You already know that dehydration creates discomfort through headaches, fatigue, and muscle cramps. It can even lead to performance drops both mentally and physically. But are you aware of the true danger of dehydration? What can happen if you are dehydrated and fail to rehydrate properly? What can dehydration lead to? If you’ve been pondering these questions yourself, you’ve come to the right place.
Today, we're going to discuss what can happen if you are dehydrated and fail to remedy the problem. This article will examine scientific studies on the long-term implications of dehydration. It will also pull some tragic real-life events in recent news that were the result of dehydration.
The goal is not to scare you - but rather to make you aware of the gravity of the situation. Dehydration can literally lead to death if not treated. As a result, we're also going to teach you how you can treat or prevent dehydration in the first place to offset all the risks you'll learn about shortly.
Before we explain what can happen if you are dehydrated, let's discuss what exactly dehydration is, and how you can identify the signs & symptoms in yourself or a loved one.
What Exactly is Dehydration - and What Does it Look/Feel Like?
Dehydration occurs when your body does not have enough water to carry out its normal functions. You can become dehydrated from losing too much fluid, not drinking enough fluids, or a combination of the two. Vomiting, diarrhea, excessive sweating, and fever can all cause dehydration. So can certain medications like diuretics, laxatives, and water pills.
Really, though, when looking at what causes dehydration, it's a failure to take care of yourself. This can be the result of a busy schedule, pure laziness, or lack of education on the dangers of dehydration. Either way, dehydration is the result of failing to get enough fluids and vital electrolytes into your body. It can affect anyone from athletes to children to working professionals.
The Different Degrees of Dehydration
There are different degrees of dehydration, but the Mayo Clinic recognizes three: mild, moderate, and severe.
- Mild dehydration is when you lose between 2-5% of your body's fluid content. Symptoms include dry mouth & lips, increased thirstiness, lightheadedness upon standing, and dark-colored urine.
- Moderate dehydration is when you lose between 5-10% of your body fluid. Symptoms include all of the above, plus muscle weakness, confusion, rapid heartbeat, and fainting.
- Severe dehydration happens when you lose more than 10% of your body's fluid content. This is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms include all of the above, plus sunken eyes, cold or wrinkled skin, low blood pressure & rapid heartbeat, and unconsciousness.
It's important to know the symptoms of dehydration so you can identify it in yourself or a loved one as soon as possible. But what is the danger of dehydration? What can happen if you are dehydrated? We'll discuss this next.
What is the Danger of Dehydration - What Can Happen if You Are Dehydrated?
Dehydration caused by heat exposure is responsible for over 600 deaths every year in the United States alone - and those are just official numbers. In reality, the danger of dehydration is probably much higher.
A lack of fluids can cause all sorts of problems in the human body, some of which are immediately apparent and others that take years to manifest. We'll start with the more immediate, short-term effects of dehydration before moving on to long-term ones.
Short-Term Dangers of Dehydration
Dehydration can cause a drop in blood pressure, which can then lead to dizziness or lightheadedness. This is because when you're dehydrated, your blood volume drops and your heart has to work harder to pump it throughout your body. As a result, you may feel fatigued or have trouble concentrating. You may also experience headaches, muscle cramps, or nausea & vomiting. In extreme cases, dehydration can cause seizures or coma.
Dehydration can also lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is when your body temperature rises and you start to experience symptoms like nausea, headache, lightheadedness, and fatigue. If untreated, heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke - a condition where your body temperature becomes so high that it starts to shut down. This is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate medical attention. If left unaddressed, it can lead to death.
Long-Term Dangers of Dehydration
While the short-term dangers of dehydration are certainly nothing to scoff at, the long-term dangers are even more alarming. These problems can take years - even decades - to develop, which is why they're often ignored or dismissed.
Dehydration can cause kidney stones & urinary tract infections. It can also lead to constipation, indigestion, and joint pain. In extreme cases, dehydration can cause serious problems like kidney failure, heart attack, or stroke.
These are just a few of the many dangers of dehydration. As you can see, it's important to stay hydrated - especially in hot weather or when you're exerting yourself. But how do you prevent or treat dehydration to avoid all this? Before we help you gain clarity on treating or preventing these dangers of dehydration, let’s take a look at a few real-life examples from just the past few months.
The Dangers of Dehydration at Play: Real-Life Examples
It's hard to take the dangers of dehydration seriously without seeing them take hold in our day-to-day life. If you've never been faced with these complications yourself - or with a loved one - count yourself lucky. Unfortunately, the danger that comes with being dehydrated is very real. And we're going to take a look at a few recent headlines just to help solidify our point and make you aware of the true gravity of this situation.
