In our daily life, we run here and there for various work and forget to take care of our bodies. Many people forget to keep their body hydrated leading to dehydration of the body and many other diseases due to this.
Contents
Risks Of Dehydration
When there is less fluid intake and more loss of fluid from the body dehydration takes place. The common causes include diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive sweating. When there is less amount of water in the body it hampers the body functions. There are 2 types of dehydration mild and severe. Mild ones can be easily treated at home but for severe dehydration, one needs to visit a hospital or take professional help.
Factors influencing Dehydration
- Sweating – This is the major cause for dehydration. Sweating is basically a colling process. The way it works is when you sweat some water is developed on the skin and then later this water is evaporated by taking some body heat with it as well and this cooling the body. Sweat also keep the skin moisturized. Sweat basically comprises of water and salt. So if you sweat excessively it can also lead to low sodium levels in the body.
- Illness – If you have diarrhoea or vomiting then this will lead to huge fluid loss from the body. Your body expelles water at much faster rate and important electrolytes are excreted out in the process. These electrolytes are very useful for organs to perform their work and may cause serious problems as well.
- Fever – In fever your body basically sweats a lot so as to maintain the normal body temperature by the cooling process described above. In fever if you don’t drink excessive water than you will end up dehydrated and can be a fatal issue.
How to Prevent Dehydration
- Illness – People who are old become easily dehydrated with minor illness, so keep drinking your fluids so as to maintain your liquid intake.
- Weather Condition – One must drink more water in summer or hot environment as your body will sweat more to keep the internal temperature in check. So you need to drink those excess water that will be lost in sweating. In cold weather body will need extra fluid as your body will need to fight against moisture loss due to dry air. This mostly happens with environment at high altitudes.
- Exercise – If you are going to exercise you need to keep your body hydrated as there will be more loss of water while you workout While working out, your body burns calories at much faster rate and this burning of calories requires water and this water is later given out in the form of sweat. It is best to start your workout on a hydrated body that way you won’t feel the fatigue and tiredness much due to dehydration.
Issues that can occur due to Dehydration
- Seizure – If you have diarrhoea or vomiting then you loose a lot of electrolytes from your body. The electrolytes are responsible for carrying the electrical messages from brain to all other body parts. If there is a loss in electrolytes then these electrical signals will be mixed causing chaos in the system.
- Kidney Problems – Kidney stone and urinary tract infections are caused due to low amount of water in your body and this could be fatal if not treated immediately. One should visit hospital or take professional help while treating kidney issues.
- Hypovolemic Shock – This is the most dangerous situation which is caused by dehydration and can be life threatening as well. When there is low water in the body there will be low blood in the body which creates a drop in the blood pressure and the oxygen content in your body leading to a serious condition. One must rush to ER if this situation occurs.
- Heat Injury – If you are playing some sport and if you are not well hydrated then this can cause a heat stroke which is not a mild issue. Many a times people are to be rushed into ER due to Heat stroke
By looking at the above points one can prepare themselves to battle dehydration and be safer. There are many apps that now give you a reminder to drink water and many people have found it very helpful.
You Might Like To Read About: How To Keep Your Thyroid Healthy