Dehydration is when we lose more fluids than we take in. Therefore, our body does not have enough water or fluids to perform its functions naturally.
That is why we must drink water constantly, to replace the fluids we have lost. Otherwise, we will become dehydrated.
We can all become dehydrated at any time and it can have negative consequences for our health. But it can be especially dangerous for the young and the elderly.
On hot days the risk of dehydration is higher. This is especially true if you are involved in high intensity sports activities.
In most cases, mild or moderate dehydration can be reversed by taking in fluids, but if it is severe dehydration you should go to a medical centre for the best treatment immediately.
What are the symptoms of dehydration?
Many times we do not have any symptoms to detect the lack of hydration in the body. Often, especially adults, do not feel thirsty until they are already dehydrated. That is why thirst is often said to be the first symptom of dehydration.
Hence the importance of drinking water several times throughout the day, even if you are not thirsty, to prevent dehydration.
You must bear in mind that the symptoms often vary according to age.
Main symptoms of dehydration:
Babies or young children: have dry mouth and tongue, cry without shedding tears, don’t wet their diaper for three hours. They also have red cheeks and eyes, are irritable and the top of their head, the soft part, is sunken.
Adults: feel excessive thirst, urination is less frequent, urine is dark and they feel fatigue, dizziness and confusion.
Some of the main causes of why we become dehydrated:
Although in most cases lack of fluids is the cause of dehydration, there are other factors that can cause it.
For example:
- Having diarrhea or vomiting: Diarrhea causes a great loss of liquids in a short time, if, in addition, we have vomiting, we will lose much more water.
- Fever: the more fever we have, the more dehydration it will cause. If it also goes along with the previous case, it can be much worse.
- Excessive sweating: when we sweat, we lose water. Therefore, to compensate for this loss of fluids, we must drink. Especially if we are practicing sports, if it is very hot or if there is humidity, because we sweat more.
- Urinating more frequently: some diseases (such as diabetes) or medicines can make us go to the bathroom more often. In order not to get dehydrated, we should drink liquids more often.
How to prevent it?
In order to prevent it, it is best to drink liquids very often, even if you are not thirsty. And eat foods high in water.
In very hot or very cold periods we should increase our intake of liquids. If you do high-intensity sports or have vomiting and/or diarrhea, too. Bear in mind that certain illnesses can cause us to lose more liquids than normal and we will also have to drink more.