One of the most common groups of people to suffer the effects of dehydration is athletes. And recently, LSU football starter Will Campbell was forced to miss a big game as he was hospitalized with dehydration. If you play sports or take your fitness seriously, you can likely empathize with this scenario - while we don't have details on what led Campbell to become so dehydrated, it's likely the result of pushing his body too hard while preparing for the big game without replenishing fluids and electrolytes properly.
Fortunately, Campbell is likely to recover without major complications. But it's not just athletes who are at risk - everyday people can be affected, too. In July of this past summer, a video of a UPS driver collapsing in Scottsdale went viral. The man suffered from severe dehydration while trying to make his route and momentarily collapsed on a customer's porch - all of which was caught on the home's Ring camera.
This was a stark reminder of what dehydration caused by heat exhaustion can lead to. And while this particular driver ended up making a full recovery, this was not the case for another UPS driver in Southern California this year. Esteban Chavez Jr. was just 24 years old when he collapsed in the back of his delivery vehicle and ultimately passed away from dehydration and heat stroke.
Now - you are well aware of what dehydration can lead to. But what can you do to protect yourself and loved ones aside from drinking water and listening to your body when it tells you to get out of the heat? Keep reading - we'll take a look.
How to Avoid the Dangers of Dehydration Through Prevention & Treatment
The best way to treat dehydration is to drink lots of fluids - but as you may already know, water alone isn't enough. And, by the time your body tells you that it's thirsty you're already suffering from dehydration. There is one solution that many are relying on to prevent dehydration and enjoy a more comfortable, optimized lifestyle - and that's IV hydration therapy. We'll talk more about this treatment and whether or not it's right for you below.
IV Hydration Therapy
What is IV hydration therapy, you ask? IV hydration therapy is a treatment in which fluids, vitamins, and minerals are delivered directly to your bloodstream through an IV. This type of therapy can be used to treat dehydration, as well as a host of other conditions like hangovers, migraines, fatigue, cold & flu symptoms, and even jet lag. The benefits of IV hydration therapy are vast - which is why this therapy has exploded in popularity.
It's true - IV therapy does help with dehydration. But there are two main problems with the treatment that make it an unrealistic choice for the majority of people.
First, let's take a look at how much IV hydration therapy costs. Individual sessions can range from $150-500 depending on your location, the treatment provider, and the extent of your treatment. That's expensive. And this leads to the next issue...based on how long IV hydration lasts in your system, you need to schedule regular treatments - at least 2-3x per week for most people. How often can you get IV hydration reasonably when you consider the cost above?
These two reasons mean that most people cannot rely on IV treatment as a preventative measure. Now, if you are suffering from severe dehydration, it's definitely worth reaching out to a provider to see if they can squeeze you in - otherwise, you could face some of the dangers of dehydration that we discussed above. You can even get IV hydration therapy at home in larger cities.
But, how can you and/or your loved ones stay on top of hydration on a daily basis to prevent the risks of dehydration from ever setting in? You need something more affordable and convenient - and we've got just the thing...
SkyMD Hydration Packets: the #1 Choice for Preventing or Treating Dehydration
At SkyMD, we've made it our mission to hydrate humans everywhere. In order to do this, we've formulated the most efficient, effective water hydration packets available to the public. These powerful packets can boost your water and help you hydrate 3x faster than with water alone.
This is all possible through the revolutionary Hydration Boost Technology (HBT)™ we've developed. This is a delivery system that allows for rapid absorption of the vital ingredients in our formulation. It works through an optimized ratio of key additives - glucose, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and more. By balancing these ingredients correctly, optimal osmosis can occur and the stuff your body needs to rehydrate fast can be inserted directly into your bloodstream.
By adding a few packets of SkyMD to your daily regimen, you'll never face problems with dehydration again. Instead, you'll enjoy natural energy, increased metabolism, mental clarity and focus, muscular endurance, joint health, improved skin complexion, and a whole lot more.
The best part? We have targeted formulations to help you with specific goals you have - such as our Energy Boost, Immunity Boost, or Sleep Boost formulations. While hydration is at the forefront of everything we do, these boosts will help you kill two birds with one stone. After all, hydration is linked to all these other functions!
With SkyMD, you'll enjoy all the benefits of traditional IV hydration treatment at a fraction of the cost and from the convenience of a water bottle. You know what can happen if you are dehydrated - don't let you or a loved one become another headline. Head over to our product page to learn more.
What Can Dehydration Lead to? Wrapping Up Our Breakdown on the Danger of Dehydration
So, what can dehydration lead to? By now, you know that the danger of dehydration goes beyond feeling fatigued or developing a headache. The truth is, what can happen if you are dehydrated is far more grave. We've shared the short and long-term complications that can arise from dehydration if left unchecked. And, you've seen some of the headlines associated with severe dehydration - all of which have occurred in just the past 2-3 months.
At this point, it's time for you to protect yourself and your loved ones from the danger of dehydration once and for all. With SkyMD, you'll transform the way you hydrate for good!
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