Dehydration
Last week I was in the yard early in the morning doing my gardening. It had been terribly hot so I wanted to get an early start.
I wasn't out but hour when I was profusely perspiring. I was light headed; thirsty and just feeling horrible.
I was feeling overheated so I went into the house got a cool wet towel for my neck and a cold bottle of water.
While I was cooling down I realized that this could easily happen out on the trail or when you are rock climbing or doing any strenuous exercise. So I thought what is dehydration? What are the symptoms? How do you prevent it?
I didn't go out that morning expecting to dehydrate myself, I was just working in my garden and suddenly I wasn't feeling well.
What Is Dehydration
We have to drink a significant amount of water daily just to replace what we lose. Our bodies monitor the amount of fluids needed to make the body function normally. The thirst mechanism signals you to drink water when the body is dry.
Dehydration happens when you have a greater amount of water leaving your body then is being taken in. It can happen from illness, exercise or high temperatures. Usually it is a combination of two that can overwhelm you.
It is not just water that you are losing, you are also losing electrolytes, sodium, potassium, calcium and minerals that are vital for survival.
The body is 75% water so dehydration can get us into physical trouble in a big hurry. In high temperatures senior citizens have to be especially careful. After the age of 50 our thirst sensation diminishes and will continue to diminish with age.
Our bodies are constantly changing. We take water into our bodies and lose it regularly. We lose water when we breathe as humidified air leaving the body, when we perspire to cool down the body and when we urinate or have a bowel movement to rid the body of waste products.
Symptoms of Dehydration
The initial response to dehydration is:
- Thirst
- Decreased urine output
- As water loss increases:
- Dry mouth
- Eyes stop make tears
- Perspiration may stop
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lightheadedness, especially when you are standing.
As dehydration progresses, your body tries to maintain the volume of blood pumped by the heart to the body. This causes the blood vessels to constrict in order to maintain blood pressure, but as the fluids decrease that mechanism begins to fail.
As more and more fluids are lost in the body confusion sets in, the brain and other organs may become damaged as less blood and consiquently, oxygen, is sent to them. If dehydration goes untreated you can slip into a coma and organ failure may occur.
Treatment
If you find yourself in the situation where you are dehydrated drink water and cool your body down. If you are severely dehydrated your body will need to replace water and electrolytes.
The best way to hydrate is to consume:
- Water
- Clear broths
- Popsicles
- Jell-O
- Fluids that contain electrolytes like Pedialyte, Gatorade, Powerade.
The amount of urine that you produce will determine the success of the rehydration. When the body is dry the kidneys try to hold on to as much fluid as they can, urine output is decreased and the urine itself is concentrated (dark). As you rehydrate urine output will increase and become clear in color.
If you are not responding to your attempts to rehydrate on your own seek medical attention.
In the future I will be paying more attention to my body as I go about exercising. I hate to admit that I am in the 50+ age. I didn't know that I was thirsty and perspiring that much until I was in trouble.
So please be careful and know that the very best treatment for dehydration is to drink plenty of water and not become dehydrated.