Verdict: TRUE.
Water is essential for the functioning of the entire body. When losses become greater than intake, different symptoms gradually appear.
Among them are headaches, dizziness, but also nausea.
By reducing blood volume, dehydration reduces the perfusion of certain organs, particularly the brain. This reduction can explain the feeling of discomfort that sometimes accompanies episodes of lack of water.
Extreme heat, vomiting, diarrhea, intense physical activity or even heavy alcohol consumption are among the main risk situations.
The famous “hangover” illustrates this phenomenon well. After excessive alcohol consumption, headaches are often accompanied by nausea, partly because the body is dehydrated.
Elderly people are particularly at risk. With age, the feeling of thirst decreases, which leads to a sometimes significant water deficit even before the person feels the need to drink.
Specialists therefore recommend not waiting until you are thirsty to hydrate, especially in hot weather.
On the other hand, nausea is obviously not always linked to a lack of water. Gastroenteritis, migraine, certain medications or many other illnesses can also cause them.
The context therefore remains decisive.
A person who experiences nausea after several hours of exposure to heat or after prolonged exercise is not in the same situation as a person with significant abdominal pain or a high fever.
Good hydration is a simple but essential action. It sometimes helps prevent small symptoms from becoming more serious.
Advice from Dr Gérald Kierzek
Signs of dehydration include thirst, dry mouth or tongue, dry lips, unusual tiredness, scanty, dark urine, dizziness, headache, and, if it gets worse, confusion or drowsiness.