As much as 75 percent of the human body is made up of water. As a result, keeping sufficient water in your system is very important. Dehydration occurs when you are losing more water than you are taking in and parts of your body and bodily functions are forced to make do with less water than they really need.
Features
Dehydration can be caused by a variety of factors. Anything that causes you to lose liquid from your body can cause dehydration if it occurs in excess or if you do not take steps to replenish the water in your body. Common causes are vomiting, diarrhea, sweating and urination. While usually you can simply take in more fluids to replace the ones that are lost by these processes, if you are unable to retain the fluids because of an illness, you may need to seek medical help.
Identification
As your body becomes more and more desperate for water, you will experience a wide variety of symptoms. At first, you will feel thirsty, and your urine may become brighter yellow in color. As the water shortage becomes more severe, you will likely experience nausea, muscle cramping and a dry mouth. You might even vomit. Severe dehydration can lead to confusion, fainting and even coma or death. However, there is generally no reason to allow things to progress this far, and you should be able to halt dehydration long before it reaches this point.
Effects
Perhaps even more important than knowing the symptoms of dehydration, however, is understanding the potential long-term effects of allowing your body to experience severe water depletion. Allowing yourself to become dehydrated regularly or failing to treat dehydration before it becomes a major health problem can lead to serious kidney problems as the organs are weakened by the repeated strain.
Misconceptions
One of the most common causes of dehydration is hard exercise without sufficient liquid replacement. Unfortunately, the "no pain, no gain" mantra that is popular with many serious athletes actually can contribute to their dehydration and to ignoring symptoms. In fact, many people consider it a point of pride if they vomit during a particularly hard workout and believe that if they are not in physical torment at the end of a workout, they must have done something wrong. This leads them to ignore the symptoms of dehydration and push themselves harder, which only worsens the condition.
Prevention/Solution
Depending on the severity, dehydration can be treated in a variety of ways. The easiest way is to simply replace the fluids that your body has lost by drinking more. You should drink clear fluids like water or broth. Sometimes, however, if the dehydration has become too severe, you may need to replace fluids intravenously with the help of a doctor.
Expert Insight
Very young and elderly people are most susceptible to dehydration. You should always check on elderly neighbors during especially hot times of year. In the Chicago heat wave of 1995, it is estimated that over 600 senior citizens died in their homes due to dehydration that could have been prevented with simple treatment. If you experience the symptoms of dehydration on a regular basis, it is important that you take steps to alter your diet and other habits so that you do not weaken your organs over time or even accidentally cause your own death.
Tags: your body, symptoms dehydration, becomes more, replace fluids, take steps