Symptoms Of Dehydration In Adults – How To Treat It Naturally

Symptoms Of Dehydration

Recognizing symptoms of dehydration begins with understanding the exact nature of dehydration. Dehydration is defined as the loss of fluids and/or salts from the body. Water makes up 70% of the body. The body needs water to perform basic metabolic functions ranging from respiration to excretion and everything in between. Salts form an integral part of the blood plasma. When the body suffers from an excessive loss of water and/or salts, it could become quite dangerous, if left uncorrected for a long time.

Causes

Dehydration could result from a number of reasons. These include but are not limited to prolonged vomiting, diarrhea, high fever, staying out in the sun for too long, excessive aerobic activity, some illnesses and even overdosing on certain drugs. Certain weight loss pills or diuretics can also cause dehydration.

Symptoms

Symptoms of dehydration are progressive in nature. You start to feel the signs when the body loses about 2% of its fluids.

If the initial increase in thirst is not rectified by drinking some water, then more alarming signs begin to manifest.

• A dry mouth, tongue and throat


• Urination reduces. The urine that is produced will be a darker shade of yellow.


• The skin becomes dry and possibly wrinkles begin to appear.


• Weakness occurs and headaches or dizziness may become prevalent.


• The heart may start palpitating and heavy breathing may occur


• Lethargy sets in and you may even faint.


• High Fever


• Irritability


• Inability to think straight and make otherwise normal decisions

Being dehydrated is similar to having a hangover, and most adults should know what that feels like. The condition is not very pleasant.
Although very rare, in certain severe cases, dehydration has led to fatalities.

How To Treat Dehydration

Prevention is better than cure. So you should keep drinking some water throughout the day to keep your performance up. But if dehydration does set in, at the first signs, one should immediately consume fluids such as water or electrolytic drinks. During periods of illness, you should try to continuously hydrate yourself. If unable to retain fluids due to vomiting, then try to suck on popsicles made from juices or sports drinks or even just plain ice chips. Remove or loosen clothing, and sit in an air-conditioned room. This will help to maintain body temperature and reduce the need for water to cool the body down.

If suffering from prolonged dehydration it will have to be dealt with in a hospital, and IV fluids will have to be administered.