What Is Dehydration Headaches
How Common Are Headaches?
Headaches are one of the most common disorders occurring in different age groups. Headaches not only make people suffer but also result in economic burdens and disability. Headaches impair people’s ability to work productively, and even cause disability in severe cases.
There are over 150 types of headache disorders. According to the World Health Organization （W.H.O), more women (50%) than men (30%) suffer from tension-type headaches. In contrast, 1 in 7 adults suffers from migraine headaches in the world. The common types of headaches are migraine headaches, tension headaches, cluster headaches, sinus headaches and dehydration headaches.
What Is Dehydration Headaches?
Many people have experienced dehydration headaches. Dehydration headaches are literally triggered by water loss. Mild to moderate dehydration could lead to dehydration headaches.
The location of dehydration headaches can occur all most everywhere on the head especially the sides of the head. Any physical activities such as bending forward and walking in serious cases can probably worsen the headaches.
Causes For Dehydration
The brain is one of the most important and complex organs in the human body. The brain is also the most energy-consumable organ. In order to maintain brain function, it requires a relatively stable blood supply to provide oxygen and nutrients.
The amount of blood supply to different organs will redistribute based on the body’s status such as exercise and sleep. However, the blood flow to the brain will remain the same no matter what the body’s status is.
Dehydration occurs when the body reduces water intake or loses body fluid to a certain extent. Vomiting, diarrhea, heavy sweating, heatstroke and other diseases can lead to dehydration and reduce blood volume. These conditions can highly increase the risk of dehydration and accompany to loss of essential electrolytes such as sodium and potassium.
Enough sodium is needed in the blood in order to retain water balance. The level of potassium can affect heart function. Low blood potassium levels can cause palpitations.
In serious cases, the heart cannot function properly. Irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia can happen. For infants and young children, diarrheal diseases from virus infection are common.
The sustainable and stable blood supply to the brain requires normal blood volume and blood pressure from the heart pumps. Fluid loss and electrolytes alter the normal blood volume and pressure. It causes the feeling of “handover” (lightheaded) or dehydration headaches.
Symptoms Of Dehydration
The degrees of tolerance to dehydration among individuals are different. Apart from dehydration headaches, associated symptoms will appear. The presentation of dehydration for infants and young children will be different from adults. Dehydration headaches may not be the first symptom to appear.
The early signs of dehydration are feeling thirsty and having dark yellow coloured urine. The human body in this status attempts to increase fluid intake and retain more water.
The List Of Symptoms Of Dehydration:
Adults
Feels thirsty
Urinates dark yellow coloured and concentrated pee
Has a dry mouth, lips and eyes
Feels dizziness or headaches
Feels fatigued
Reduces the number of urine
Infants or young children
Has dry mouths and tongues
Has no tears when crying
Has restless or irritable behaviour
Has sunken eyes and sunken fontanelle (infants)
Has no wet diapers for three hours
Treatment And Prevention Of Dehydration Headaches
Staying hydrated is the key point for prevention. Normally, 8 glasses of water or around 2 litres daily are recommended in order to keep good hydration. If you experience dehydration headaches, the first thing you need to do is to find out the cause.
The cause of less water intake can simply drink enough water to increase blood volume. However, conditions such as vomiting and diarrhea result in the loss of plenty of body fluid and electrolytes.
An increase in pure water intake could worsen the electrolyte balance. Complications of electrolyte disturbance can occur and become a life-threatening condition.
Replacing lost electrolytes and fluid is vital to avoid this situation and improve dehydration headaches. Sports drink has all electrolytes that the body loses through sweat. If dehydration still exists, please seek medical help.
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