Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when there is an excessive loss of water from the body. It can be due to several factors which include taking in of alcoholic beverages, too much sweating and diarrhea. It is a potentially dangerous but generally preventable condition. Recognizing its symptoms and knowing how to prevent them are key to preventing the condition from becoming worse. So read on this section and learn how to recognize and prevent Dehydration.
Symptoms
The first obvious symptoms of dehydration are weakness, thirst, and passing small amount of very concentrated urine. Aside from that, the patient will also have a decreased blood pressure and dizziness. In extreme cases, this may progress to drowsiness, inability to stand upright without fainting, and finally, coma.
Actually, feeling thirsty is already a sign that you are dehydrated. It is therefore advised that you keep on taking in fluids especially when engaging in physically demanding activities so that you can replenish the water loss due to sweating.
Prevention
It is easy to forget how much fluid you are losing through perspiration, especially if there is a strong breeze that is drying your skin very quickly. As already mentioned above, a good fluid intake should always be maintained - you can never take too much liquid. A minimum of 3 liters a day is recommended, although up to 5 liters is better.
Aside from sweating, it is also particularly important to maintain a reasonable fluid intake if you are suffering from diarrhea or vomiting. If fluid loss is severe, use an oral rehydrating solution as well. If you are not in the state to keep down any fluids then you should be not Climbing at all.
Athletes have a method of approximating if they already need to take in fluids by looking at the color of their urine. A dark urine is an indication that they are dehydrated and therefore drink fluids until their urine clears up. While it is commonly used by athletes, you also might want to try it for yourself when you are at the outdoors.
We hope that this section helps you in understanding dehydration better and knowing how to prevent it. Being equipped with these knowledge is important because when you are at the outdoors, immediate help is hard to come by so you might as well avoid situations that will put your life in danger such as dehydration.
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Basics & Backgrounds
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