Dehydration is understood by most people as the simple concept of the body not having enough water for optimal functioning. The causes, symptoms, and remedies can be a little more complex than this, but most people understand that if you are dehydrated, your body does not have enough water and to fix this the answer is to, well, drink water! Dehydration is commonly though not well understood. Just ask hydration experts Synergy Science, who say that something many people don’t know is that it can fall into two different categories – chronic and acute dehydration.
Of the two, you can probably guess that chronic dehydration is the more serious. This is indeed normally the case, as it results from not drinking enough water on a daily basis. Moreover, the symptoms that develop become chronic symptoms, often lasting for a while and only disappearing after an extended and rigorous hydration routine.
Acute hydration on the other hand, is simply suffering from dehydration on account of being caught out suddenly with not enough water in your system. An example of this would be beginning to feel dizzy and weak after walking on a hot day for some time without access to any water.
Nevertheless, while chronic dehydration is undoubtedly the more serious of the two, acute dehydration can be plenty severe if you go too long without a drink. Without getting too morbid, you can die if you go without water for too long. This will happen to even the most rigorous hydrator caught out in such a situation. This would technically be an example of acute dehydration – but it is certainly serious!
Severe Acute Dehydration
There may come a time in your life when you do become seriously dehydrated over a relatively short time span. In such a situation, you can begin to suffer some profoundly serious health effects indeed. There is only one remedy for this – hydrate fast.
Because severe dehydration only occurs in situations where you would expect to be a little dehydrated, the normal symptoms do not really apply – “Well of course I’m going to feel thirsty, I’ve been walking along this dirt track for five hours now without a drink”. Accordingly, what you need to look out for are the symptoms of severe dehydration, and then how to hydrate fast.
Symptoms of Severe Acute Hydration
Your Skin Becomes (Very) Dry
While you might not notice the dry skin which results from mild dehydration (most people expect to be sweaty), when your lips start cracking you know it is time to get some fluids.
You Feel (Very) Dizzy and Lightheaded
Once you start feeling properly dizzy and lightheaded, when the world begins to spin a bit and you do not feel secure on your own two feet, this is sign that you need rapid hydration.
Your Urine is (Very) Dark
There is a hydration color chart when it comes to urine, and it is one of the best ways to tell when you are dehydrated. Once it approaches a shade of nut brown or darker, you are in trouble.
Hydrate Fast
While water is the optimal hydration solution, you should also bear in mind that that even this can be optimized. It is best to seek out other water products. Hydrogen water, for example, offers more rapid and through hydration, and electrolyte hydration drinks are sure to replace lost salts which are essential for retaining hydration within the body. These, and not just plain water, are the true optimal solutions for when severe acute dehydration comes a calling. We hope you are never in this situation – but better safe than sorry.
