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Dehydration
By peace | November 22, 2006
Dehydration and heat-related illness has long been a common cause of mortality in outdoor situations. In 1967, during the Israeli-Egyptian war, 20,000 Egyptians died due to dehydration. However, there were minimal deaths of Israelis. This was partly due to the fact that the Israelis were prepared. They each had 5 gallons of water per day to drink, to replenish their fluid supply.
Dehydration means your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Dehydration can be caused by losing too much fluid, not drinking enough water or fluids, or both. Vomiting and diarrhea are common causes.
Infants and children are more susceptible to dehydration than adults because of their smaller body weights and higher turnover of water and electrolytes. The elderly and those with illnesses are also at higher risk.
Dehydration is classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on how much of the body’s fluid is lost or not replenished. When severe, dehydration is a life-threatening emergency.
In the simplest terms, dehydration occurs when you lose more water than you take in. Even a slight imbalance causes serious problems because water is essential to human life: It forms the basis for all body fluids, including blood and digestive juices; it aids in the transportation and absorption of nutrients; and it helps eliminate waste.
You can usually reverse mild to moderate dehydration by increasing your intake of fluids, but severe cases need immediate medical treatment. The safest approach is not to become dehydrated in the first place. You can do that by monitoring your fluid loss during hot weather, illness or exercise, and drinking enough liquids to replace what you lose.
Preventing Dehydration
The easiest way to avoid dehydration is to drink lots of fluids, especially on hot, dry, windy days. Water is usually the best choice. Drinking water does not add calories to your diet and can be great for your health.
The amount that people need to drink will depend on factors like how much water they’re getting from foods and other liquids and how much they’re sweating from physical exertion.
When you’re going to be outside on a warm day, dress appropriately for your activity. Wear loose-fitting clothes and a hat if you can. That will keep you cooler and cut down on sweating. If you do find yourself feeling parched or dizzy, take a break for a few minutes. Sit in the shade or someplace cool and drink water.
If you’re participating in sports or strenuous activities, drink some fluids before the activity begins. You should also drink at regular intervals (every 20 minutes or so) during the course of the activity and after the activity ends. The best time to train or play sports is in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day.
If you have a stomach bug and you’re spending too much time getting acquainted with the toilet, you probably don’t feel like eating or drinking anything. But you still need fluids. Take lots of tiny sips of fluids. For some people, ice pops may be easier to tolerate.
Staying away from caffeine in coffee, sodas, and tea can also help you avoid dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic (it makes you urinate more frequently than you usually need to).
When to See a Doctor
Dehydration can usually be treated by drinking fluids. But if you faint or feel weak or dizzy every time you stand up (even after a couple of hours) or if you have very little urine output, you should tell an adult and visit your doctor. The doctor will probably look for a cause for the dehydration and encourage you to drink more fluids. If you’re more dehydrated than you realized, especially if you can’t hold fluids down because of vomiting, you may need to receive fluids through an IV to speed up the rehydration process. An IV is an intravenous tube that goes directly into a vein.
Occasionally, dehydration might be a sign of something more serious, such as diabetes, so your doctor may run tests to rule out any other potential problems.
In general, dehydration is preventable. So just keep drinking that water for healthy hydration.
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