If your body loses too much water it 'dehydrates'. If you are a baby or a small child, dehydration can be dangerous and cause problems very quickly.
Being a teenager, it is not that dangerous in the short run, but it will still have an influence on your performance, so it is better for you body to stay hydrated.
One of the places where dehydration takes place easily is when you exercise without taking fluids in intervals while exercising and also on a very hot day.
You can become dehydrated in other ways also besides from exercising.
If you have a stomach 'bug' and you vomit or have diarrhea you will lose a lot of water. It is very important that you keep on taking in fluids. You can also dehydrate when you have a flu. Maybe you have a soar throat and you do not feel like eating or drinking anything and in turn your body is losing water.
If you start feeling thirsty, it means your body has already started becoming dehydrated. Other symptoms you may also experience are feeling dizzy, having a very dry mouth and your urine will also be very dark.
If you start feeling these symptoms, you need to know that you have to replace the lost fluids in your body. Drinking water is the best way to do it, so drink as much as you need and take a break in the shade until you feel better. This will give your body time to replenish the lost fluids.
It is always better to prevent dehydration, before it starts.
If you know you are going to exercise a lot, make sure you keep some water with you that you can take regular water breaks.
If it is going to be a hot day and you know you will spend a lot of time in the sun, make sure you do not dress too warm and also keep enough fluids with you.
If you have a 'gastrointestinal infection' ( a bug in your stomach) you will most probably not feel like eating or drinking anything, but try and take a few sips of water every half an hour, to try and get liquids into your body. If you cannot hold down any liquids, it is better to visit the doctor so that he/she can put you on a drip to replenish the fluids in your body.
Dehydration can be dangerous
Just a mild case of dehydration, like when you have been running around for a while and getting very thirsty before you drink water, will not do any harm, but if you continue to dehydrate and not take in any liquids, it can cause harm to your body and organs.
Water is very important for our body and brain to function properly. It also keeps us cool when we sweat and makes up a huge part of blood. Water can also play a role in maintaining your weight and keeping you in overall good health.
Your body uses water in all its cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily functions. Because your body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it's important to hydrate by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water.
Read here for more information on how much water you need to take in daily.
It is not possible for people to live much longer than 3 days without water, even if we can go without food for much longer, so do not forget to 'hydrate' as often as possible.
You do not only have to drink water (even though it is the healthiest) you can take in other types of fluids and eat fruits and vegetables that also contains water.