How Dehydration Affects Your Body

We all want what’s best for our bodies — we schedule annual checkups, take medicine when we have illnesses, and do our best to prevent and manage diseases. Though all conditions that impact our well-being deserve our attention, there is one important issue that most people experience yet may not realize — dehydration. Although it is natural for the body to lose fluids throughout the day, failure to replace them over time can lead to several other health problems.

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Replenishing fluid levels is a healthy solution, but unfortunately, sometimes adults and children choose to consume alternate beverages that either do not provide the water volume needed or may even dehydrate the body further. Dehydration is a serious health concern and an impairment that can quickly impact men and women of all ages, so we should all take care to avoid it.

What Is Dehydration?

Dehydration occurs when the body does not take in enough water to replenish what is lost during normal bodily functions. The condition can range from mild to severe, depending on how much fluid you've lost or not replaced. If you suspect you or someone you know is severely dehydrated, you should seek immediate medical attention.

Causes

Dehydration occurs when the body does not have sufficient clean water. In many instances, dehydration happens simply because an individual isn’t drinking enough water. However, other causes of dehydration may include the inability to access clean drinking water, excessive sweating or urination that increases water loss, or the presence of a high fever, vomiting, or diarrhea due to an illness.

Risk Factors

Although all people can suffer from dehydration, certain factors can increase the onset of this deficiency. Infants, children, and older adults may be more vulnerable to dehydration. People with disabilities are also at an increased risk, as are those who experience increases in body temperature due to exercising or working outside.

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, so 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 dehydrated and need 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 a non-disabled 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: Staying hydrated is key for professional and amateur athletes, especially during the hot and humid months. It is crucial for athletes to replace the fluids they sweat out while exercising. An athlete should always drink plenty of water, especially if they start feeling lightheaded or dizzy.

Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of dehydration are diverse and may differ between children and adults. Although a dry mouth and tongue are symptoms, an increased thirst for water isn’t necessarily the earliest indicator that you are dehydrated. Adults may notice less-frequent or dark-colored urination, dizziness, confusion, or fatigue. Children may be irritable or lack tears when they cry. Young ones may also have sunken areas on their face and head, or have no urination over a few hours.

Potential Complications

Because it could lead to serious health complications, dehydration should never be ignored. Heat injuries such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke could occur without proper hydration. You could experience long-term kidney and urinary problems, seizures, and hypovolemic shock if your blood pressure drops too low. Some complications of dehydration can be life-threatening. Dehydration can also impact specific areas of the body in negative ways. The skin, muscles, kidneys, brain, and heart can all suffer from the effects of dehydration.

How Does Dehydration Affect the Body?

Dehydration effects on the body can range from skin issues and physical fatigue to kidney damage, cognitive impairments, or heart complications.

As much as 60% of a fully grown body is water. Many individual organs and muscles, including the heart, lungs, skin, muscles, and kidneys, comprise higher percentages of water. Water keeps the whole body functioning, doing everything from growing cells and delivering oxygen to regulating temperature and flushing out waste. Without water, the body cannot carry out these tasks.

The following are the effects of dehydration on body functions, including the skin, muscles, kidneys, brain, and heart.

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Effects of Dehydration on Skin

Dehydration can affect the skin in several ways. As the body’s hydration level drops, the skin cells are depleted of their water content, making the skin appear and feel rough. Even if you drink moderate amounts of water, you could still see signs of skin dehydration due to illness or dietary factors such as drinking too much caffeine, alcohol, or other diuretics.

Dry skin can be either lifelong or temporary, with symptoms including:

• Itching
• Redness
• Skin cracks
• Flaking and peeling
• Tight or rough texture

Along with full-body dehydration symptoms like dry mouth and dizziness, symptoms of dehydration visible on the skin include:

• Sunken eyes
• Skin dullness
• Dark under-eye circles
• Increased wrinkling

You can perform an at-home test to quickly help determine if your skin is dehydrated. Simply take a small portion of skin between your fingers and gently squeeze it. The skin should quickly bounce back to normal. If it does not, or if it begins to wrinkle as it returns to normal, your skin may be dehydrated.

Prevention and Treatment

Proper full-body hydration is the solution for dehydrated skin. Washing your face or hands may feel refreshing but will not replenish your body’s hydration level. Keep in mind that taking hot showers or bathing in hard water can actually leave your skin more dehydrated. To help combat dehydration, you should also pay attention to environmental factors in your everyday life. Direct sunlight on the skin or activity during high temperatures can cause your body to dehydrate faster if you are not replenishing your fluids fast enough.

Unlike dry skin, dehydrated skin cannot be treated with topical creams. When you maintain proper hydration levels in your body, your skin will also stay hydrated.

