What are the dangers of drinking too much water. How can overhydration affect your body. When does water intake become excessive. What are the signs of water toxicity. How to maintain proper hydration balance.

Understanding Overhydration: When Water Becomes a Health Risk

While staying hydrated is crucial for overall health, consuming excessive amounts of water can lead to a dangerous condition known as overhydration. This occurs when the body takes in or retains more water than it can effectively process and eliminate. Overhydration can disrupt the delicate balance of electrolytes in your system, potentially leading to serious health complications.

There are two primary ways overhydration can occur:

1. Excessive water intake: Drinking more water than your kidneys can efficiently remove through urine.
2. Water retention: When your body is unable to properly eliminate water due to underlying health conditions.

Both scenarios can result in water toxicity, also known as water poisoning, where the body’s water volume becomes too large for the kidneys to manage effectively. This can cause a dangerous dilution of electrolytes, particularly sodium, leading to a condition called hyponatremia.

The Silent Threat: Recognizing Symptoms of Overhydration

Identifying the early signs of overhydration can be challenging, as they may not be immediately apparent. However, paying attention to your urine color can provide valuable insights into your hydration status. Here’s what to look for:

• Pale yellow urine (similar to lemonade): Indicates optimal hydration
• Dark urine: Suggests the need for more water
• Colorless urine: Signals potential overhydration

As overhydration progresses and develops into hyponatremia, more severe symptoms may emerge:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache due to increased intracranial pressure
• Mental state changes, including confusion or disorientation
• Drowsiness
• Muscle cramps

In extreme cases, the swelling of brain cells can lead to central nervous system dysfunction, potentially resulting in seizures, coma, or even death if left untreated.

Who’s at Risk? Identifying Vulnerable Groups for Overhydration

While overhydration can affect anyone, certain groups are more susceptible to this condition:

Endurance Athletes

Endurance athletes, particularly those participating in marathons, ultramarathons, and triathlons, face a higher risk of overhydration. The combination of excessive water intake before and during events, coupled with prolonged physical exertion, can create the perfect storm for water toxicity.

Individuals with Certain Medical Conditions

Several health conditions can impair the body’s ability to regulate water balance, increasing the risk of overhydration:

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)
• Liver disease
• Kidney problems
• Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)
• Uncontrolled diabetes

People Taking Specific Medications

Certain medications can alter the body’s water regulation mechanisms or increase thirst, potentially leading to overhydration:

• Antipsychotic drugs
• Diuretics
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy)

Finding the Balance: How Much Water is Too Much?

Determining the right amount of water to consume can be challenging, as individual needs vary based on factors such as age, sex, activity level, climate, and overall health. The Institute of Medicine provides general guidelines for adequate water intake:

• Healthy adults: 78-100 ounces (about 9-13 cups) of fluids per day

However, it’s crucial to remember that these are general recommendations and may not apply to everyone. Your water intake should roughly equal the amount your kidneys release. Factors that may increase your fluid requirements include:

• Extreme heat
• Significant physical activity
• Illness with fever

It’s also important to note that the food you consume, particularly fruits and vegetables, contributes to your overall fluid intake.

The Science Behind Water Toxicity: Understanding Hyponatremia

Hyponatremia, the primary concern in overhydration, occurs when sodium levels in the body become excessively diluted. This electrolyte imbalance can have serious consequences on your health.

How Does Hyponatremia Develop?

When you consume more water than your body can effectively process, it leads to a dilution of sodium in your bloodstream. As sodium levels decrease, fluids move into your cells to maintain balance, causing them to swell. This cellular swelling is particularly dangerous when it occurs in brain cells, as the skull limits their ability to expand.

The Impact on Your Body

As hyponatremia progresses, it can affect various bodily functions:

• Neurological symptoms: Confusion, disorientation, and in severe cases, seizures or coma
• Muscular issues: Weakness, cramps, and fatigue
• Digestive disturbances: Nausea and vomiting
• Cardiovascular effects: Changes in blood pressure and heart rate

In extreme cases, the swelling of brain cells can lead to a life-threatening increase in intracranial pressure, potentially resulting in brainstem herniation and death.

Prevention Strategies: Maintaining Optimal Hydration

While the risks of overhydration are serious, there are several strategies you can employ to maintain proper hydration without crossing into dangerous territory:

Listen to Your Body

Pay attention to your body’s natural thirst cues. Drink when you feel thirsty and stop when you feel satisfied. Your body is generally adept at regulating its fluid balance.

