13 Signs and Symptoms that suggest you are suffering from Dangerous Dehydration

Dehydration is a medical term used to describe the condition where the loss of water in the body is more than the amount of water that is taken in. Sometimes you might experience this condition without even noticing it. In this post we would look at some common signs and symptoms that suggest that you might be suffering from dehydration.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration

There are several signs or symptoms that suggest an individual is suffering from dehydration. However, we have decided to look at nine of the most common symptoms. Below are the symptoms of dehydration:

Increased thirst:

Increased thirst is one of the common symptoms of dehydration. When you don’t drink enough water as expected in a day, your body will lose lots of water; because it does not get new water to replace the used ones. Your body loses water when you urinate, when you sweat or cry. When it is not replaced you won’t have enough to enhance your body’s activities. So when you are thirsty, you should know your body needs more water. You can lose excessive water during exercise .That is why it is very good to drink more water during exercise. Also don’t wait until you are thirsty before you drink water. You can always drink water at random to enable you body work effectively.

Dry mouth:

Medically, dry mouth condition is referred to as xerostomai. It is very common among people who don’t drink enough water. When you don’t have enough water in your body, it means your body’s fluids are also low and this shows in your mouth and to some extent your lips too. When your body is dehydrated, your salivary glands too won’t function well. Your saliva becomes stringy and your tongue too becomes rough. But this can be corrected just by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You can drink a reasonable amount of water daily to prevent it. You can also eat lots of frozen foods or foods containing lots of liquid to correct that.

Weakness:

Did you ever know that you can be extremely weak when your body is dehydrated? This is another common symptom of dehydration. You become weak because your muscles get weaker when you don’t have enough fluid in your body. When this gets severe, it affects your kidney and can sometimes lead to kidney stones.

Severe dehydration can lead to constipation because your body keeps using the little water in it. Dehydration can make you weak and can even lead to sickness; because your system can’t function properly due to insufficient water.

Dizziness:

Different people understand the meaning of dizziness in different ways. This is because different problems in your body can make you feel dizzy. However, the major problem that causes dizziness is when you blood level is low. When you don’t have enough water in your body, it also decreases the flow of blood to other parts of your body. Your brain especially needs enough blood to operate. When it does not get enough blood, you begin to feel dizzy. So when your fluid level is low, it won’t enhance your blood flow too.

Heart palpitation:

In extreme cases of dehydration you might experience the condition known as heart palpitation. This is when your heart keeps skipping beats or beats too fast at times. Lack of sufficient water in the body puts a lot of stress on the body, which contributes to irregular beats by the heart.

Sluggishness:

When your body is dehydrated, it can’t function well. In mild to moderate dehydration you might show signs of sluggishness or signs of fatigue. This is usually common in children.

Fainting:

Fainting is caused by the inability of the body to supply blood to the brain. Insufficient fluid in your brain can make you faint. This can occur to anybody irrespective of your age. It has a serious effect on adults than children .But it’s very dangerous if you don’t get a first aid shortly after fainting. When the weather is very hot you stand at a higher chance of fainting if you are dehydrated and you lose more water than in the cold season. So it is good to hydrate the body frequently, especially when the weather is hot to prevent you from fainting.

Inability to sweat:

It is always necessary and normal for you to sweat. When you sweat, it shows your body is working effectively and helping to get rid of toxic or other unwanted fluids in your body. When you don’t sweat, it means something is wrong. When your body is dehydrated, you may not sweat. When this happens, your inner body becomes very warm or overheated which can further lead to heat stroke. It is important that you know that in order to sweat your body needs to be hydrated.

Decreased urine output:

Lack of sufficient water causes a decrease in your urine. Signs of dehydration can be easily noticed in your urine as it usually turns amber colored. And mostly the urine you pass out is less. When water is not enough in your body you tend to pass out urine less frequently, usually between two to four times in a day.

Summary

Other signs and symptoms of dehydration include; fever, headaches, sunken eyes and dry skin.

When you notice the above signs of dehydration, you can reverse the process or condition by taking in lots of water. In cases of severe dehydration, it is advisable that you visit your doctor.