Chronic Dehydration

Picture a neglected potted plant - dulled foliage color, drooping and shriveled leaves and flowers, dry and brittle stalk and branches. This is a common sight when you're just back from a long vacation and your plants were not watered during that time. Indeed, it's a sad sight that welcomes you when you open the doors of your balcony or terrace garden after about a week's hiatus. Well, the same thing happens to the human body when it is not appropriately hydrated. The defenses go down, the skin and hair appear dull, the body feels sapped of all energy and vitality and the overall disposition becomes dull. This condition in humans and animals is known as chronic dehydration, also often known as chronic cellular dehydration.

The term itself implies the primary among all causes to be a lack of sufficient amounts of water or fluids in the system but what causes the water levels of the body to go down so drastically as to manifest as a medical condition? Well, let's find out this and various other related aspects of this biologically distressing situation such as effects of chronic dehydration, treatment and prevention, from the subsequent paragraphs.

Chronic Dehydration Causes
Most of us are aware that our bodies are composed of 75% water. This means that a minimum of approximately eight standard glasses of water is necessary to keep our bodies well hydrated at the cellular level as the cells are the building blocks that are responsible for the composition of all organs - right from the skin, blood, nerves, muscles to all vital organs. The cells of our body are mostly composed of liquid matter, the well-being and sustenance of which are heavily dependent on our daily water intake. As mentioned earlier, the chief and primary cause of chronic dehydration is a lack of appropriate water levels in our body at a given time. So what causes this dearth or loss of water from our systems? The following are the various common reasons that cause the water levels in our body to drop drastically.

• Low water intake
• High intake of caffeinated alcoholic and carbonated beverages (these act as diuretics that cause more water to exit the body than is normal)
• Smoking
• Diuretic medications (such as those administered to patients suffering from high blood pressure)
• Diarrhea
• Type 2 diabetes
• Hyperglycemia
• Heat stroke
• Excessive sweating
• Long exposure to heat and radiation
• Excessive urination
• Blood loss
• Vomiting
• Intravenous infusion
• Water-electrolyte imbalances

To summarize, all those conditions or activities which distort the balance of water in the body lead to and are the most common causes of dehydration.

Chronic Dehydration Effects
Physical effects can be clearly seen from the various symptoms which can be mild, moderate or severe but extremely unpleasant nonetheless. Recognizing dehydration is easier if you know its effects. Some common signs of dehydration may be enumerated as follows:-

• Lethargy and extreme fatigue
• Urinary tract infection
• Constipation
• Dry, dull and brittle skin, hair and nails
• Stomach ulcers
• Obesity and unhealthy weight gain
• Digestive system disorders such as acidity and flatulence
• Abnormal blood pressure readings
• Mucous membrane abnormalities (since their primary composition is water and fluids) such as respiratory diseases, etc.
• Distorted acid-alkali balance
• High cholesterol levels
• Cystitis
• Rheumatism
• Eczema

A low water level in the body means that toxins are not being flushed out as efficiently as they should be and the accumulation of toxins in the blood is the main cause behind most infections and ailments mentioned above. Also, since our digestive juices are all liquids, a low water level reduces their production, leading to various digestive and eating disorders.

Chronic Dehydration Treatment
The best way to treat or prevent this condition from the roots is to increase one's water and fluids intake. Fluids here doesn't include coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages and fizzy drinks though. In fact, these should be avoided at all costs during the recovery period. Milk, fresh juices and good old plain drinking water work wonders in reversing the damage caused as a consequence of chronic dehydration. As far as diet is concerned, including lots of green leafy vegetables and fresh, water rich fruits such as papaya, cucumber, watermelon, oranges, pineapples, etc. are a great way of replenishing your body's water content while you eat. For immediate relief in acute conditions, keeping the surroundings cool and dark, loosening the clothes and administering electrolyte drinks work as effective dehydration treatment.

Chronic dehydration is an avoidable condition. People who are under diuretic medications are advised to increase their fluid intake to counter the dehydrating side effects of their medications. Water is truly the elixir of life. All we need to do is grab a glass or two every time we leave our places to get something. Water is a great weight reducing agent as when you drink water, the body burns calories to digest it and send it to all parts but the water itself contains no calories! Hence, drinking lots of water is a great way to lose stubborn fat from difficult areas such as abdomen and thighs. Besides, a well hydrated system is evident by the way your skin glows and your hair shines when you drink lost of water! Needless to say, you'll be surprised by the magical effects of drinking lots of water. Trust me, I have experienced it, especially the weight loss part!