What Is Dehydration?

Dehydration happens to the body any time the body loses more fluid than it receives. Even if you aren’t taking in water or hydrating yourself, your body is still expelling water as it moves out of individual cells and out of the body. 

Our bodies are even expelling water as we exhale and through other means, such as sweat, urine, and stool. It  is crucial to our body and our ability to function properly.. In fact, 75% of our body weight is  water, therefore it is important to be mindful of how much you consume and signals you could be dehydrated.

How do I know if I’m dehydrated?

Dehydration signs include dizziness or lightheadedness, darkened urine or strong-smelling urine, and extreme thirst. 

Concerned that you may be dehydrated? Our emergency certified physicians and staff are standing by. Schedule a visit at any of our three facilities or use our virtual care for fast, convenient medical care.

Can dehydration cause nausea and vomiting? 

Yes. Dehydration can cause disorientation and headaches, which often lead to nausea and/or vomiting. Continue reading for more in-depth information on the stages of dehydration. 

Three Stages of Dehydration

#1 Mild

This stage is easily resolvable if you take in fluids, water, or electrolytes that were lost during activity. Symptoms most associated with mild dehydration are thirst, dry mouth, and darkening urine.

How to treat mild dehydration: drink water or fluids with electrolytes -- cool water for individuals in warm or hot environments. 

#2 Moderate

Moderate dehydration can also be identified by excessive thirst and a dry or sticky mouth. But it also comes with symptoms such as infrequent urination, unusually dark yellow urine, dry skin, headaches, and muscle cramps. You may notice the skin on your hands is dry or even stiff. 

How to treat moderate dehydration: like mild dehydration, moderate dehydration can often be reversed by drinking more water or liquids with electrolytes.

#3 Severe

Severe dehydration is a medical emergency and care should be sought right away. Symptoms pointing to severe dehydration include shock, sunken eyes, listlessness, dizziness, confusion, irritability, and shriveled skin. If you’re experiencing severe dehydration, you might not be urinating at all and if you do, it’s very dark yellow or amber in color.

How to treat severe dehydration: for severe dehydration treatment, please consult your physician as soon as possible. 

Causes of Dehydration

Dehydration happens for several reasons, some of which include: 

• Not enough fluids in the body
• Over-exercising 
• Vomiting 
• Severe diarrhea
• High fever

If you’re concerned that you may have mild to severe dehydration, our physicians and emergency trained providers can help you. Our staff and facilities are more than capable of assessing, diagnosing, and treating dehydration to get you back on your feet.

Are You Experiencing Nausea?

Nausea is unpleasant and can quickly escalate and ruin your day. The causes of nausea are widespread and it is often a symptom of another medical issue. Here are some possible sources of your nausea:

• Stomach flu
• Motion sickness
• Morning sickness
• Migraine/dizziness
• Alcohol misuse
• Depression
• Food poisoning
• Middle ear infection
• High fever
• Meningitis

Most nausea can be treated with over-the-counter medicines or other treatments previously discussed with your doctor. However, if your nausea is persistent or is accompanied by other symptoms like fainting, high fever, chest pain, or blurred vision, it’s time to seek medical care.

Why does water make me nauseous? 

Water nausea can occur for a few reasons. Drinking too much water at one time can cause stomach expansion and irritate the stomach membrane, which can result in nausea and vomiting. In other cases, water nausea may be the result of drinking on an empty stomach, dehydration, or drinking contaminated water. In rarer cases, a disease or infection may cause nausea after drinking liquids.

Living near the Twin Cities and experiencing nausea? Our physicians will be able to see you quicker than if you went to a typical urgent care. Don’t wait around, ignoring your symptoms, when you need medical attention as soon as possible.

What to Know About Vomiting

Much like dehydration and nausea, the cause of vomiting can be difficult to pinpoint. Oftentimes, nausea and vomiting go hand in hand. Vomiting can come in waves and through involuntary contractions in the walls of the stomach. The contents of vomit are always from the stomach, although coughing up mucus from the lungs can be confused with vomiting.

Both nausea and vomiting are controlled by the part of the brain responsible for involuntary bodily functions. Many of the causes of nausea are the same as those of vomiting:

• Food poisoning
• Stomach flu
• Severe migraine
• Motion sickness
• Alcohol misuse

Vomiting can also be a side effect of cancer, tumors, or eating disorders among many other reasons. 

If you’re unsure what is causing your vomiting, or if it is persistent and uncontrollable, come to The Urgency Room. We can assess and treat those who are vomiting to help quell the action and start you on your road to recovery.

The Urgency Room can get you back on your feet fast!

The Urgency Room fills the gap between urgent care and emergency care—especially for instances of dehydration, nausea, and vomiting. Staffed by board-certified physicians and providers, our standalone facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment to treat your injuries, ailments, and illnesses.

Try Our Online Care Option

We also offer telehealth services for individuals who would rather stay at home for their appointment. You might be surprised by how many symptoms may be treated via online care. We see patients virtually for a number of reasons, including nausea, vomiting, COVID-related symptoms, and more. 

Open 365 Days a Year, Including Holidays

Schedule an appointment at any of our three locations, open 365 days a year, including holidays, from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Our telehealth services are available  from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Situated in Woodbury, Vadnais Heights, and Eagan, The Urgency Room is the quick and convenient alternative to overcrowded and understaffed emergency rooms for residents throughout the Twin Cities.

Owned and operated by the Emergency Physicians Professional Association (EPPA), our physicians and staff have the experience and know-how to get you expert medical care when it’s most urgent. Everything we need to treat infants to adults for coughs and chronic pain to broken bones is on-site and ready at the helm.

After Care

Not only can we help you in our facility, but we can help you at home, too. With our extensive library of after-care videos, you can learn how to take care of yourself after you’ve left our physicians. Our first priority is your health and well-being.