Monitor Your Urine

Use urine color as a guide for your hydration status. Aim for pale yellow urine, similar to the color of lemonade. If your urine is completely clear, you may be drinking too much water.

Consider Your Activity Level

Adjust your fluid intake based on your activity level and environmental conditions. While increased fluid intake is necessary during intense exercise or hot weather, be cautious not to overcompensate.

Balance Electrolytes

For prolonged physical activity, especially in hot conditions, consider consuming electrolyte-rich beverages to help maintain proper sodium levels.

Be Aware of Medical Conditions

If you have a medical condition that affects your body’s ability to regulate fluids, work closely with your healthcare provider to develop an appropriate hydration plan.

When to Seek Medical Attention: Recognizing Critical Signs

While mild overhydration can often be corrected by reducing fluid intake, severe cases require immediate medical attention. Seek emergency care if you experience:

• Severe confusion or disorientation
• Seizures
• Loss of consciousness
• Difficulty breathing
• Severe headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting

These symptoms may indicate advanced hyponatremia or increased intracranial pressure, both of which can be life-threatening if not promptly addressed.

The Role of Hydration in Overall Health: Finding the Right Balance

While the dangers of overhydration are real, it’s essential to remember that proper hydration plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health. Adequate fluid intake is necessary for numerous bodily functions, including:

• Regulating body temperature
• Facilitating digestion and preventing constipation
• Flushing out waste products
• Supporting cardiovascular function
• Lubricating joints
• Maintaining skin health

The key is to find the right balance that meets your body’s needs without crossing into the territory of overhydration. This balance will vary from person to person and may change based on factors such as activity level, climate, and overall health status.

Personalized Hydration Strategies

To develop a hydration strategy that works for you, consider the following factors:

• Age and sex
• Body weight and composition
• Activity level and type of exercise
• Climate and altitude
• Diet and overall nutritional intake
• Existing health conditions
• Medications

By taking these factors into account and paying attention to your body’s signals, you can develop a hydration plan that supports your health without risking overhydration.

Debunking Hydration Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction

As awareness of the importance of hydration has grown, so too have various myths and misconceptions about water intake. Let’s address some common misconceptions:

Myth: You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day

Reality: While this guideline is often cited, individual water needs vary greatly. Focus on listening to your body’s thirst cues and monitoring urine color rather than adhering to a strict numerical goal.

Myth: You can never drink too much water

Reality: As we’ve discussed, overhydration is a real and potentially dangerous condition. It’s possible to drink too much water, especially in short periods or during intense physical activity.

Myth: Clear urine is a sign of optimal hydration

Reality: While pale yellow urine indicates good hydration, completely clear urine may suggest overhydration. Aim for a light lemonade color.

Myth: Coffee and tea are dehydrating

Reality: While caffeine has a mild diuretic effect, the fluid in coffee and tea contributes to your overall hydration. Moderate consumption of these beverages can be part of a healthy hydration strategy.

Myth: Thirst is a sign of dehydration

Reality: Mild thirst is your body’s natural signal to drink water. It doesn’t necessarily indicate dehydration but rather serves as a reminder to maintain fluid balance.

By understanding these myths and focusing on evidence-based hydration practices, you can maintain optimal fluid balance and support your overall health without risking overhydration.

The Future of Hydration: Innovations and Research

As our understanding of hydration and its impact on health continues to evolve, researchers and innovators are exploring new ways to optimize fluid balance and prevent overhydration:

Smart Hydration Monitoring

Wearable devices and smartphone apps are being developed to track hydration status in real-time. These technologies analyze factors such as sweat rate, activity level, and environmental conditions to provide personalized hydration recommendations.

Precision Electrolyte Formulations

Scientists are working on creating more precise electrolyte formulations tailored to individual needs and specific activities. These advanced hydration solutions aim to maintain optimal electrolyte balance during intense physical exertion or in challenging environmental conditions.

Biomarkers for Hydration Status

Researchers are investigating new biomarkers that can provide more accurate assessments of hydration status. These may include novel urine or blood tests that offer a more comprehensive picture of fluid balance within the body.

Education and Awareness

Public health initiatives are focusing on educating athletes, coaches, and the general public about the risks of overhydration and the importance of balanced fluid intake. This increased awareness aims to prevent cases of water toxicity, especially in endurance sports.

As these innovations continue to develop, they promise to provide more personalized and effective approaches to hydration, helping individuals maintain optimal fluid balance while minimizing the risks of both dehydration and overhydration.

