Ironman triathlons are extreme endurance challenges that test your physical limits. With a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycling race and full marathon, the race provides many opportunities to sweat valuable fluids. Fluid loss affects many organs, including your ears.

Dehydration is a medical condition caused by inadequate fluid levels within the body. If left untreated, dehydration can be a life-threatening condition—especially in infants and toddlers.

People of all ages can develop dehydration from excess fluid loss, but newborns, in particular, are more at risk of developing the condition. Dehydration is the result of losing more fluids--through sweat, vomiting or diarrhea--than you are taking in.

Dry skin can occur for many reasons. Sometimes, it can be genetic, forcing individuals to deal with the chronic problems associated with dehydrated, dry and irritated skin. It is common for dry skin to be sensitive and sometimes painful, often becoming flaky and itchy.

The dehydrator was first introduced in 1795 in France as an appliance for drying fruits and vegetables. What manufacturers specify as the use of a dehydrator has come a long way since then.

Dehydrating banana slices preserves the taste and nutrients while providing food for road trips, camping or basic snacking. A dehydrator is just one way to dry foods such as bananas. Once the water extraction is complete, you are left with crunchy pieces suitable for snacking.

Excessive thirst is characterized as having the urge to drink more fluids than necessary. This is commonly referred to as polydipsia and is not considered to be normal in toddlers. A toddler that exhibits symptoms of excessive fluid consumption will often also urinate on frequent basis.

Dehydration is a potentially serious condition where your body loses too much water and it is not replaced sufficiently. Often, dehydration causes other sicknesses, especially heat-related illness like heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

Drying sausage is one way of preserving it without impacting its nutritional value. Dehydrated sausage makes a nutritionally-dense snack, or you can rehydrate it to take the place of regular sausage in soups and stews.

Maintaining optimal hydration is essential for the body to function correctly, especially during exercise or in hot weather. If you have become dehydrated, it is important to restore your body's water balance as soon as possible. Just drinking a lot of water, however, is not usually sufficient.

When your body loses dramatically more fluids than you take in, or drink, you will suffer from dehydration. Mild to moderate dehydration is treated by increasing the amount of fluids you drink; however, severe dehydration is a life threatening condition that warrants a trip to the emergency room.