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Dehydration occurs when the body’s tissues lose a large amount of water and when there’s an imbalance of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride. If not treated properly and you don’t get enough fluids into your system, dehydration can have serious damaging effects on the human body. The consequences of severe dehydration include urinary tract infections, kidney failure, and painful kidney stones. So, it’s important that you look out for the tell-tale signs that you are becoming dehydrated and act upon it quickly and seek medical advice by contacting your doctor if you start to feel unwell.
We have come up with a short guide to how you can deal with severe dehydration and ways you can make sure that your body gets hydrated again after you realize you have become dehydrated.
Listen to Your Body
It’s essential that you listen to your body carefully and recognize the symptoms of dehydration so you can act on it swiftly and make sure it doesn’t start to escalate.
Clear signs that you are dehydrated include dry mouth, lips, and eyes, feeling very thirsty, dark strong-smelling urine, drowsiness and feeling tired, urinating much less than normal.
Dehydration can also occur if you have diabetes, diarrhea, drunk too much alcohol, heatstroke, done a lot of exercise and sweated, or if you have taken diuretics.
Make Sure You Drink Lots of Water
Drinking enough water every day is vital to keeping the body and its tissues healthy and properly hydrated. Health experts recommend that you should drink at least 2 liters of water a day (half a gallon).
Through urine and sweat, the body continually loses water during the day, so you must keep your body hydrated and replenished with water by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Even mild dehydration can affect your physical performance and ability to concentrate for long periods of time. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of water as a drink, you should still drink it to keep yourself well hydrated.
IV (intravenous) Therapy
IV therapy is one of the fastest ways you can get fluids into your body when you are severely dehydration. If you fail to keep a good eye on your hydration levels and you get severely dehydrated, you may need IV therapy to inject fluids directly into your body through your veins quickly.
Take Water with Electrolytes
An imbalance in electrolytes occurs when fluids are lost by the body and not sufficiently replaced, this can happen when you don’t drink enough fluids. When you are severely dehydrated, your body desperately needs more electrolytes to help your kidneys to function.
A great way to resolve your dehydration quickly and get fast relief is by taking electrolytes drinks packed with plenty of electrolytes.
Drink Tea and Coffee in Moderate Amounts
Drinking a moderate amount of tea and coffee is rehydrating for the body and has similar hydrating properties to water. The caffeine gives you an energy boost and 2-3 small cups of tea and coffee per day is fine. However, drinking an excessive amount of tea and coffee can be dehydrating as caffeine when consumed in high amounts acts as a diuretic.
Eat Plenty of Fruit and Vegetables Which Are Full of Lots of Water
Fruits and vegetables are nutritious foods which are extremely hydrating for the body as they are made of 80-99% water. Fruit and vegetables with the highest water content include melons, oranges, grapes, lettuce, cabbage, and many more.
In Hot Weather Get Yourself in the Shade and Wear Cool Clothes
Heatstroke and spending too much time in the sun can cause severe dehydration, to try and combat this there are simple steps you need to follow.
Get into the shade, under a tree, a canopy, a veranda, or indoors to give your body a good break from the sun. Making sure that you don’t spend too much time with your body exposed to the sun and seek out the shady areas is not only important for avoiding dehydration, but also for protecting your skin from being damaged by the sun. You may be keen make sure you get a glowing bronze tan, but doing so you may end up severely dehydrated, your skin getting red raw, and having to deal with a long-term serious skin condition such as skin cancer.
Wearing lighter cool materials is important for making sure you stay hydrated in hot weather. Wear cotton, linen, and rayon clothes to keep yourself nice and cool. Wearing shorts, short-sleeved t-shirts, and sliders is also great and allows your body to breath properly. To make sure you don’t get a headache and burnt on your face or scalp, it’s crucial to always wear a hat or a cap whilst you’re in the sun.
Severe dehydration is certainly never an enjoyable experience. It’s important for you to remain calm, drink plenty of fluids, ensure your body gets enough electrolytes, and seek medical help immediately should your dehydration begin escalating and your health deteriorates.
