PROPERTIES OF WATER TO BEAT DEHYDRATION

Water is probably the most important free substance. It’s almost as important as air, and the only reason it’s second to air is that people animals and humans would die from the lack of air in few minutes. However, water is crucial to man. Water is readily abundant on earth, in fact, it makes up about 70% of the surface of the earth and around 60% of our body mass. Man gets water from different sources, some of which are rivers, bore-holes, tap-water, and springs. As all living things are, water is also a chemical material. It has two constituents, which are 2 atoms of hydrogen, and a molecule of oxygen. (H2O) The two are bonded to by covalent bonds. Water has some properties, which are chemical and physical. What are the properties of water to beat hydration?

What are the Properties of Water to Beat Hydration?

Water is a liquid substance. In it’s pure and clean state, it’s without color, it doesn’t have color, neither does it smell, although, there are some human-made variants called mineral water. This type of water does have taste, and this is because some additives have been added to it. It exists in different states, liquid, gas(vapor) and solid (in the form of ice).

States of Water

Gas: It turns to gas when it is heated above a 100 degrees Celsius. This gas is called vapor.
Liquid state: It exists in this state when it is between the temperature of 0-100 degrees centigrade.
Solid: Water turns to solid when it’s exposed to temperatures below 0 degrees centigrade

10 Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration

Dehydration is a situation in which the body lacks enough body fluid to function physiologically and normally, with metabolic consequences. This primarily occurs when the body loses more water than its intake. This can be due to various reasons such as exposure of the body to excessive heat, fever, vomiting,diarrhea, sweating too much, and when people don’t consume enough water. A body water loss of about 10% can lead to mental incapacitation, accompanied by some physical bodily changes such as dry skin and severe thirst. Severe dehydration can lead to death. What happens without the properties of water to beat hydration? Below are some of the signs and symptoms of dehydration.

Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration

Dehydration can be classified according to severity. They are mild, moderate and severe. The signs and symptoms of mild and moderate dehydration are less severe and dangerous as compared to severe dehydration. What happens without the properties of water to beat hydration?

Thirst: This is when your body is demanding for water. It’s the body’s way of reminding us that the body is in need of water. The hypothalamus (a part of the brain) has the thirst control center
The skin of the individual looks dry: Dehydration causes the skin to lose its elasticity. The skin loses its turgidity whenever the body lacks water. Turgidity is the ability to return to its original state when extended
Patient experiences a mild headache
The tongue of the patient has little moisture
The person experiences painful contractions in his/her muscles
The patient would show signs of oliguria (Quantity of urine would be low): The volume of urine you produce is an indicator if you’re dehydrated. The color of the urine changes when your body water level is low. A concentrated yellow urine coupled with little urine output is an indicator of dehydration, however in mild and moderation, there is little or no difference in the color of the urine.

Signs and Symptoms of Severe Dehydration in Adults

Extreme oliguria or even anuria (patient does not pass urine at all)
Tachycardia (when the heart beats above normal, 100beats per minute): It causes the heart to beat faster. This condition is called tachycardia. The heartbeat exceeds 100 beats per minute when the body is dehydrated.
Tachypnea (when the respiratory rate is faster than usual/ 20 beats per minute)
Dizziness
The eyes look hollow
Insomnia, fatigue, and delirium
Patient becomes irritable
Syncope (patient might pass out)
Urine color changes: The volume of urine you produce is an indicator if you’re dehydrated. The color of the urine changes when your body water level is low. A concentrated yellow urine coupled with little urine output is an indicator of severe dehydration.
Systemic failure: An unmanaged dehydration can lead to severe complications such as organ failure. If this is not controlled, it can lead to death. You would probably not see this, as it only happens in severe cases.
Death: If not well managed, severe dehydration can lead to death

Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration in Children and Infants

Children and newborns can sometimes be challenging to diagnose, as they present with different symptoms and signs. Babies cannot express themselves verbally, so the parents would have to figure out what could be wrong with their child.What happens without the properties of water to beat hydration? Here are some signs that your children might be suffering from dehydration.

They cry regularly, without producing tears
They don’t urinate in their diapers for over a period of three hours
Their eyes become hollow
For babies with fontanelles, their fontanelle keeps beating
Insomnia, fatigue
The children grow irritable

Can Dehydration Cause Anxiety?

Dehydration can contribute to anxiety. Dehydration is becoming a problem in societies, especially in big cities. People get so busy that they forget to drink water. Most people have rather replaced water with other liquid sources such as fruit juice, tea, coffee and even beer. Drinking water might not be the most favorite thing to do, but it’s benefits are enormous. Inadequate consumption of water leads to irritability. This exposes people who are often dehydrated to having anxiety. Even though dehydration can solely cause anxiety, in most cases, it’s just one of the factors that cause it. A report showed that more than 75% of people have continuous dehydration. It’s such a massive number for a condition that can entirely be avoided by just drinking some more water. What happens without the properties of water to beat hydration?

5 Ways to Stay Hydrated When Exercising

It is always doom when you work out for a long time without drinking water. Here are some ways to keep hydrated when exercising.

Drink water before you start working out- This does not mean you should fill up yourself with water before working out. This would leave you bloated and too tired to even do the exercise. It might also lead to cramps if care is not taken.
Drink water when you’re exercising: It’s advisable to hydrate yourself when you realize that you’re perspiring a lot. It’s best to drink about 245ml every quarter of an hour of working out. You can invest some money in mineral water and some fruit water. They are a bit more expensive than regular bottled water, but they help to balance whatever minerals that might have been lost due to sweat.
Hydrate after exercising: You have to drink water after working out. You can, however, add protein supplements to your drink. Muscles often break down after a routine of exercise; it helps to consume some protein food to replenish the muscles that have been broken down.
Fruits: Fruits are an excellent source of water, minerals, and electrolytes. Some examples of fruit that can be eaten are watermelon, apples, and banana.
Watch out for changes in your muscle: You should stop exercising, and drink some water whenever you notice that your muscles are getting fatigued.

