dehydration

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Dehydration – what are the signs and symptoms?

dehydration

Dehydration

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.

Other symptoms may include:

dizziness or light-headedness

headache

tiredness

dry mouth, lips and eyes

passing small amounts of urine infrequently (less than three or four times a day)

Dehydration can also lead to a loss of strength and stamina. It’s a main cause of heat exhaustion.

You should be able to reverse dehydration at this stage by drinking more fluids.

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.

When to see your GP

See your GP if your symptoms continue despite drinking fluids, or if you suspect that your baby or toddler is dehydrated.

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.

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.

Severe dehydration

If dehydration is left untreated, it can become severe.

Severe dehydration is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical attention.

Contact your GP, out-of-hours service or NHS 111 straight away if you have any of the following symptoms:

feeling unusually tired (lethargic) or confused, and you think you may be dehydrated

dizziness when you stand up that doesn’t go away after a few seconds

not passing urine for eight hours

a weak pulse

a rapid pulse

fits (seizures)

a low level of conciousness

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.

Dehydration in babies

A baby may be dehydrated if they have:

a sunken soft spot (fontanelle) on their head

few or no tears when they cry

a dry mouth

fewer wet nappies

dark yellow urine

drowsiness

fast breathing

cold and blotchy-looking hands and feet

Read about how to treat dehydration in babies.

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Why Hydration Matters – watch our latest Web TV show


Watch our live webinar, featuring two leading experts in hydration research, discussing why what we drink is just as important as what we eat…

Show date: 4th June 2015

Great ways to keep hydrated

Great ways to keep hydrated


Show time: 2:30pm

With the promise of a BBQ-worthy summer and balmy days to come, it’s more important than ever that we make sure we’re drinking enough throughout the day to stay healthy and hydrated.

But proper hydration isn’t just an issue during the summer months. It’s important to take in enough fluid throughout the year. So how do we know if we’re well hydrated? How strictly should we be sticking to the ‘eight glasses of water a day’ guideline?

In this live webinar, we’ll be joined by Professor Ron Maughan, Emeritus Professor of Sports and Exercise Nutrition at the University of Loughborough, and Chair of the European Hydration Institute’s Science Advisory Board. He’ll be discussing recently released research that demonstrates the effect hydration can have on our health, wellbeing and performance.

Also in the studio will be Professor Monty Mythen, of University College London Hospital, to explore why hydration doesn’t receive the same amount of focus from researchers, doctors and the media as healthy nutrition, and why it should.

Both guests will also be myth-busting and giving their advice on remaining healthy and hydrated and discussing signs and symptoms of under hydration which we should all be aware of.


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World Water Day 2015 – What are the benefits of hydration.


The benefits of drinking water

The benefits of drinking water

March 22nd sees the marking of World Water Day.

We thought that this is a great opportunity to remind our readers of the benefits of hydration and the dangers of dehydration.

So why drink plenty of water? Three liters of water has been recommended:-

a) Keeps your skin looking great!
b) Prevents muscle fatigue thus giving you more get up and go! Useful if you have a medical condition like fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis where fatigue is an issue.
c) Can help with weight loss.
d) Great to assist with bowel and kidney functioning. Which means that is helps getting rid on unwanted body waste.
e) And finally it is a great way to overcome the effects of a night out.


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Experts warn of health risks of dehydration in young and elderly – Watch our video


Dehydration in the elderly

Dehydration in the elderly

Acute or chronic dehydration can cause serious short and long term health issues, and health experts say the condition is much more common than we think. Watch our video to find out the health risks posed by dehydration and how to stay healthily hydrated.

Experts have revealed that many of us are suffering from dehydration on a daily basis, potentially impacting the overall health of the nation, with the long-term dehydrated at risk of a range of health problems.

Dehydration can also be of particular concern for those at opposite ends of the age spectrum, the young and elderly, who are reliant on teachers, parents and carers to look after their nutrition needs.

In a recent survey by the European Hydration Institute, whilst 73% of Brits recognised that infants and children need water to grow, nearly a third didn’t know that dehydration can cause serious problems in older adults.

There is also widespread confusion over how much fluid we should be drinking and what types of fluids count towards our daily target.

Dehydration in the young

Dehydration in the young

So what are the signs of dehydration, what are the health implications of dehydration and besides water, what else can help hydrate you?

Watch our video, where experts from The European Hydration Institute, which was set up to investigate the effects of hydration on health, wellness and performance, give the most up-to-date information on staying hydrated.


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Drenched – the health benefits of water!

Water, vital for life, makes up 80% of the human body as well as covering 70% of our planet!  But what are its benefits.  In this blog we are going to focus on the role that water and hydration plays in your health.water fall

But first it is worth looking at some of the effects of dehydration from a negative point.  Severe dehydration (or lack of water) is very serious and to can lead to delirium or even death.

In this case we want to look at some of the symptoms of mild to moderation dehydration.  These can include

  • Headaches similar in nature to a hangover from excess alcohol!
  • Hypotension or lowered blood pressure
  • Fatigue
  • Dry mouth
  • Dizziness
  • And unsurprisingly thirst

But drinking more water than simply required also has a number of positive benefits to health.  While doubt has been cast on the eight glasses of water per day as it has not been researched properly it is clear that there are a number of key benefits

1)      Drinking water helps a normal and regular bowel function

2)      Drinking water helps slow the ageing process associated with your skin

3)      It has been suggested that drinking sufficient water will lower your chances of a heart attack

4)      Water helps us balance our alkaline acid level at pH7 which is needed for health.

5)      Finally it can help you lose weight

But remember that drinking bottled water is considered bad for the environment as so often plastic is used to manufacture the bottle.  So you might want to consider just using the tap in future – good for you and good for the planet!