5 Diseases Caused by Drinking Less Water & How to Prevent Them

Mica Sood, Pediatric NP at Tangipahoa Community Health Center in Hammond, LA, says that drinking adequate amounts of water is essential for maintaining hydration as it helps to improve the function of your brain, heart and muscles.

The top five benefits of drinking water include –

• Drinking water relieves fatigue and increases energy
• It promotes weight loss
• Water flushes out the waste and toxins from the body
• It improves the complexion of the skin
• Water helps in the digestion of foods and prevents constipation

Drinking water helps in the overall functioning of the human body. Therefore, every individual needs to drink an adequate amount of water daily to avoid the diseases caused by drinking less water.

The diseases caused by drinking less water and their symptoms are –

1. Eczema

A human body requires an adequate amount of water for sweating out 500-700 ml of water. The sweat secreted by the sweat glands, carry out the toxins and waste from our body. If you do not drink enough water, these waste products do not come out of the body and cause skin irritation such as eczema. 

Symptoms – Dry and itchy skin, bumps on the skin, red rashes, scaly and leathery patches of skin, crusting skin and swelling.

2. Fluctuation in Blood Pressure

Not drinking enough water hampers blood circulation in our bodies. The circulatory system needs an adequate amount of water for overall functioning. 

Symptoms – Severe headaches, nosebleeds, fatigue, chest pain, vision problems, irregular heartbeat, blood in urine, and difficulty breathing.

3. Urine Infection

One of the significant side effects of drinking less water is urine infection. 

Symptoms – Burning sensation during urination, dark and smelly urine, strong urge to urinate and urine appears cloudy.

4. Gastritis and Ulcers

When the body is dehydrated, the production of digestive juices is lower. This results in diseases like gastritis and ulcers. 

Symptoms – Nausea, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, indigestion, burning feeling in the stomach, hiccups and loss of appetite.

5. Obesity

Due to the lack of water, there is a loss of energy, and the body feels tired. To cater to this feeling, we tend to eat more, leading to weight gain. 

Symptoms – Excess body fat, shortness of breath, snoring, trouble sleeping and not being able to perform simple physical tasks.

In this section, we are going to throw some light on the harmful effects diseases caused due to drinking less water - 

• Eczema – Higher odds of skin and other infections, depression, anxiety, sepsis and infection in the cornea of the eye may lead to blindness.
• Fluctuating blood pressure – Atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke.
• Urine Infection – Recurrent infections, kidney damages, kidney scars and hypertension.
• Gastritis and Ulcers – Stomach ulcer, stomach bleeding, stomach cancer anaemia, MALT lymphoma, stricture, renal problems, bowel obstruction and gastric cancer.
• Obesity – Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, sleep apnea, hypertension, liver and gallbladder diseases and certain cancers.

Understanding the signs that you are not drinking enough water is the key to preventing the diseases caused by drinking less water. Following are the telltale signs that you are not drinking enough water –

• Persistent bad breath
• Fatigue
• Frequent illness
• Constipation
• Poor health of the skin
• Sugar cravings
• Decreased urination 

Let us see how to diagnose the diseases arising due to drinking less water –

• Eczema – There is no lab test to diagnose eczema. The doctor will identify the disease by reviewing the patient's medical history and examining the skin.
• Fluctuating blood pressure – The doctor diagnoses fluctuating blood pressure by simply checking your blood pressure.
• Urine infection – Medical experts identify the disease by analyzing the patient’s urine sample under a microscope.
• Gastritis and ulcers – A series of X-rays, known as endoscopy, is used to identify ulcers. Doctors use upper GI endoscopy to diagnose gastritis. 
• Obesity – The Body Mass Index is used to diagnose obesity. Generally, if anyone has a BMI of thirty and above, he/she has obesity. 

The diseases caused by drinking less water can be treated in the following ways –

• Eczema – Moisturizing the skin twice a day, applying anti-itching cream to the affected regions, avoiding scratching, taking warm baths and using mild soaps without perfumes or dyes.
• Fluctuating blood pressure – Losing weight, exercising daily, consuming less sodium, avoiding stress, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake and cutting down on tobacco.
• Urine infection – Antibiotics and cranberry juice.
• Gastritis and ulcers – Taking antacids to reduce stomach pain, avoiding spicy and hot foods, vitamin B12 shots, proton pump inhibitors, triple therapy, bismuth and H2 blockers.
• Obesity – Healthy and balanced diet, daily physical activity, weight-management programs, weight-loss medicines and bariatric surgery

The side effects of drinking less water can be prevented by drinking adequate amounts of fluid every day. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine suggest that an adult male should drink 3.7 litres of water daily. In contrast, an adult woman should drink at least 2.7 litres of the same every day to avoid discrepancies due to lack of water consumption.

Bowel movement, precipitation, breathing and urination causes loss of water from the human body. Therefore, it is essential to replenish the loss of water by drinking an adequate amount of fluid every day. This helps in the smooth and proper functioning of all the body parts. Failing to abide by this can lead to the aforementioned diseases caused by drinking less water.