In conclusion, while proper hydration is essential for health, it’s crucial to strike a balance and avoid the dangers of overhydration. By understanding the signs of water toxicity, recognizing individual hydration needs, and staying informed about best practices, you can maintain optimal fluid balance and support your overall well-being. Remember, when it comes to hydration, more isn’t always better – it’s about finding the right balance for your body’s unique needs.

Overhydration: Types, Symptoms, and Treatments

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process.

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:

• Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
• Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
• Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process.

Was this helpful?

Drinking too much water can be dangerous. Some health conditions can also make your body retain too much water, regardless of how much you drink.

All of the major systems of your body depend on water to work properly. Having enough water helps your body:

• regulate temperature
• prevent constipation
• flush out waste products
• perform all major bodily functions

Most people, especially those who exercise in hot weather, are concerned about not drinking enough water. However, it’s possible to have too much water in your body. This can cause water toxicity. This is when your body’s water is more than your kidneys can excrete. It can lead to a dangerous electrolyte imbalance.

Read on to learn how this can happen, how much water is too much, how to recognize the signs, and what to do.

You can become overhydrated in two ways: By drinking too much water or if your kidneys retain too much water.

In both cases, overhydration can lead to water toxicity, also known as water poisoning. Your body’s water volume becomes too large for your kidneys to excrete, which can cause the electrolytes in your body to dilute.

When the amount of sodium (salt) becomes too diluted, you develop hyponatremia. This is the main concern of overhydration. When the sodium levels in your body are greatly reduced, fluids move inside your cells, leading to inflammation.

Increased water intake

This occurs when you drink more water than your kidneys can remove from your urine. Endurance athletes, such as those who run marathons and triathlons, sometimes drink too much water before and during an event. In healthy people, athletes are at the highest risk for overhydration.

Certain conditions and drugs can also cause increased water intake by making you extremely thirsty. These include:

• schizophrenia
• MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy)
• antipsychotic drugs
• diuretics

Retaining water

This occurs when your body can’t get rid of water properly. Several medical conditions can cause your body to retain water. These include:

• congestive heart failure (CHF)
• liver disease
• kidney problems
• syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• uncontrolled diabetes

The Institute of Medicine has established guidelines for adequate water intake. They recommend that a healthy adult drink 78–100 ounces (oz) (about 9­–13 cups) of fluids per day on average. It’s also important to remember that the food you eat, such as vegetables or fruit, also contains water.

That being said, the amount of water you need to drink can vary and should roughly equal the amount your kidneys release. Children and adolescents may have lower requirements than adults.

It’s also important to remember that water needs vary with sex, weather, activity level, and overall health. Common situations such as extreme heat, significant activity, and illness with fever may require more fluid intake than average.

You may not recognize symptoms of overhydration in its early stages. However, urine is a good indicator of hydration status in a healthy person.

Pale yellow urine that looks like lemonade is a good goal. Darker urine means you need more water. Colorless urine means you are overhydrated.

If you get hyponatremia from water toxicity, you’ll likely experience the following:

• nausea and vomiting
• headache due to pressure on the brain
• changes in mental state, such as confusion or disorientation
• drowsiness
• muscle cramps

Ultimately the swelling of brain cells will cause your central nervous system to malfunction. Without treatment, you can experience seizures, enter into a coma, and ultimately die.

Death from drinking too much water in healthy people is rare, but it can happen, especially in athletes. Usually, water toxicity occurs along with an underlying medical condition that causes the kidneys to retain fluid.

Can drinking too much water be fatal? Learn more.

Water toxicity from overhydration is more common among endurance athletes who drink large amounts of water before and during exercise. It has been reported among:

• people who run marathons and ultramarathons (races longer than 26.2 miles)
• ironman triathletes
• endurance cyclists
• rugby players
• elite rowers
• military members involved in training exercises
• hikers

This condition is also more likely in people with kidney or liver disease. It can also affect people with heart failure.

A doctor will ask about your medical history to determine if your symptoms are caused by water toxicity, hyponatremia, or another condition.

The doctor will also perform a physical examination, and they may order blood and urine tests to check the level of sodium and other markers in your body.

They may observe you for a time to see how much fluid you are taking in versus how much you release in urine or stool. They may measure your weight to watch for changes indicative of insufficient fluid loss.

If you have more obvious water toxicity symptoms, the doctor may identify these sooner and initiate treatment.