Effects of Dehydration on Muscles

Dehydration can cause physical fatigue. While many athletes or active individuals may feel soreness or stiffness in the muscles they exercise, many people may feel more than simply tired even if they aren’t engaging in activity. Slowed blood circulation due to dehydration can make muscles contract, which causes discomfort. The state of physical exhaustion and the presence of muscle spasms or cramps may directly result from dehydration that can occur even when someone has been seated or standing for a long time.

• Muscle cramps: Sudden sharp pains or lumps on a muscle may be a muscle cramp. Muscle cramps may occur for a variety of reasons, including overuse, strain, or dehydration.
• Stalled muscle growth:Since dehydration can cause muscle fatigue, some scientists believe it could stall muscle growth. This could happen by preventing one from performing a workout as optimally as possible or by reducing blood flow to active muscles.
• Muscle soreness: Those who exercise or perform strenuous physical activities while dehydrated may also experience delayed-onset muscle soreness, which is associated with pain, stiffness, and swelling. The combination of dehydration and DOMS could lead to skeletal muscle damage that increases the risk of additional injuries. 

Prevention and Treatment

As for muscle cramping, this usually relaxes after a few minutes, is harmless, and doesn’t require treatment for dehydration. In cases of dehydration, the cramping should subside, and water replenishment should reduce the likelihood of experiencing it. Severe pain, weakness, or frequent cramping, despite an obvious cause, is likely not a result of dehydration. These cases may require medical care.

Although dehydration alone does not cause DOMS, it is still a worrisome condition for those who are physically active regularly and thus increases their rate of potential dehydration. Factors like age, physical ability, and climate can increase the likelihood and severity of either condition, potentially elevating the risk of sustaining other muscular or skeletal injuries. This type of muscle damage is usually mild and will not be permanent if the muscles are stretched, cared for, and kept hydrated.

Effects of Dehydration on Kidneys

Kidney function and dehydration are linked in several ways. The kidneys filter waste from blood to create urine that is expelled from the body. Without proper hydration, these organs become strained and can potentially incur severe damage.

While occasional dehydration is a condition many adults will experience throughout their lifetime, frequent dehydration can significantly impact the kidneys, including:

• Urinary system issues: Water plays a critical role in the urinary system. As your body separates nutrients from waste, water opens up your blood vessels to allow blood to travel freely to your kidneys. After the blood and waste are separated, water mixes with the waste to become urine. Without enough water, the urinary system suffers, and these organs have a difficult time accomplishing their tasks. Not only do they function less than optimally, but a lack of hydration can cause these harmful wastes to build up in the body.
• Kidney damage: Severe dehydration doesn’t need to be present to cause harm — even mild to moderate dehydration on a consistent or continuous basis is enough to cause damage to the kidneys that can be temporarily painful or permanently debilitating. In the most severe cases, the smaller issues resulting from dehydration could lead to permanent kidney damage.
• Kidney stones and urinary tract infections (UTIs):Kidney stones and UTIs can result from dehydration and other health conditions due to the buildup of waste and acid not removed from the body.

The color of your urine is a daily sign of your hydration levels and also sheds light on the state of your kidneys. Clear or lightly colored urine indicates that your body is well-hydrated, while a darker coloration may suggest that you are dehydrated.

Prevention and Treatment

The onset of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) may result from high blood pressure or diabetes. However, hydration still plays a part in its severity. Without water to help the kidneys function properly, it opens up opportunities for other health complications to increase due to the high amounts of waste buildup in the bloodstream. While hydration won’t necessarily prevent CKD, actively preventing dehydration can help preserve the health of your kidneys.

While increased water intake is a solution for dehydration in most individuals, it’s important to understand that appropriate water levels may vary for some men and women. While age and environment are always factors, significant changes to the body, such as pregnancy, childbirth, and chronic illness, may require more or less hydration. Those with severe kidney problems may need to limit their water intake to keep these organs functioning correctly.

A consistent or sudden change in urine color or very dark urine may indicate a more severe level of dehydration or another serious health issue. If your urine color lightens after drinking water, you maintain proper hydration. If it doesn’t, you should consult a doctor.

Effects of Dehydration on the Brain

The brain is composed of 80%–85% water — meaning that even a few hours without water intake can substantially impact nearly every cognitive function. Even mild dehydration can affect mood, memory, cognitive performance, and motor coordination. Without increasing water intake within this time, you may notice the following dehydration effects on the brain:

• Mood and energy changes: Changes in mood or energy levels can be two of the first signs your brain uses to alert you of dehydration. Regardless of whether you are feeling healthy and rested or having a stress-free positive day, a disruption in the balance of sodium and water in your brain can quickly lead to disturbances in mood or feelings of fatigue. As your brain continues to operate without a proper water supply, cognitive functioning begins to decrease.
• Trouble with focus and memory: Dehydration can impact focus and immediate memory skills. You might experience a mental fog or the subjective feeling of being less aware than usual. This can make it challenging to pay attention, remember, concentrate, focus, and think clearly.
• A decline in daily functioning: One study found that being just 2% dehydrated can impair your performance in tasks that require attention and psychomotor skills. Motor coordination and reaction time suffer, especially during activities that are repetitive or not stimulating enough to fully engage us.

