Everything There is to Know About Dehydration

Your skin, body temperature, and even your breath could be trying to tell you that you need to drink more water. When the body rids more fluids than it takes in, dehydration sets in. Even mild dehydration could result in headaches, drowsiness, and constipation.

The average human body contains 75% water. It cannot live without this water. Water is necessary for humans and all living creatures to survive. Our cells, blood vessels, and the spaces between them all contain water. A sophisticated water management system balances our water levels, and our thirst mechanism alerts us when we need to drink more fluids.

We can replenish the water in our bodies lost through breathing, sweating, urinating, and defecating by drinking fluids. Interestingly, if dehydration sets in, the body can also transfer water to the places where it is most required.

The most obvious sign that you are dehydrated—when your body doesn’t have enough fluid to function—is that you are thirsty. However, according to MedlinePlus, dehydration involves more than just water loss from the body; it also consists of the loss of electrolytes, including potassium and sodium, which support normal bodily functions, including breathing, movement, and communication.

Cases of severe dehydration — defined by the World Health Organization as losing more than 10% of your body weight in fluid — require immediate medical attention. Becoming extremely dehydrated can cause injury or fatal complications and requires an ER visit. In addition, since your blood volume is too low, you could get a hypovolemic shock, convulsions, or cardiac arrhythmia. But that’s not often the case. Most of the time, you can simply rehydrate and avoid being dehydrated.

According to Alp Arkun, MD, the chief of service for emergency medicine at Southern California’s Kaiser Permanente Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers, once you have lost 5 to 6% of your body weight through dehydration, you’ll start to feel mild symptoms, such as thirst, fatigue, dizziness, or constipation.

Moderate dehydration doesn’t always have visible symptoms. However, below are surprising signs of dehydration, causes, risk factors, and prevention tips.

Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration

The symptoms of dehydration may differ by age. For example, an adult may experience the following:

• Bad Breath. Although saliva has antimicrobial properties, being dehydrated can reduce the amount of saliva your body produces. Saliva production decreases while you sleep, which the Mayo Clinic claims are the same reason you could experience “morning breath” when you awaken. So, the next time your mouth feels parched and your breath doesn’t smell particularly pleasant; it might be time to rehydrate.
• Flushed or Dry Skin. Your skin becomes extremely dry and may appear flushed as you progress through different phases of dehydration.
• Muscle Cramps. According to OrthoInfo, when your body loses enough fluid, it cannot sufficiently cool itself, resulting in heat illness, which causes dehydration. Muscle cramps, which can occur while exercising, especially in hot weather, are one sign to watch out for. However, dehydration is a risk even in colder temperatures if you don’t consume enough water when exercising. Dehydration poses the same dangers regardless of the weather, even though symptoms may be milder or develop more gradually.
• Fever and Chills. Fever and chills are signs of heat illness. While your skin feels cool to the touch, you may sweat profusely. Dehydration worsens with fever. You could become more dehydrated as your fever rises. Your skin will turn from cool clamminess to hot, flushed, and dry to the touch if your body temperature doesn’t drop. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) advises that you must cool yourself down and seek medical attention at this stage. Until you can see a doctor, temporary solutions include applying ice and cool, moist cloths on your body and relocating to a cool area, like in front of the fan. The CDC advises adults with fever to seek medical attention if their temperature rises to 103 degrees F.

• Food Cravings, Particularly for Sweets. You could crave food if you’re dehydrated because it might be challenging for organs like the liver, which depends on water, to release glycogen (stored glucose) and other energy-storing substances. Although you can crave anything, including chocolate and salty snacks, cravings for sweets are more common because your body may have trouble breaking down glycogen to release glucose into the bloodstream for fuel.
• Headaches. A headache or migraine can be brought on by minor dehydration. Even if other factors besides dehydration might induce headaches, it is advisable to drink a full glass of water and continue sipping throughout the day if dehydration is to blame.

An infant or young child may experience the following:

• No tears when crying
• Sunken soft spot on top of the skull
• No wet diapers for three hours
• Irritable or lethargic
• Sunken eyes, cheeks
• Dry mouth and tongue

Facts About Dehydration

1. Three-quarters (75%) of Americans are dehydrated. As a result, most Americans are considered “chronically dehydrated.” When this occurs, we become accustomed to the lack of water and may find it challenging to recognize when our bodies require additional hydration.
2. The average adult in the United States drinks far less water than the daily suggested 10 glasses of water intake by the Institute of Medicine. The typical American only consumes 2.5 cups of water per day.
3. Even minor dehydration can impair your ability to think clearly. According to researchers, those who are dehydrated while driving are just as likely to make mistakes as those who are drunk.

Causes of Dehydration

Dehydration can occur for simple reasons, including neglecting to drink enough due to illness or busyness, water intake through your diet, a lack of access to drinking water while traveling, trekking, camping, or a combination of these factors.

Other reasons for dehydration include:

• Vomiting and Diarrhea. Severe, acute diarrhea or diarrhea that strikes quickly and violently can result in a rapid loss of electrolytes and water. You lose significantly more fluids and minerals if you have diarrhea and vomiting simultaneously.
• Fever. Generally speaking, the higher your fever, the greater the risk of dehydration. The condition worsens if you have diarrhea, vomiting, and a fever.
• Excessive Sweating. Sweating causes water loss. You risk becoming dehydrated if you engage in strenuous activity without replenishing lost fluids. Sweating and fluid loss are accelerated in hot, humid conditions.
• Increased Urination. Undiagnosed or poorly managed diabetes may cause this. In addition, dehydration is a side effect of various drugs, such as diuretics and some blood pressure medications, mainly because they make you urinate more frequently.

