side. Bending over or walking can make it feel worse.

The Dangers of Dehydration

After 2% of your normal water volume is lost, you’ll begin noticing symptoms of dehydration. First, you’ll experience discomfort and thirst, often with dry skin and loss of appetite. You may also experience a rapid heart rate, flushing, and fatigue.

The more water you lose, the more severe your symptoms become. And the dangers of dehydration become more serious. Your respiration and heart rates will begin increasing which compensates for decreased blood pressure and plasma volume. Your body temperature may also rise as your body decreases the amount you sweat.

Once you’ve experienced 5-6% fluid loss, you can expect to become sleepy or groggy, experience nausea or headaches, and get tingling in your limbs.

With a fluid loss of 10-15%, your urination will be greatly reduced (and may be painful), your skin may wrinkle and shrivel, your muscles may become spastic, and you may begin experiencing delirium.

More than 15% fluid loss is usually fatal.

Diagnosing Dehydration

Before your doctor begins any tests, they’ll look at your symptoms to rule out any other possible conditions. After they take your medical history, your doctor will check vital signs like your blood pressure and heart rate. A rapid heart rate and low blood pressure are solid signs that you’re dehydrated.

Your doctor may also take a blood test to check your electrolyte level. This helps see the level of fluid loss you’ve experienced. This blood test is also a good way to look at your level of creatine which shows whether your kidneys are functioning well.

They may also use your urine, checking the color and looking for electrolyte loss and the presence of bacteria.

Treating Dehydration

There are a number of different treatments for dehydration. Because dehydration is so serious, it’s crucial that you’re treated quickly if you become dehydrated.

You’ll need to be rehydrated. This is when your fluids are replaced by IV or drinking. If you’re suffering from vomiting or diarrhea, drinking may not be possible but fluids can instead be given intravenously. This is when a small IV tube is inserted into the vein in your arm, and you receive a mix of electrolytes and water.

Staying hydrated is important in any disaster and maintaining a well stocked first aid kit is your first line of defense. Additional useful items to have in first aid kits to prevent dehydration would be sports drinks high in electrolytes to speed up hydration, instant cold compresses to cool down the victim and a basic first aid instruction book to keep on monitor other symptoms.

Wrapping up

As you can see, the dangers of dehydration can be serious and even deadly. It’s best to prevent dehydration in the first place by drinking plenty of water and cutting down on soda and coffee. But if you do get dehydrated, it’s crucial that you act quickly to rehydrate yourself and avoid the above dangers.

Whether you’re suffering from the world’s worst hangover, you’ve been exercising in the heat, or you’ve been sick, we can help you stay hydrated. Get in touch today to learn more.