The many ways dehydration may manifest can be grouped into two categories: minor and severe. Signs such as dry mouth, swollen tongue, low urine output, deep yellow-colored urine, thirst, sweaty palms, and headaches may be categorized as minor dehydration. Most times, minor dehydration is confused for hunger, and some headaches caused by dehydration are relieved by the water the sufferer drinks when taking a pill for the headache. That means the pill loads up in the liver.
Severe dehydration may appear in weakness, seizures, chest or abdominal pains, fainting, dizziness, confusion, decreased sweating or inability to sweat, sluggishness, difficulty breathing, and weight loss.
It is worthy of note that dehydration, whether minor or severe, is a serious condition. Minor dehydration is easier to treat or reverse, while severe dehydration requires professional attention.
As a general rule, seek professional help if:
Body temperature exceeds 100F
There are seizures, chest or abdominal pains, difficulty breathing, dizziness, or no urination in a 10-hour period.
These signs may be symptoms of more serious conditions. Medical care professionals check vital signs: heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing to determine the degree of dehydration.
The deal here is that the heart works harder to pump the thick blood, caused by low water in blood. When this happens, not enough blood gets to the brain and so the person feels dizzy. A simple test is performed to determine this condition:
The pulse and blood pressure is taken with the person lying or seated, and taken after the person stands up for about a minute. Normally, the heart rate speeds up and returns to normal where there is no dehydration. It does not return back to normal if there is. Dizziness and sometimes fainting results in cases of severe dehydration.
See ways to avoid, treat, or reverse dehydration on our tips page.