How you’re treated depends on whether you show symptoms of water toxicity and what caused the condition. Treatments may include:

• cutting back on your fluid intake
• taking diuretics to increase the amount of urine you produce
• treating the condition that caused the overhydration
• stopping any medications causing the problem
• replacing sodium in severe cases

Endurance athletes can reduce the risk of water toxicity from overhydration by weighing themselves before and after a race. This helps determine how much water they have lost and need to replenish.

While there are different guidelines, they generally recommend drinking 14-22 oz of fluid about two-three hours before exercise or physical activity.

If exercising longer than an hour, sports beverages are also an option. These drinks contain sugar and electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which you lose in sweat. Let thirst also guide you when exercising. If you’re thirsty, drink more.

However, if you are an endurance athlete or planning on starting an endurance training program, you want to talk with your doctor to get hydration advice tailored specifically to you.

The following are the answers to some common questions about overhydration.

How much water a day is overhydration?

Healthy adult kidneys can eliminate about 1 liter (l) or 0.2 gallons (gl) of water per hour. Although no specific amount of fluids can cause overhydration for a person, it’s a good idea not to drink more than your kidneys can handle.

Kidneys of children and older people may be less efficient at removing water, so you should consult with a primary care doctor or pediatrician to understand the appropriate amount. Some doctors recommend that the number of daily cups of water a child drinks should equal their age.

Can overhydration cause permanent damage?

Drinking too many fluids can cause water toxicity by diluting your body’s sodium and other electrolytes, which may cause your cells to swell, including the cells in your brain. This is a life threatening condition. If left untreated, it may cause permanent brain damage and death.

How long does it take to recover from overhydration?

Your recovery will depend on the severity of your symptoms. If you progress to water toxicity, you will need to be hospitalized. If you experience any symptoms associated with overhydration, contact your doctor.

Overhydration due to drinking too much water causes water toxicity, an electrolyte imbalance that can cause symptoms ranging from nausea and headache to unconsciousness and coma.

To avoid overhydrating, try to drink no more than about 9­–13 cups of fluids per day. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes, CHF, or kidney disease, talk with your doctor about the best treatments.

Also, contact your doctor if you’re unusually thirsty. This could signify a medical problem that needs to be treated.

Overhydration: Types, Symptoms, and Treatments

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process.

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:

• Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
• Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
• Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process.

Was this helpful?

Drinking too much water can be dangerous. Some health conditions can also make your body retain too much water, regardless of how much you drink.

All of the major systems of your body depend on water to work properly. Having enough water helps your body:

• regulate temperature
• prevent constipation
• flush out waste products
• perform all major bodily functions

Most people, especially those who exercise in hot weather, are concerned about not drinking enough water. However, it’s possible to have too much water in your body. This can cause water toxicity. This is when your body’s water is more than your kidneys can excrete. It can lead to a dangerous electrolyte imbalance.

Read on to learn how this can happen, how much water is too much, how to recognize the signs, and what to do.

You can become overhydrated in two ways: By drinking too much water or if your kidneys retain too much water.

In both cases, overhydration can lead to water toxicity, also known as water poisoning. Your body’s water volume becomes too large for your kidneys to excrete, which can cause the electrolytes in your body to dilute.

When the amount of sodium (salt) becomes too diluted, you develop hyponatremia. This is the main concern of overhydration. When the sodium levels in your body are greatly reduced, fluids move inside your cells, leading to inflammation.

Increased water intake

This occurs when you drink more water than your kidneys can remove from your urine. Endurance athletes, such as those who run marathons and triathlons, sometimes drink too much water before and during an event. In healthy people, athletes are at the highest risk for overhydration.

Certain conditions and drugs can also cause increased water intake by making you extremely thirsty. These include:

• schizophrenia
• MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy)
• antipsychotic drugs
• diuretics

Retaining water

This occurs when your body can’t get rid of water properly. Several medical conditions can cause your body to retain water. These include:

• congestive heart failure (CHF)
• liver disease
• kidney problems
• syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• uncontrolled diabetes

The Institute of Medicine has established guidelines for adequate water intake. They recommend that a healthy adult drink 78–100 ounces (oz) (about 9­–13 cups) of fluids per day on average. It’s also important to remember that the food you eat, such as vegetables or fruit, also contains water.

That being said, the amount of water you need to drink can vary and should roughly equal the amount your kidneys release. Children and adolescents may have lower requirements than adults.

It’s also important to remember that water needs vary with sex, weather, activity level, and overall health. Common situations such as extreme heat, significant activity, and illness with fever may require more fluid intake than average.

