The Everyday Problem Of Dehydration

By Marsha Henway

Dehydration is a condition far more frequent than one would think. Many people misconstrue dehydration as that feeling of extreme thirst one would feel if he or she is navigating the Sahara desert with tattered clothes and a tiny ration of water, with miles to go before the next oasis, but this “Hollywood” perception of dehydration is as far from the truth as you could get, as it actually occurs whenever the body is unable to replenish lost fluids for one reason or another. But that doesn’t mean that the “Hollywood” scenario is a product of a fertile imagination. One such example of an everyday situation that leads to dehydration would be infrequently drinking water while exercising, as the intense motions would cause you to sweat off the fluid; as such, the body would need replenishment in order to avoid that feeling of dehydration and its associated symptoms.

People are susceptible to dehydration at any given point in their day because simply put, they don’t drink the right amount of water. Often this happens gradually, and we’ll hardly notice it until at one point in the afternoon we feel extremely thirsty. This is a telltale sign of dehydration if in any case this happens to you. Thirst is far from being the lone side effect of dehydration, as it may cause an individual to feel fatigued or even faint; malaise and a feeling of torpor may also occur. A lot of us try to mitigate the effects of dehydration by drinking other liquids, but sugary drinks and those that have caffeine content aren’t as effective as water in terms of hydrating the body, and diuretics (i.e. coffee) may even have an opposite effect.

Majority of people suffer from dehydration at some point in the day due to one simple reason – they don’t drink enough water. So slow is this process to manifest itself that the only time we feel a need to drink water due to thirst would usually be in the afternoon. If this situation is all too familiar to you, then it is likely you are suffering from dehydration. People who suffer from dehydration do not suffer from thirst alone; other side effects include, but are not limited to tiredness, malaise, languor or even faintness. Though you may be drinking liquid, caffeinated beverages or drinks with high sugar content aren’t very good at hydrating you, and diuretics like coffee can even leave you more dehydrated.

Diarrhea and vomiting can severely deplete the body’s unabsorbed water content, which makes dehydration quite an important issue in such a situation. This means that the individual is not only losing a significant amount of water, but he or she is also having difficulty replacing it should he/she feel like going or ralphing. In most cases this can be remedied by pushing fluids, and electrolyte mixtures often speed the process of recovery. In more serious cases of dehydration, the individual may have to take fluids by means of an IV, but this usually applies in only the most extreme situations.

It seems basic, but making an conscious effort to drink plenty of water over the course of the day can have great effects on your energy levels and your overall well-being. More than often you can achieve this through simple methods, such as carrying a water bottle in the car or in the office, or having a glass of water on your counter top at home or on your desk at work, because the easier it is to have a drink of water, the less likely it is that you would suffer from dehydration.

During any trip, chartis travel insurance offers protection from common and unforseen events that could ruin your holiday.

Article kindly provided by UberArticles.com

Topics: Nutrition | Comments Off

Tags: dehydration, diet, drink, Food, Food and Drink, health, Health and Dehydration, health and nutrition, health and wellness, Nutrition, nutrition and diet, physical fitness, supplements, wellness

Reprint Rights

Comments are closed.