Been real busy at work recently and admittedly not drinking enough water. I keep waking up at 4 in the morning with cotton mouth and diarrhea. My friend said Its just dehydration drink more water.
SO my question is, is diarrhea a symptom of dehydration and how? I thought we got water from food so wouldn’t my body try to asorb all of that making me constipated instead?
Bonus question – what is diarrhea?
In: Biology
Its the other way round if you are shooting liquid out of your bum it will make you dehydrated.
Your friend has it reversed. Dehydration is often a symptom of diarrhea. Diarrhea is when the water in the foods/beverages that you consume isn’t fully absorbed into your bloodstream through your intestines, and ends up getting pooped out. So you’re not getting as hydrated as your should be from the fluids that you’re taking in.
If you’re suffering from constant diarrhea, you should see a doctor.
There is a common condition called runners diarrhea which is associated with long periods of time on your feet and walking/running. If you experience diarrhea regularly you have two options: either fix the root cause of your diarrhea or at the very least make sure you don’t die from it.
If you choose the second option: make sure you drink plenty of water and eat plenty of nutritious food. If you work long shifts without the opportunity to eat you should stop drinking regular water and drink isotonic water: basically add a little bit of salt to your water. Not even enough to taste. Chemically, isotonic is a 0.9%NaCl AKA normal saline in the medical world. Google how to make this solution yourself. Note: it’s better to add too little salt than too much. Never drink distilled water if you have diarrhea. If you choose to purchase isotonic solution it is commonly referred to as Gatorade / electrolyte drink.
If you are able to eat make sure you drink regular water.
To answer your questions: no diarrhea is not a symptom of dehydration. However, dehydration is a symptom of diarrhea.
Normally your body pumps water out of your intestines, however, sometimes when you are standing/walking/running the jiggling (for lack of a better term) of the shit in your intestines makes it come out faster than your body can absorb the water out of it leading to watery shit.
It seems to me that for your condition to be fully resolved, you may need to take medications that facilitate faster water reabsorption or that slow down bowel motion to give enough time for water reabsorption.
If you are prescribed painkiller opioids for any reason that can have a constipating effect to counteract your diarrhea, however you would need a valid reason to get them and diarrhea is not one. However, you can get non-painkiller opioids that are not “druggy pills” like loperamide over the counter.
Always consult your doctor before taking any medication and or following any of this advice.
Latest Answers