How does dehydration affect the body

When you drink too much water, the kidneys cannot process the high volume. Excess water is stored in other cells, which causes the water-to-sodium concentration to become unbalanced and the cells to swell. The swelling of cells in the brain can lead to symptoms such as confusion. Too much cell swelling could potentially damage the brain to a permanent or fatal extent. Like the brain, the heart is also largely composed of water.

These parts work with the lungs, veins, arteries, and other vessels to carry blood throughout the body. The cardiovascular system relies on water in a similar fashion to the other systems throughout your body — without proper hydration, this system is strained and performance decreases. The first two elements of the cardiovascular system that dehydration impacts are your heart rate and blood pressure.

When the body is dehydrated, blood vessels cannot stretch enough due to the reduction in blood volume. Your heart rate increases to compensate and attempts to pump more blood. The higher sodium content in a dehydrated bloodstream forces capillaries to close and blood pressure to increase. Thicker blood that is more concentrated is harder to move through the body so the vessels work harder to push the blood along.

One concern of lower blood volume due to dehydration is the risk of orthostatic hypotension. You may have experienced this before from standing up too quickly and may have felt dizzy or lightheaded.

This is a common occasional experience for many men and women, and the mild symptoms that occur usually dissipate quickly. However, severe or prolonged dehydration can cause orthostatic hypotension symptoms like weakness, nausea, or even fainting, which could then result in other accidental injuries.

The heart pumps a certain volume of blood out during each beat — this number is known as cardiac output. Although your blood pressure and heart rate have increased due to dehydration, your cardiac output is actually decreased.

This puts a significant strain on your cardiovascular system as it works harder to pump less blood to the rest of your body. Some studies have shown that dehydration can be a factor in the onset of cardiovascular disease. It states that being unknowingly dehydrated can have the same negative impact on the blood vessels and arteries that smoking a cigarette does. Although severe cardiovascular strain is not healthy for any individual to experience, it is especially concerning because it could lead to other health problems in those with underlying diseases.

People who are dehydrated due to activity and experience cardiovascular strain could potentially experience a sudden cardiac event if undiagnosed. Whether your schedule is constantly packed or if you rarely stray far from home, you can easily and effectively provide your body with the correct amount of water it needs by following these five tips:. Make water part of your daily routine. Performing any act, like drinking water, every day for just over two months will help you build a habit.

Prioritize your water intake at key times of the day that you can typically control, such as drinking a glass when you wake up and as you wind down after dinner. Go out of your way to ingest the water you need, and before you know it, it will be a natural part of your everyday life. Ingest water through alternative substances. A certain percentage of your daily water intake should come from food. Eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in water can increase your hydration levels.

Be sure to wash any fresh produce before eating it or cooking with it. Using a home drinking water system from Multipure provides an endless supply of clean cooking and drinking water conveniently at your tap. You can also choose to drink flavored water beverages instead of plain water.

Remember that liquids like coffee, soda, milk, and alcohol are not water alternatives. Keep track of your water intake. If nothing else, you can always purchase a reusable container that holds as much water as you need daily so you can track your progress from sunup to sundown. Monitor your body for signs of dehydration. Pay attention to your urine color, keeping an eye out for dark coloring.

If you find yourself becoming confused, irritable, or fatigued easily, you may need water. Too much water intake can actually dilute the body and cause other conditions that negatively affect your health. Learn to manage your intake so you can consistently keep your body at the correct hydration levels. Dehydration is a concern for everyone, which is why staying hydrated should be a daily priority.

Multipure home drinking water systems filter out a wide range of contaminants that can harm your body and provide your family with clean, healthy water that tastes good. Home Blog Events Corporate Website. How Does Dehydration Affect the Body? What Causes Dehydration? Who Is at Risk of Dehydration? The most notable signs and symptoms of dehydration in these at-risk groups include the following: Babies and infants: Young children have a low body weight, which means their bodies are acutely sensitive to even small amounts of fluid loss.

Babies who are not producing tears as they cry should be given fluids as soon as possible. Older adults: It can be easy for older people to forget to monitor their daily fluid intake, making them less aware of when they are becoming dehydrated and in need of more fluids.

Older adults may begin to feel disoriented or fatigued when they need to drink more fluids. People with a disability: Many people who are physically disabled have to rely on a caretaker to provide water. In some cases, the need for greater hydration may go unnoticed for more time than it would for an able-bodied adult who could get a glass of water on their own.

