Dehydration happens when someone loses more fluid than they take in. The risk is higher in very hot or humid conditions so make sure you are sipping lots of water at regular intervals and taking other measures to stay cool.
Possible causes include:
excess sweating during exercise or sport
prolonged exposure to the sun or hot/humid conditions
sweating from a raised body temperature - for example, due to a fever
loss of fluid from severe or persistent diarrhoea and vomiting.
Signs and symptoms
How to spot dehydration:
There are four key things to look for if someone is suffering from dehydration:
They may complain of headaches and light-headedness
Dry mouth, eyes, and lips
Passing only infrequent amounts of darker urine
Have muscle cramps
Special attention should be paid to babies and young children. In addition to the above, dehydration may show as pale or mottled skin, sunken eyes, absence of tears when crying, or significantly reduced wet nappies. Young children can deteriorate quickly. Older people and those with long-term health conditions may also be more at risk of dehydration during hot weather.
