What is dehydration?

Body needs a certain amount of water to continue its function. However, there are certain times when the body loses more water than it intakes. This is when dehydration occurs. Almost everyone experiences those lifeleness conditions especially in the summer due to the body losing water. However, dehydration can be dangerous for older adults and young children. 

What are the causes of dehydration?

Diarrhea and vomiting is one of the most common causes of dehydration among young children. This is the time when the body loses water leading to an imbalance which interrupts the other functions of the body such as digestion, and temperature balance. However, when it comes to older adults, they naturally have low volume of water in their body, which can lead to dehydration. In many cases, older adults have to take medication to mitigate the risk of dehydration. Minor illness that affects the bladder and lungs can also be the reasons for dehydration. Another reason for dehydration is lesser intake of water especially during the summers. 

What are the symptoms of dehydration?

Generally it is felt that thirst is an early indicator of dehydration. However, this is not the case. In many cases thirst is not felt until the body is completely dehydrated. The symptoms of dehydration may also vary for different age groups.

• Some of the common symptoms of dehydration for young child

• Dry tongue and mouth
• No tears when the child cries 
• Irritability
• Sunken eyes 

• Some of the common symptoms of dehydration among young adults

• Feeling extremely thirsty 
• Drop in the frequency of urination 
• Fatigue
• Dizziness 
• Confusion 

How to avoid dehydration?

One needs to be watchful of the weather, physical activities and the water loss to avoid dehydration. The weather plays a very important role in dehydration as the hot climate can be one of the main reasons. The type of activity done by an individual also needs to be considered to avoid dehydration. Intensive work such as exercise and other laborious tasks can lead to sweat and may cause dehydration. In such cases intake of water needs to be adequate. 

How to deal with dehydration?

Adequate intake of fluid is the way to hydrate the body and keep away from dehydration. One should intake food high in water content like bananas and watermelons to hydrate the body while there is excessive loss. Buttermilk can be beneficial when an individual is dehydrated, as it has high water content and magnesium. Coconut water is one of the traditional home remedies for dehydration. Coconut can be highly effective in treating dehydration while helping the body to hydrate quicking and also helping the body to replenish lost nutrients during dehydration. 

Dehydration can be easily treated with home remedies and with adequate intake of water, however, dehydration should not be taken casually as severe dehydration may lead to other health ailments such urinary and kidney issues, low blood volume and seizures. 

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Author of the Blog: Dr. Rajeshri Mehta

Expert Review By: Dr Smita Pankaj Naram

Co-Founder, Ayushakti Ayurved Pvt Ltd