How Do I Know if I’m Dehydrated? Am I Dehydrated?

What happens without the properties of water to beat hydration?

Thirst: This is when your body is demanding for water. It’s the body’s way of reminding us that the body is in need of water. The hypothalamus (a part of the brain) has the thirst control center.
The skin of the individual looks dry: It causes the skin to lose its elasticity. The skin loses its turgidity whenever the body lacks water. Turgidity is the ability to return to its original state when extended. You would know you’re dehydrated when your skin starts losing its elasticity.
Patient experiences a mild headache: The body might develop a headache when it lacks water. This can be relieved by drinking water.
The tongue of the patient has little moisture: The body appears dry when you’re getting dehydrated. The severity of this dryness depends on the level of dehydration.
The person experiences painful contractions in his/her muscles:
The patient would show signs of oliguria (Volume of urine would be low): The amount of urine you produce is an indicator if you’re dehydrated. The color of the urine changes when your body water level is low. A concentrated yellow urine coupled with little urine output is an indicator of dehydration.
Fatigue and insomnia: It causes sleeplessness and tiredness. You should drink some water when you notice that you’re sleeping less, and getting tired without doing some serious work. All these can be corrected by just drinking water.
Hypotension: A symptom of dehydration, although rare is hypotension. It reduces the amount of blood in the body, thereby lowering the arterial pressure. This might cause delirium and confusion in the individual.
Systemic failure: An unmanaged dehydration can lead to severe complications such as organ failure. If this is not controlled, it can lead to death. The severe loss of body fluid could lead to shock. This what happens affects a majority of the organs in the body, including the brain, kidney and even the heart. You would probably not see this, as it only happens in severe cases.

How Does Dehydration Affect the Body?

What happens without the properties of water to beat hydration?

The skin: It causes the skin to lose its elasticity. The skin loses its turgidity whenever the body lacks water. Turgidity is the ability to return to its original state when extended. You would know you’re dehydrated when your skin starts losing its elasticity.
The cardiovascular system: It causes the heart to beat faster. This condition is called tachycardia. The heartbeat exceeds 100 beats per minute when the body is dehydrated.
The respiratory system: The respiratory rate goes up when it lacks water. It goes beyond 20 breathing rates per minute.
The renal system: The quantity of urine you produce is an indicator if you’re dehydrated. When the body is dehydrated, the volume of blood flowing to the kidney reduces, this also leads to low urine production.
The eyes: The eyes tend to be sunken when one is dehydrated.
Systemic failure: An unmanaged dehydration can lead to severe complications such as organ failure. If this is not controlled, it can lead to death. The severe loss of body fluid could lead to shock. This when it happens to affect the majority of the organs in the body, including the brain, kidney and even the heart. You would probably not see this, as it only happens in severe cases.

Can Dehydration Cause Fever?

The body tends to become feverish when it is dehydrated. Dehydration in its moderate phase is associated with fever and chills. The body temperature goes below and above the normal range of 97.7 to 99.5 degrees.

What Causes a Dehydration Headache?

This kind headache happens when the body does not have enough water, which invariably leads to low body fluid. The body needs fluid to be able to run its physiological processes normally. A deficit in the body fluid would come with consequences, one of which is a headache. The brains tend to contract, gradually detaching itself from the cranium. This process leads to pain in the head, which is referred to as a headache. Below are some of the causes of a dehydration headache. What happens without the properties of water to beat hydration?

Diarrhea: Severe diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Diarrhea is associated with loss of fluids and electrolytes in the form of stooling. If not corrected on time, this can lead to severe dehydration and death.
Vomiting: People vomit fluid, electrolytes, and this can lead to death if left to persist without proper management.
Hyperhidrosis: This is a situation in which an individual sweats a lot. When this happens, and the person does not replenish with water, dehydration occurs.
Fever: The body tends to become hot when feverish. The body temperature when above 37.5degree Celsius, tends to lead to sweating, which if not well managed, can lead to dehydration.

Water is necessary for the normal functioning of the body.If you have any unusual signs and symptoms consult the nearest doctor.

References

IS DEHYDRATION IMPORTANT? DEHYDRATION AND MORTALITY IN LONG-TERM CARE. (2016). The Gerontologist, 56(Suppl_3), pp.662-662.

Levitt, J. (1985). Relationship of dehydration rate to drought avoidance, dehydration tolerance and dehydration avoidance of cabbage leaves, and to their acclimation during drought-induced water stress. Plant, Cell, and Environment, 8(4), pp.287-296.

LEVITT, J. (1985). Relationship of dehydration rate to drought avoidance, dehydration tolerance and dehydration avoidance of cabbage leaves, and to their acclimation during drought-induced water stress*. Plant, Cell, and Environment, 8(4), pp.287-296.

Maughan, R. and Shirreffs, S. (2010). Dehydration and rehydration in competitive sport. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 20, pp.40-47.

Nagase, K., Yokobayashi, H. and Sone, K. (1979). Dehydration of copper(II) sulfate and its double salts: comparison with the dehydration of cobalt(II) sulfate. Thermochimica Acta, 31(3), pp.391-394.

Wolf, A. (1938). Studies on the Behavior of Lumbricus Terrestris L. to Dehydration; and Evidence for a Dehydration Tropism. Ecology, 19(2), pp.233-242.

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