You may not recognize symptoms of overhydration in its early stages. However, urine is a good indicator of hydration status in a healthy person.

Pale yellow urine that looks like lemonade is a good goal. Darker urine means you need more water. Colorless urine means you are overhydrated.

If you get hyponatremia from water toxicity, you’ll likely experience the following:

• nausea and vomiting
• headache due to pressure on the brain
• changes in mental state, such as confusion or disorientation
• drowsiness
• muscle cramps

Ultimately the swelling of brain cells will cause your central nervous system to malfunction. Without treatment, you can experience seizures, enter into a coma, and ultimately die.

Death from drinking too much water in healthy people is rare, but it can happen, especially in athletes. Usually, water toxicity occurs along with an underlying medical condition that causes the kidneys to retain fluid.

Can drinking too much water be fatal? Learn more.

Water toxicity from overhydration is more common among endurance athletes who drink large amounts of water before and during exercise. It has been reported among:

• people who run marathons and ultramarathons (races longer than 26.2 miles)
• ironman triathletes
• endurance cyclists
• rugby players
• elite rowers
• military members involved in training exercises
• hikers

This condition is also more likely in people with kidney or liver disease. It can also affect people with heart failure.

A doctor will ask about your medical history to determine if your symptoms are caused by water toxicity, hyponatremia, or another condition.

The doctor will also perform a physical examination, and they may order blood and urine tests to check the level of sodium and other markers in your body.

They may observe you for a time to see how much fluid you are taking in versus how much you release in urine or stool. They may measure your weight to watch for changes indicative of insufficient fluid loss.

If you have more obvious water toxicity symptoms, the doctor may identify these sooner and initiate treatment.

How you’re treated depends on whether you show symptoms of water toxicity and what caused the condition. Treatments may include:

• cutting back on your fluid intake
• taking diuretics to increase the amount of urine you produce
• treating the condition that caused the overhydration
• stopping any medications causing the problem
• replacing sodium in severe cases

Endurance athletes can reduce the risk of water toxicity from overhydration by weighing themselves before and after a race. This helps determine how much water they have lost and need to replenish.

While there are different guidelines, they generally recommend drinking 14-22 oz of fluid about two-three hours before exercise or physical activity.

If exercising longer than an hour, sports beverages are also an option. These drinks contain sugar and electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which you lose in sweat. Let thirst also guide you when exercising. If you’re thirsty, drink more.

However, if you are an endurance athlete or planning on starting an endurance training program, you want to talk with your doctor to get hydration advice tailored specifically to you.

The following are the answers to some common questions about overhydration.

How much water a day is overhydration?

Healthy adult kidneys can eliminate about 1 liter (l) or 0.2 gallons (gl) of water per hour. Although no specific amount of fluids can cause overhydration for a person, it’s a good idea not to drink more than your kidneys can handle.

Kidneys of children and older people may be less efficient at removing water, so you should consult with a primary care doctor or pediatrician to understand the appropriate amount. Some doctors recommend that the number of daily cups of water a child drinks should equal their age.

Can overhydration cause permanent damage?

Drinking too many fluids can cause water toxicity by diluting your body’s sodium and other electrolytes, which may cause your cells to swell, including the cells in your brain. This is a life threatening condition. If left untreated, it may cause permanent brain damage and death.

How long does it take to recover from overhydration?

Your recovery will depend on the severity of your symptoms. If you progress to water toxicity, you will need to be hospitalized. If you experience any symptoms associated with overhydration, contact your doctor.

Overhydration due to drinking too much water causes water toxicity, an electrolyte imbalance that can cause symptoms ranging from nausea and headache to unconsciousness and coma.

To avoid overhydrating, try to drink no more than about 9­–13 cups of fluids per day. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes, CHF, or kidney disease, talk with your doctor about the best treatments.

Also, contact your doctor if you’re unusually thirsty. This could signify a medical problem that needs to be treated.

Dehydration (Adult): Causes, Symptoms, Signs, Treatment, Diagnosis, Prevention

Overview

Dehydration happens when your body loses more water than it takes in. You naturally lose water daily through urination, perspiration, even breathing. Normally, the water that is contained in what we drink or eat replaces the fluid that we have lost. Dehydration becomes a problem when the loss becomes excessive, say due to vomiting or diarrhea, and you cannot replace the lost water with sufficient fluid. It can also happen as a result of excessive sweating during physical work on a hot day without adequate access to water. Not getting enough water can cause low blood pressure, weakness, dizziness, fatigue, even nausea. The greater the lack of water, the higher the risk of serious complications. Severe dehydration can lead to problems such as kidney failure, confusion, coma, or shock.