Who is at Higher Risk for Dehydration?

Anybody can become dehydrated; however, some people are more vulnerable than others, including:

• Infants and Children. It is common for infants and children to experience severe diarrhea and vomiting. This makes them particularly susceptible to dehydration. Due to their larger surface area to volume ratio, they also lose a more significant percentage of their fluids when they are sick or have burns. In addition, young children frequently lack the verbal skills necessary to express their thirst or obtain a drink independently.

• The Elderly. Your body’s ability to hold onto fluids decreases with age, with your capacity for water conservation, and your sense of thirst. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine points out that there are various reasons why some elderly people are more susceptible to developing chronic dehydration. Severe conditions like diabetes and dementia and using specific prescription medications, such as diuretics, exacerbate these issues. Additionally, older people may experience mobility issues that restrict their ability to get water for themselves or forget to drink due to dementia.
• People who suffer from Serious Illnesses. You have a considerable risk of dehydration if your diabetes is uncontrolled or not being treated. Your risk is further increased by kidney illness and drugs that make you urinate more frequently. You are more prone to dehydration even if you have a cold or sore throat since you are less likely to feel like drinking or eating when you are ill.
• People Who go Outside to Work or Exercise. Physical activity increases your risk of heat illness and dehydration rises in hot, humid weather. Your body temperature may increase, and you may need to drink more water since sweat doesn’t evaporate as rapidly in moist air as in dry air.

Complications of Dehydration

Untreated dehydration can result in serious complications, including the following:

• Heat Illness. Suppose you don’t consume enough fluids while working out hard and sweating profusely. In that case, you could develop a heat injury that can range in severity from moderate heat cramps to heat exhaustion and even fatal heatstroke.
• Kidney and Urinary Issues. Dehydration that lasts long or occurs frequently can lead to kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and kidney failure.
• Seizures. Electrolytes, like potassium and sodium, aid in the transport of electrical signals from one cell to another. If your electrolytes are not balanced, the regular electrical signals may get jumbled, causing uncontrollable muscle contractions and occasionally losing consciousness.
• Hypovolemic Shock (shock from low blood volume). This is one of the most severe and potentially fatal consequences of dehydration. It happens when insufficient blood volume causes blood pressure to drop and the amount of oxygen in your body to reduce.

How to Recognize Dehydration

You Are Already Dehydrated if You Are Thirsty. However, not being thirsty doesn’t necessarily mean you’re well-hydrated. Here are other ways to determine if your body is dehydrated:

• Check Your Skin. On the back of your hand, squeeze up a little portion of your skin with two fingers before releasing it. The skin should resume its usual posture in less than a few seconds. According to Higgins, if your skin returns to normal more slowly than expected, you may be dehydrated.
• Examine Your Urine. Your urine output should appear primarily clear with a hint of yellow if you’re properly hydrated. According to UC San Diego Health, darker shades of yellow or orange should raise your concern. Start consuming liquids as soon as possible if you notice those hues.

Prevention Tips

Consume foods high in water, such as fruits and veggies, and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Mindfulness of your fluid intake and a daily guideline of following your thirst are sufficient for most healthy people.

People need to drink extra fluids if they are experiencing conditions like these:

• Vomiting or Diarrhea. If you, your child, or a relative is vomiting or has diarrhea, start giving more water or an oral rehydration solution. Don’t wait until dehydration occurs.
• Strenuous Exercise. Generally, it’s recommended to begin hydrating the day before vigorous exercise. Water or other fluids should be consumed throughout the exercise at regular intervals and after it is over.
• Cold or Hot Weather. You should drink more fluids when it’s hot or humid outside to reduce your body temperature and replace the water you lose via sweating. In cold weather, notably at higher elevations, you might require additional water to counteract moisture loss from dry air.
• Sickness. Dehydration is most common in older people after minor illnesses such as the flu, bronchitis, or bladder infections. When you don’t feel well, remember to drink more water.

Suggestions for Staying Hydrated:

• Always Have Your Water Bottle Near You. You’ll probably develop the habit of drinking water without even realizing it if it’s right next to you.
• Try flavoring Plain Water. If you don’t enjoy drinking plain water, flavor it with chunks of fresh fruit or a dash of fruit juice. You could also drink naturally flavored, calorie-free seltzers instead; they have more taste and fizz than plain, flat water and are also less boring.

• Try Sugar-Free Coffee or Herbal Tea. There are various flavors of unsweetened teas available. On a hot day, you can sip a refreshing iced tea and a calming hot leaf tea on a chilly evening.
• Replace Your Packaged Snacks with Fresh Alternatives. The water content in dry snacks like chips, pretzels, and crackers is relatively low. Instead, choose hydrating snacks, such as yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, healthy smoothies, baby carrots, celery with peanut butter, and sliced vegetables with hummus.
• Increase the Amount of Produce you Consume. Fruits and vegetables are hydrating, just like liquids. So when you eat, try to fill half your plate with produce. All those servings of fruits and vegetables will provide water and a substantial amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Some fruits and vegetables contain more than 90% water, including cucumber, zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, celery, lettuce, and tomatoes.
• During Meals, Drink More Liquids. Drinking water while you eat food can encourage you to take your time, pace your meal, and maintain hydration. According to an older study published in Obesity, drinking water before eating may also aid weight loss.

Final Note on Elderly Dehydration

An older person who is chronically dehydrated may become confused and experience dizziness, low blood pressure, and constipation. Make sure to check for dehydration signs in older relatives who have difficulty moving around or thinking clearly, and urge their caregivers to do so.

Regarding your health, remember that, according to the U.S. Geological Society, healthy bodies comprise at least 60% water. So, drink up and maintain that balanced diet!