Dehydration Symptoms in Adults

Dehydration is a state when the body gets depleted of water and salts. Water and salts or electrolytes are necessary for our body. Dehydration is simply the excessive loss of water from our body and it can occur due to different reasons. Before we discuss dehydration symptoms in adults, let's take a look at the causes of dehydration.

Causes of Dehydration
There are several causes of dehydration, like, excessive sweating or inadequate intake of water. Apart from these, heat exhaustion, high blood sugar, vomiting, diarrhea, consumption of drugs and alcohol also lead to dehydration. Strenuous exercise is also one of the major reasons for dehydration. If a person sweats profusely after exercise, he can get dehydrated. If dehydration is not treated immediately, the person can suffer from shock. In order to treat dehydration, it is essential to know the dehydration symptoms.

Dehydration Symptoms
Symptoms of dehydration can be immediately seen within a few hours or sometimes within a few days. Dehydration symptoms in children are slightly different from those seen in adults. Sunken eyes, cheeks and abdomen are seen in children. Apart from this, common dehydration symptoms, like, dry mouth and pitting edema are also observed. Now, let us have a look at dehydration symptoms in adults.

Symptoms of Dehydration in Adults
The common dehydration symptoms that are easy to recognize are dry mouth and dry skin. But one need not immediately panic as some people normally have a dry skin. Other dehydration symptoms in adults are:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Dark colored urine
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Thirst
• Low blood pressure
• Inability to urinate and sweat
• Chills
• Sluggishness
• Wrinkled skin
• Fatigue
• Weakness

Read more on recognizing dehydration symptoms.

Severe Dehydration Symptoms in Adults
If a person ignores the above mentioned symptoms, dehydration may reach the next stage. The following are severe dehydration symptoms in adults.

• Increased heart rate
• Increased body temperature
• Unconsciousness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Seizures
• Confusion
• Decreased or painful urination
• Muscle cramps

Certain prescribed medications can cause dehydration symptoms in elderly. Pitting edema is one of the most commonly observed symptoms of dehydration in elderly. Pitting edema is a state when the skin does not regain its original shape after pinching. Read more on signs of dehydration in the elderly.

Dehydration During Pregnancy
Dehydration symptoms in women are observed during pregnancy. Women experience vomiting and nausea due to dehydration. Dehydration during pregnancy is seen during the first trimester. The following symptoms of dehydration during pregnancy are observed:

• Thirst
• Headache or Migraine
• Dizziness
• Dark yellow urine
• Weakness
• Dryness and looseness of skin

Read more on dehydration during pregnancy.

Dehydration Treatment
If a person shows minor signs of dehydration, he should be given water to drink. If possible, he should be given an electrolyte drink, to recover the loss of fluids and electrolytes. In case of severe dehydration, the person should be immediately subjected to medical help and hence, calling an ambulanceis the only alternative and also the best thing to do. Read more on how to treat dehydration.

In order to avoid this, it is better to prevent dehydration. People are advised to drink 8 glasses of water everyday and this should be strictly followed by everyone. And this means plain drinking water and not sodas or fruit juices. One must just look out for dehydration symptoms in adults and remember that dehydration can be easily prevented!