What to expect

Your body needs 2 to 3 liters of fluid daily. Not getting this amount of fluid, or an increased need for it as a result of illness or increased physical activity, can cause mild dehydration. Mild dehydration can be cured by drinking extra water, other drinks, or sucking on ice cubes or frozen juice. If the loss of water is significant and the person has not received or cannot receive enough fluid to rehydrate, they may need intravenous fluids.

Condition may worsen due to

Hard work; high ambient temperature; lack of water; caffeine; alcohol; taking diuretics.

Diagnosis

A physician can predominantly diagnose dehydration based on certain signs and symptoms, such as low blood pressure, little or no urination, sunken eyes, and lack of skin elasticity. Your doctor may order other tests, such as a blood or urine test. It can also assess a person’s mental state to help determine how serious the condition is.

Treatment

The choice of treatment for dehydration depends on the person’s age and how severe the dehydration is. The first step is to restore the lost volume of fluid. To get rid of mild to moderate dehydration, it is enough to drink plenty of fluids. When the case is severe, you may need intravenous fluids. If dehydration is the result of an illness, the doctor will also treat the illness or adjust medication to control symptoms and reduce the amount of fluid that is lost.

Self-medication

When mildly dehydrated, drink water, suck on frozen juice, or drink sports drinks such as Gatorade. If needed, take medicines for diarrhea, vomiting, or fever to reduce fluid loss associated with these problems.

When to see a doctor

Call your doctor if:

– you are vomiting for more than 24 hours or have diarrhea for more than 2 days

– you notice excessive urination

– you produce very little or no urine in 8 hours

– you have other symptoms of dehydration during diarrhea

– you feel too weak

– you have a temperature above 38.3 ^about C

Remember: Severe dehydration is life threatening! Call 103 if you have at least one of these symptoms:

– temperature above 39.4 ^o C

– confusion, drowsiness or headache

– convulsions or loss of consciousness

– pain in the chest or abdomen, difficulty breathing

– no urination in the last 12 hours

Risk factors

Illnesses that cause fever, vomiting, or diarrhea; diabetes; excessive exercise; heat stroke or excessive exposure to heat; inability to drink fluids for any reason.

What is the danger of dehydration and how to help the body

March 10, 2023
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You can live without food for about a month, and without water for a week. Dehydration is a significant lack of water in the body. In the best case, it will lead to malaise and poor health, and in the worst case, to death.

Types and causes of dehydration

The causes of dehydration are varied, but most often these are diseases that are accompanied by sweating, vomiting and diarrhea. There is an excessively high and rapid loss of fluid.

It is also affected by malnutrition, exercise, hot climates and debilitating diets.

You need to understand that dehydration is different. If at 1% you feel intense thirst, headache and general malaise, then at 10% you will have convulsions and body cells will begin to die. Death occurs at 20% dehydration. It is especially dangerous for children, because of the small weight, the symptoms develop much faster.

Dehydration can be divided into several conditional stages. With a lung, there are still no disturbances in the processes in the body, however, a person begins to lose weight, get tired and be distracted.

In moderate cases, the initial symptoms are aggravated, the mucous membranes become dry, the eyes sink, tachycardia is detected. Changes in blood pressure (BP).

Severe dehydration threatens with hallucinations, loss of consciousness. There are problems with urination, the skin becomes bluish, blood pressure becomes significantly lower than normal. This condition is a direct threat to health and life.

How to avoid dehydration?

To do this, you need to maintain your water balance in the norm.

During illness, especially in cases of poisoning, you should drink plenty of pure water.

With increased physical activity and in hot weather, it is also necessary to increase fluid intake. The use of watery vegetables – cucumbers, tomatoes, celery will also help.

Thirst cannot be tolerated. If such a feeling appears, you should not ignore it. A good prevention is the daily use of 1.5 liters of water.

Staying in hot and stuffy rooms should also be avoided.

What to do about dehydration?

If dehydration has overtaken you, you need to know how to deal with it. At a mild stage, assistance is provided on an outpatient basis, the remaining categories of patients should be hospitalized.

For mild dehydration, it is recommended to drink large amounts of salted fluids and pharmacy rehydrators. If you start therapy in a timely manner, the symptoms completely disappear within 1-2 days.

Significant dehydration is a direct indication for intravenous infusion of solutions.