Dehydration: Dizziness and rapid heartbeat are symptoms of dehydration

Created: 08/04/2022Updated: 08/04/2022 17:25

By: Natalie Hull Drawbar

Hydration is important, especially if you sweat a lot.

If the body suffers from an excessive lack of liquid, there is a risk of shock.

Normally a person drinks when they are thirsty - most of us recognize the need in time and give in to it.

But there can be situations in which people don't drink enough because they don't have the opportunity or even forget to drink due to external circumstances such as being on the go.

This can happen especially in older people, as the feeling of thirst decreases with age – but the physical need for liquid does not decrease.

If the body loses more fluids than it regains from drinking, there can be signs of developing dehydration, which in the worst case can lead to a coma and death.

The feeling of thirst can even be trained with a very simple trick!

Dehydration: Dizziness and rapid heartbeat are symptoms of dehydration

If you drink too little, a budding dehydration can become noticeable through, for example, circulatory problems and dizziness.

(Iconic image) © AntonioGuillem/Imago

Dehydration describes the dehydration of the body, which becomes noticeable with the onset of certain symptoms.

If these are not recognized and interpreted in good time, in the worst case there can be a risk of death.

Dehydration of 12 percent or more can lead to serious complications such as shock and coma, which is ultimately fatal - normally the body of an adult is 70 percent water and a baby's body is 85 percent water.

In order to meet this need, adults are recommended to drink two to three liters of water per day - preferably not just tap water.

By the way: Our urine also shows us whether we are drinking enough.

In addition to not drinking enough water, the causes of dehydration can also be diarrhoea, vomiting, blood loss or acute kidney failure.

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Symptoms of early dehydration can include:

• thirst

• headache

• circulatory problems

• dizziness

• Dry skin, standing skin folds

• Dry mucous membranes

• Dark yellow urine or reduced urine output

• sunken eyes

• Low blood pressure

• tachycardia

• State of shock with disturbances of consciousness such as lethargy, confusion

• Circulatory collapse as in allergic shock

• Delirium to the point of coma

If you tend to drink too little due to a lack of thirst or simply forget to drink, the following simple trick can help:

Train thirst - be reminded to drink

Set an alarm that goes off every 30 minutes every day for four consecutive days.

As soon as the alarm goes off, drink three to four sips of water.

As a result of this training, the body gets used to regular drinking and almost automatically develops and triggers a feeling of thirst - even if you no longer set an alarm for drinking.

This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication.

In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor.

Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.