Effects of Dehydration

Effects of Dehydration

Effects of Dehydration     2
The human body consists of more than 60% water and is a vital part of almost every bodily function needed to sustain life. When the human body is reduced or depleted of essential water in some degree, the body then becomes dehydrated. There are recognizable signs; methods of prevention and proper ways of safely replenishing the necessary lacking fluids needed when dehydration takes place. Water affects almost every function of the body in some way. Water moistens tissues in the mouth, eyes and nose, regulates body temperature through perspiration, protects organs and tissues by acting as a cushion between them, lubricates joints to reduce friction and facilitating movement, helps to prevent constipation, aids in flushing out waste products from the liver and kidneys, aids in the dissolving of minerals and nutrients making them accessible to the body and carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells.
Dehydration can be defined as "the excessive loss of water from the body". Our bodies require approximately 32 ounces of water daily; dependant on activity level and age. Persons with high activity require approximately two to three times the water volume to replace the fluids required to perform the normal bodily functions. If we drink less or lose more fluids than is needed, dehydration then results. "Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can lead to dehydration in various ways. Often, dehydration becomes the major problem in an otherwise self-limited illness. Fluid loss may even be severe enough to become life-threatening".
Water is made up of molecules containing two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Water is essential to health maintenance and is essential for all life to exist, as it makes up more than 70 percent of most living things. A Human can survive more than a week without food; however, a person will die within a few days without water. Doctors also state:
Effects of Dehydration     3
Water serves as a solvent for...