How to Spot Dehydration and How to Remain Hydrated
Whether you are taking part in a sporting event or simply sat at your desk in the workplace, your body is constantly losing fluids all day long. Of course, the amount of physical activity that you are putting your body through will affect the amount of fluids lost, but it is important to both spot the signs of dehydration and counteract these by replacing your lost fluids as and when is necessary.
Spotting the Signs
Although you may feel that you can tell as soon as you start feeling the effects of dehydration sometimes that simply is not the case. It is vital to identify these as soon as possible in order to prevent the after effects and potential damage dehydration can cause. Here are some of the symptoms that we need to look out for, whatever activities we may be doing at the time:
Different Types of Dehydration
There are 3 main types of dehydration and it is important to identify and remedy them as soon as possible:
- Dizziness and light-headiness
- Headaches
- Tiredness
- Dry mouth and eyes
- Passing urine often
- Isotonic – This occurs when we lose both solutes and water from our bodies. We usually lose it via vomiting or diarrhoea, or when we simply haven't drank enough water throughout the day.
- Hypertonic – This happens when our water loss is the same amount as our salt loss, lack of water intake and diuretic drugs. It is very common for those who suffer from diabetes and children are prone to suffer from hypertonic dehydration.
- Hypotonic – This is when we lose more salt than actual water and usually occurs during fevers and stomach upsets. Children are prone to suffer from this variation and ironically, too much water without adequate sodium content can be the cause in some cases.