Most of these cognitive impairments are caused by the physical changes the brain experiences during dehydration. When a person is dehydrated, the fluid around their brain becomes denser, and different areas of the brain don't work together as well. Conversely, when a person is adequately hydrated, the gray and white matter in the brain becomes denser and more uniform. Drinking enough water helps keep the brain's density and uniformity healthy. Studies show brain tissue can also shrink from dehydration.

Prevention and Treatment

Drink a glass of water before each meal to keep your brain healthy and properly functioning. Avoid too much alcohol, which can lead to dehydration, and trade your soda for sparkling water when you can. Drink water throughout the day, even indoors and in the air conditioning.

However, it’s important to understand that over-hydration is also bad for your 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.

Effects of Dehydration on the Heart

Like the brain, the heart is also largely composed of water. Together with the circulatory system, your heart is a primary part of your body’s cardiovascular system. It works with the lungs, veins, arteries, and other vessels to carry blood throughout the body. The cardiovascular system similarly relies on water — the system becomes strained without enough water, reducing its performance. Here's how dehydration affects the heart:

• Heart rate and blood pressure: 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 reduced blood volume. Your heart rate increases to compensate and attempts to pump more blood. With higher sodium content in the bloodstream, capillaries are forced to close while blood pressure increases. Thicker blood that is more concentrated makes it harder to move through the body, so the vessels work harder to push the blood along.
• Risk of orthostatic hypotension: One concern of lower blood volume due to dehydration is the risk of orthostatic hypotension. You may have experienced this from standing up too quickly and feeling dizzy or lightheaded. This is a common occasional experience for many men and women, and the mild symptoms 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.
• Onset of cardiovascular disease: Dehydration can be a factor in the onset of cardiovascular disease, especially when combined with heat stress, which increases demand on the heart and promotes blood clots and electrolyte imbalances. 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.

For your body’s systems to operate properly, a consistent amount of blood must move throughout the body. The heart pumps a specific 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 decreases. This significantly strains your cardiovascular system as it works harder to pump less blood to the rest of your body.

Prevention and Treatment

Drinking enough water and staying hydrated are key ways to support your heart and reduce your long-term risk of heart disease and other complications. While more research is necessary, good hydration might help prevent or slow the progression of heart changes that could lead to heart failure.

Experts typically recommend a daily fluid intake of six to eight cups for women and eight to 12 cups for men. Stay hydrated throughout the day, especially in the warm months when you're outdoors. Drinking plenty of water will help the heart pump blood efficiently, support blood vessel function and orchestrate circulation.

Tips for Staying Hydrated

Keeping hydrated doesn’t need to be complicated. 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 six tips:

1. Make Water Part of Your Daily Routine

Performing any act, like drinking water, every day for a few 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.

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2. Eat Water-Rich Foods

A certain percentage of your daily water intake should come from food. Eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in water, like watermelon, strawberries, lettuce, cucumber, and celery, can increase your hydration levels. You can also add fruit to your water, like lime, lemon, orange, or cucumber.

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.

3. Track Your Daily Water Intake

Today’s technology puts valuable health tools in the palms of our hands. Some reusable water bottles have Bluetooth connectivity that reminds you when you’re not drinking enough. 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.

4. Monitor Your Body for Signs of Dehydration

Your body will let you know when it’s dehydrated — listen to it. 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. Excessive thirst, dry mouth, dry skin, and muscle cramps are also warning signs of dehydration to watch for.

5. Consider Other Ways to Stay Hydrated

While drinking plenty of water throughout your day is essential, you can also stay hydrated in the warmer months with a few alternative tips. For example, apply sunscreen every hour to prevent sunburn and keep your skin from drying out. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing that lets your skin breathe and a wide-brimmed hat to keep your head cool. Additionally, limit exercise during the hottest hours and take plenty of breaks to avoid dehydration.

6. Don’t Overhydrate

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.

Don't Let Dehydration Damage Your Body

Dehydration is a concern for everyone, which is why staying hydrated should be a daily priority. Although it is understandable that you don’t always have the accessibility or availability to drink water, you can take proactive steps to ensure your hydration throughout the day. 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.

Browse our selection of  essential water filter systems for the home and discover how Multipure’s superior products deliver easy access to the refreshing water you need to keep your body hydrated throughout the day.

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