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Harmful Effects Of Dehydration

By Pooja Kaushal

The effects of dehydration can be quite harmful and even life-threatening. There is every need to take care of dehydration cases. But more importantly, it is necessary to prevent such a situation from cropping up. After all, the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ is not without any reason.

Before going into health problems due to dehydration, we need to understand the condition. What is dehydration? A body suffers from dehydration when there is not enough water to replace the amount of water lost. This leads to an imbalance in the functioning of the body. It further leads to various complications. The causes of dehydration can be any of the following:

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Excessive sweating: During hot and sunny weathers, we may end up drinking less water than required. While we sweat, we lose immense amount of fluids from the body. This could lead to dehydration.

Dehydration Effects

Vomiting: During illness, many have a tendency to vomit. Regular vomiting and little intake of water could lead to dehydration.

Low fluid intake: Having tea, coffee and soft drinks cannot be counted as having fluids. In fact, beverages like these have a diuretic effect on the body leading to excessive urination. Eventually, it leads to increased loss of body fluids.

Heat exposure: What happens when you are exposed to the sun for long hours? The body starts sweating, and too much exposure to heat leads to a loss of body fluids. It soon starts showing the dehydration effects.

Excessive urination: A case of dehydration can develop even due to excessive urination.

Health effects of dehydration

Nearly 75 percent of the human body is composed of water. Water is also required for proper functioning of all organs and cells. When a case of dehydration occurs, several health problems can crop up; some not so drastic and some chronic.

Constipation: With the body running short of water, a case of constipation develops. The stools get hard causing difficulty to the colon. Prolonged constipation can also lead to fissures and bleeding.

Harmful Effects Of Dehydration

Headache: There is a fluid sack within which the brain rests. When a case of dehydration develops, this fluid runs low and can cause headache. Some may suffer from severe headaches, while some may get a mild one.

Muscle cramps: The body needs water for smooth functioning of all its muscles. With adequate fluid in the body, there is proper lubrication. However, in the absence of water, this lubrication is lost and muscle cramps occur.

Seizures: There may develop a case of imbalanced electrolytes in the absence of adequate amount of water. This can result in a mixing up of electrical messages among cells that can further lead to involuntary muscle contractions. In extreme cases, the condition can lead to dizziness and also seizures.

Kidney failure: The kidneys are very important organs of the body as they help flush out toxins. As part of dehydration effects, they will be unable to remove the excess fluids and wastes which can lead to further complication. And these can be life threatening complications.

Coma: This might sound like a very extreme effect of dehydration but it is possible. This would normally occur when the condition is not treated at the minor stage. It can also lead to the death of a person.

Water has life in it. We need water for our survival. It is one of the gifts of nature that contains life giving promises. It is essential to consume adequate amount of water every day. Make it a point to have at least six to eight glasses of water on a daily basis and you will be able to bid goodbye to many health problems.

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