If a person with a disability starts urinating less frequently, their caretaker should consider increasing their water intake. Athletes: For professional and amateur athletes, staying hydrated is key, especially during the hot and humid months. If left untreated, severe dehydration can be serious and cause fits seizures , brain damage and death. Read more about treating dehydration. See your GP if your symptoms continue, despite drinking plenty of fluids, or if you think your baby or toddler is dehydrated.

If your GP suspects dehydration, you may have a blood test or a urine test to check the balance of salts sodium and potassium in your body. Contact your GP, out-of-hours service or NHS 24 service straight away if you have any of the following symptoms:. You should also contact your GP if your baby has had six or more episodes of diarrhoea in the past 24 hours, or if they have vomited three times or more in the past 24 hours.

Dehydration can be mild, moderate or severe, depending on how much of your body weight is lost through fluids. Two early signs of dehydration are thirst and dark-coloured urine.

This is the body's way of trying to increase water intake and decrease water loss. Dehydration can also lead to a loss of strength and stamina. It's a main cause of heat exhaustion. If dehydration is ongoing chronic , it can affect your kidney function and increase the risk of kidney stones. It can also lead to muscle damage and constipation. See your GP if your symptoms continue despite drinking fluids, or if you suspect that your baby or toddler is dehydrated.

If dehydration is suspected, you may be given a blood test or a urine test to check the balance of salts sodium and potassium in your body. If severe dehydration is not treated immediately, it can lead to complications. This level of dehydration needs hospital treatment and you will be put on a drip to restore the substantial loss of fluids. Read about how to treat dehydration in babies. Dehydration is caused by not drinking enough fluid or by losing more fluid than you take in. Fluid is lost through sweat, tears, vomiting, urine or diarrhoea.

The severity of dehydration can depend on a number of factors, such as climate, level of physical activity and diet. Dehydration is often the result of an illness, such as gastroenteritis , where fluid is lost through persistent bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting.

You can also become dehydrated if you sweat excessively after a fever, exercise, or carrying out heavy, manual work in hot conditions. In these situations, it's important to drink regularly to replace lost fluids.

It doesn't necessarily need to be hot for you to lose a significant amount of fluid from sweating. Children and teenagers are particularly at risk because they may ignore the symptoms of dehydration , or not know how to recognise and treat them. Dehydration can also occur as a result of drinking too much alcohol.

Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you wee more. The headache associated with a hangover indicates that your body is dehydrated. You should try to drink plenty of water when you have been drinking alcohol.

If you have diabetes, you're at risk of becoming dehydrated because you have high levels of glucose in your bloodstream. Your kidneys will try to get rid of the glucose by creating more urine, so your body becomes dehydrated from going to the toilet more frequently. Read more about the different types of diabetes. It's possible to become overhydrated while exercising. This is known as hyponatremia and it's caused by low sodium salt levels in the blood. It can occur if too much water is drunk over a short period of time.

Hyponatremia sometimes affects athletes whose blood sodium level is reduced through sweat and then diluted by drinking large amounts of water.

Symptoms of hyponatremia include nausea, vomiting and headache. In serious cases, the brain can swell, causing confusion, seizures, coma and, in rare cases, death. The best way to treat dehydration is to rehydrate the body by drinking plenty of fluids, such as water, diluted squash or diluted fruit juice.

If your baby is dehydrated, take them to see your GP as soon as possible. They'll be able to recommend appropriate treatments, such as those outlined below. Give your baby plenty of liquids, such as breastmilk or formula. It can often be better to give them smaller amounts of fluid more frequently.

Don't dilute your baby's formula if you use it. Babies who are formula-fed and those on solids can be given extra water. Avoid giving your baby fruit juice, particularly if they have diarrhoea and vomiting, because it can make it worse. Giving your baby regular sips a few times an hour of oral rehydration solution ORS in addition to their usual feed breastmilk, formula milk and water will help to replace lost fluids, salts and sugars. Infants and children who are dehydrated shouldn't be given solely water, because it can dilute the already low level of minerals in their body and make the problem worse.

Instead, they should have diluted squash or a special ORS see below. Show references Marx JA, et al. Infectious diarrheal disease and dehydration. Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed Aug. Aurbach PS. Dehydration, rehydration and hyperhydration. In: Wilderness Medicine. Rochester, Minn. Somers MJ. Clinical assessment of hypovolemia dehydration in children. Miller HJ. Dehydration in the older adult. Journal of Gerontological Nursing.

Heat and athletes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Treatment of hypovolemia dehydration in children. Sterns RH.