Water is the ultimate source of life. If you don’t believe it, just take a look at your body. Sixty percent of your body is made up of water, and out this 75 percent of water is present in your muscles and 85 in your brain. So, if you think water is not important for your body, you are very wrong.
Drinking Enough Water is a Necessity
You can survive weeks without food, but you can survive without water just for five to seven days – if that. Hence, don’t take dehydration lightly. It is a serious and life-threatening condition where the body does not have sufficient water for its biological and chemical processes.
You lose water from your body every single day – when you breathe, exercise, by walking around, from perspiring, and so on. On an average, you should be looking to drink around eight large glasses of water every day for your body to function as it should. However, if you reside in a warm climate, you will lose more water due to perspiration. The same holds true when you are ill or have been exercising. Hence, under such circumstances, you need to consume more than eight glasses of water.
Drinking tea, coffee, beer, sodas (soda is about the worst thing you can put in your body but that is another topic), and wine is not the same as drinking plain, simple water. These drinks are diuretics. Rather than replenishing the lost water in your body, they cause the body to eliminate more water. As a result, you will get dehydrated.
Lethal Effects of Dehydration
It happens slowly depending on how water your body loses and how much water is replenished. When you lose up to five percent of your water, it causes thirst, nausea, weakness, and irritability. Your pulse rate will also shoot up as your blood thickens and your skin will appear flushed. Your judgment will be impaired. In fact, your judgment becomes impaired if your body loses merely two percent of its fluid content.
When you lose 10 percent of your body fluid, it leads to headaches, a tingling sensation in the limbs, and dizziness. You may also lose your ability to speak coherently and may find it difficult to walk. Your vision will start blurring and your skin may take on a bluish tinge.
If you lose 15 percent of your body fluids, your vision and hearing will be severely impaired. Also, your tongue will swell up, you may become delirious and will be unable to swallow. Though you do not want to be eating anyway when you are this thirsty.
Losing more than 15 percent of your body fluids generally is fatal.
Many symptoms of dehydration are common to the physical symptoms brought on by panic and fear. And, when panic and/or fear occur along with dehydration, your body can take a severe hit which may be irreversible.
Chronic Dehydration
Many people don’t drink enough water on a daily basis. As a result, it leads to chronic dehydration. Symptoms of chronic dehydration include:
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Reduced production of urine that is dark in color
- Anger
- Impatience
- Flushed face
- Tiredness
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Short attention span
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Snoring
It has been observed that people who are chronically dehydrated often have cravings for alcohol, tea, and coffee which has been illustrated already that these beverages do not satisfy your thirst. Chronic dehydration can lead to health problems such as heartburn, gastritis, headaches, weight issues, arthritis, depression, and premature aging.
Dieting is one of the reasons for chronic dehydration. People who use supplements like diuretics and laxatives as a part of dieting are more prone to dehydration. If you do restrict your food intake due to weight issues, just remember water has no calories. So sip away water and flush out the toxins from your body. It will contribute to your overall health and well-being.
Avoid Dangers of Dehydration
You don’t have to suffer from dehydration, and you can easily alleviate the signs and symptoms of dehydration by drinking water frequently. If you have healthy kidneys and heart, drink two glasses of water about 30 minutes before lunch and dinner. Then consume another two glasses an hour or two after each meal.
However, don’t overdo the water-drinking part as too much water is as bad as dehydration. It can lead to water poisoning. Focus on drinking a small glass of water every hour to ensure your body gets the right amount of fluid, and you reduce the risk of developing an electrolyte imbalance due to overconsumption of water. It is not that hard. Just listen to your body and do not overdue it.
