Is Dehydration Causing You Problems?

hydration advice from out Stoke chiropractorWater makes up on average over 60% of a healthy adult human body with most of the body’s major systems reliant on water to function optimally. Therefore, drinking a glass of water does far more than simply quench our thirst. Drinking sufficient water, or fluid, during the course of a day plays a vital role in keeping our bodies functioning properly and feeling healthy.

Good spinal health also relies on good levels of hydration in order to reduce inflammation, carry nutrients to muscles and ligaments in the spine and to rehydrate intervertebral discs.

In this post our Stoke chiropractor covers symptoms that may alert you to fact that you may be suffering from dehydration and what to do about it.

It is important to note that babies, children and the elderly are at greater risk of dehydration and therefore, their water, or fluid, intake should be monitored more closely.

 

Dehydration And What Causes It

Dehydration occurs when your body loses more fluids than it takes in. When this occurs, the balance of minerals in the body is upset which affects the way that the body functions.

In most cases dehydration is the result of not drinking enough fluid to replace the fluid that has been lost from the body. Fluid loss can be a result of many factors such as:

  • the weather, especially staying in the sun too long
  • sweating as a result of undertaking physical activity, especially in hot weather
  • your diet
  • drinking too much alcohol
  • taking diuretic medications that increase your need to pass urine

Dehydration can also occur because of an illness, such as:

  • sweating from a fever
  • persistent vomiting and diarrhoea
  • suffering diabetes.

 

Symptoms Of Dehydration To Look Out For

 Some of the warning signs of dehydration in an adult include:

  • feeling thirsty
  • experiencing dizziness or light-headedness
  • dark yellow and strong smelling urine
  • passing less urine
  • fatigue
  • dry mouth, lips, eyes or skin
  • bad breath
  • constipation and other digestive problems
  • headaches
  • muscle cramps

If symptoms of dehydration persist, even after drinking plenty of fluids you should visit your GP. Severe dehydration can be serious, and you should seek medical advice straight away if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • extreme thirst
  • feeling unusually tired (lethargic) or confused
  • not passing urine for eight hours
  • rapid heartbeat
  • dizziness when you stand up that doesn’t go away after a few seconds

 

How To Prevent Dehydration

The Eatwell Guide recommends drinking 6 to 8 cups of fluid a day. This could be water, lower fat milks and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee. Eating food with a high water content is also beneficial.

It is important to keep your fluid intake up if you have been vomiting, sweating or have diarrhoea

If you experience any symptoms of dehydration then:

  • drink fluids as recommended above
  • start with small sips if you find it hard to drink or you have been vomiting or feel nauseous
  • drink enough fluids throughout the day so that your urine changes to a pale clear colour

 

Back Pain And Dehydration

As has been mentioned previously, good spinal health relies on good levels of hydration. Your spine and structure of your back is made up of a surprising amount of water. Therefore, dehydration, can impact on the health of your spine and back, as with other major systems within your body.

If you are dehydrated, you may begin to experience general soreness in your back, reduced mobility, bulging or herniated discs and back pain.

 

Visiting Our Stoke Chiropractors

If you are suffering back pain, our chiropractors at City Chiropractic Clinic in Stoke are here to help find the cause of your back pain and put a treatment in plan that can help resolve your pain. You can book an appointment with one of our team by calling our clinic on 01782 848 184 or you can book an appointment online on our website here.