Dehydration headaches are a sign that the body is being deprived of the fluids needed to function at a healthy level. Experts warn that symptoms of dehydration should not be ignored as they may lead to more serious symptoms and conditions. Besides dehydration headaches, individuals operating on low hydration levels may experience life-threatening symptoms affecting the heart and other organs.
Anytime an individual has been ill and has recently experienced a high fever, as well as diarrhea or vomiting, this person has also suffered a loss of valuable bodily fluids. This person will most likely experience dehydration headaches if he or she does not drink replenishing fluids while convalescing. Children who do not yet understand the importance of replenishing fluids may refuse to eat or drink when nausea or loss of appetite occurs due to illness. Doctors and other health experts, however, insist that parents must give a child plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration headaches and other related symptoms.
Besides headaches, symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, an inability to produce tears, lethargy, muscle fatigue, muscle soreness and very little or nonexistent urine output. Although an underlying illness causing nausea may also be the possible cause of dehydration, the state of being dangerously low in water and bodily fluids can also produce vomiting and diarrhea. On top of dehydration headaches and other symptoms, dehydration that is allowed to persist eventually results in low blood pressure, a rapid heart rate, fainting and an increase in the likelihood of a person going into shock as a result of all of these symptoms.
Heat exhaustion symptoms are also closely related to dehydration effects. These symptoms occur as the result of being exposed to extremely hot temperatures for a prolonged period of time. As a result, sweating, pale skin, extreme thirst, muscle cramps, stomach cramps, fainting and headache are likely to occur. If symptoms are ignored, a person suffering heat exhaustion may suffer heat stroke, which may result in a heart attack. Heat exhaustion may also lead to seizures or a person may lapse into a coma.
Dehydration headaches are among the earliest signals that bodily fluids are getting dangerously low. Other early signs of dehydration include irritability and confusion. Hydrating with water at this stage can often reverse symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening and affecting other organs, which will begin a slow and painful process of shutting down if dehydration is not immediately and properly treated.
