Dehydration

We all get poorly and become unwell at times and the body deals with these illness by elimination through the body's organs trying to get things moving to get you back to health, some signs of illnesses are fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, these are signs something is wrong, each one however causes your body to lose additional fluids.
In these cases your body is working harder and require greater resources and you should drink more fluids. Infection such as bladder and urinary tract infections also require increased water intake. Some illnesses make it difficult for the body to excrete fluid and you may need to balance/limit fluid intake.
Caffeinated drinks are diuretic and stimulating in nature so fluid loss and urination can increase because of them, such stimulant are simply not a good idea when you are unwell, give the body what it needs not another job to do. Caffeine is found in coffee, teas, and many soft drinks. Try to drink caffeinated beverages in moderation and focus on consuming more water.
Dehydration is often described as mild, moderate or severe and is usually proportional to your body weight loss through fluids.
Thirst is the first sign of dehydration, your bodies way of saying fluid is needed please drink, excessive thirst (polydipsia) can also be due to illness so if in doubt and there is no relief from your thirst upping your water intake speak to your doctor.
Other symptoms may include dizziness or light-headedness, headache, tiredness, dry mouth, lips and eyes, concentrated urine (dark yellow) passing only small amounts of urine infrequently (less than three or four times a day).
Moderate dehydration can causes you to lose strength and stamina, drink manufacturers spend a fortune and use it constanly as a marketing tool, ie quoting a 4% drop in hydration can give 20% drop in performance.
dehydration is the the primary cause of heat exhaustion, drinking more fluids you should be able to reverse mild to moderate dehydration without medical attention.
If dehydration is chronic and ongoing (chronic) its severe, it can affect your kidney function and also cause liver, joint and muscle damage, cholesterol problems, constipation.
If left untreated mild or moderate dehydration can lead to severe dehydration.
Severe dehydration is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical attention. You should seek medical attention if you or your child has any of the following symptoms: dry, wrinkled skin that sags slowly into position when pinched up, an inability to urinate, or not passing urine for eight hours, irritability, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, cold hands/feet, weak pulse, tired/lethargic, if your vomiting and have blood in it, blood in your stools, fits or seizures.
Severe dehydration is dangerous and can lead to complication, people can die from dehydration.
Hospitalisation may be necessary for this level of dehydration, put on a drip to restore the substantial loss of fluids. You should visit your GP if your symptoms continue, despite drinking plenty of fluids or if you suspect that your baby or toddler is dehydrated.
If your doctor suspects dehydration he will carry out a number of tests.
Contact your GP or out-of-hours service straight away if you are experiencing have any of the following symptoms:
Feeling tired/lethargic or confused, dry mouth and eyes that don't produce tears, not passing urine for eight hours, dry skin that sags slowly into position when pinched up, rapid heartbeat, blood in your stools (faeces) or vomit, low blood pressure.
If your child has persistent diarrhoea that lasts longer than five days, or vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours in adults or 12 hours in a child.
Remeber if in doubt talk to your doctor, just remember the simply act of drinking water is vital, often neglected and forgotten but still vital.

So drink, drink and drink water you’ll feel better for it!