The causes of dehydration are strewn on many pages of Healthy Water. This page collects them under one umbrella, a sort of a super page on 25 dehydration causes.
1)Contamination is one of the causes of dehydration because our bodies have to eliminate toxins normally thru urine. More toxins = more elimination = more dehydration
2)Breathing uses up lots of water which is one reason why we awaken dehydrated. Just breath onto a mirror to see evidence of the loss of fluids occuring during normal breathing.
3)Digestion shouldn’t be a surprising answer to what causes dehydration.
4)Sweating is just another form of elimination. An intense physical workout in warm weather, can use up more water than you can possibly absorb & constitutes one of the major dehydration causes in warm weather.
5)Fever is one of the causes of dehydration especially affecting the young & elderly.
6)Aging is one of the unavoidable dehydration causes or, it is likely that dehydration also causes aging. They certainly go together. Could it be that the master switch for aging is dehydration?
7)Diarrhea primarily effects the young, especially children in undeveloped countries & is a major cause of dehydration.
8)Medications: Most medications dehydrate to some extent or more.
9)Obesity: One of the surprising causes of dehydration, but it takes more water for a heavier person to complete basic physical processes.
10)Infections, like contaminants, force the body to eliminate through urination or perspiration.
11)Diet (certain ones): Ones high in fast food, processed, snacks, overly preserved, containing little water, alcohol, caffeine, sugar is a major dehydration cause.
12)Stress puts your body in overdrive which burning up vital resources including water.
13)High altitude is a well known environmental dehydration source.
14)Too much salt, often found in fast foods & snacks draws water out of our bodies. However, some salt, good, natural sea salt, is needed to keep cells healthfully plumped with water.
15)Growing during the 2 major growth spurts of early infancy & adolescence uses up our resources including water.
16)Vomiting a feature in many illnesses, is yet another form of liquid elimination.
17)Pregnancy is a stage that is resource intensive. Add to this the role of the mother in providing nourishment for a growing fetus & the stage is set for constant dehydration.
18)Lack of salt may strike you as one of the unlikeliest causes of dehydration but the fact is that without salt and other vital elements, the body cannot store needed water.
19)Decreased thirst sensation occurs as we age resulting in less water being consumed.
20)Chronic illness also taxes the body so much that dehydration is the inevitable result.
21)Sun exposure also burns up water during exposure & for several hours afterward.
22)Burns, as in burn victims, force the body to use a lot of water to try & heal.
23)Elimination of too much water before it is used is one of the causes of dehydration, especially during intense workouts but also when a person who is chronically dehydrated increases water intake too suddenly. The body needs to adjust to the extra water to properly use it.
24)Cells not absorbing enough water for various reasons. Basically, we cannot be fully hydrated unless our very cells are hydrated.
For example, high cholesterol results in firmer cell walls, less permeable walls, which makes it more difficult for cells to absorb water.
25)Last but not least, not drinking enough water. We emphasize, water, just water.
P.S. A reader suggested I forgot to include breastfeeding as another cause of dehydration. Thanks & consider it included.