Dehydration symptoms

Dehydration is failure to replenish lost liquids from urination and sweating. Victims of this sickness don’t have enough water (fluid) in their bodies to get oxygen and nutrition to reach their body tissues. Many things can cause dehydration – not drinking enough water, malnutrition, blood loss, diarrhea, and vomiting. Many diseases can also trigger dehydration due to sweating or increased body temperature that usually occurs.

This is the reason why your doctor always tells you to drink a lot of fluids when you are sick. Your body will use these fluids to expel the toxins and keep your system lubricated, flexible, and running smoothly.

The symptoms of dehydration will usually begin with thirst, and then progress into more alarming manifestations. Initial signs appear when 2% of the body’s total fluid is lost. Mild dehydration usually starts with:

• Thirst
• Dry Skin
• Loss of Appetite
• Skin Flushing
• Dry Mouth
• Dark Colored Urine
• Chills
• Fatigue or Weakness
• Head Rushes

When dehydration is allowed to progress further, and total fluid loss in the body has already reached 5%, you will experience these things:

• Tingling limbs
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Muscle Cramps
• Extreme fatigue
• Increased body temperature
• Decreased urination
• Decreased sweating
• Increased respiration
• Increased heart rate

When you reach 10% fluid loss, this is already severe dehydration and is often fatal. Help is immediately needed when you experience these symptoms of dehydration:

• Muscle spasms
• Racing pulse
• Vomiting
• Shriveled skin
• Painful urination
• Dim vision
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Difficulty Breathing
• Abdominal and chest pain
• Unconsciousness

Signs of dehydration will be different depending on the person, as everyone’s network of body systems vary. When your system is disturbed due to fluid loss, there may be unexpected or unusual responses that are not listed above.

Also, age may play a big part in the manifestation of these responses. The symptoms of dehydration in a child are not the same as those in an adult or elderly.