Things we’ll be talking about:
Why is water regulation important?
Water regulation is important as it helps to maintain all the systems within the human and makes sure they are functioning properly. A person loses and gains water every day, this is fine as long as the water balance within the body stays at a constant level. If a person gains more water than they lose then this is called a positive water balance. But if a person loses more water than they gain then this is called a negative water balance. If a person was to gain or lose more water than necessary then this can become a big issue as the osmotic pressure could become too much for the cells or vessels to handle …show more content…
which may cause them to burst.
What are the mechanisms of water regulation?
Homeostatic control mechanisms: the thirst mechanism is when the osmolarity of your blood increases; this means that there is less water and more solutes, this is then detected by the osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus which causes you to become thirsty.
You will then drink water so your body can gain more water in the blood to get back to the right water balance.
When the osmoreceptors detect the change in osmotic pressure this increases the hormone ADH (antidiuretic hormone) which then causes the kidneys to retain some of the fluid, so the water level within the body can stay at the level it should.
What are the consequences if the mechanism fails?
If these mechanisms fail then you can become dehydrated due to the fact that the osmoreceptors are not detecting any change in the osmotic pressure. If you become dehydrated due to the mechanisms failing your organs could start to fail, which could lead to your death.
What happens during exercise?
During exercise your body starts to heat up, your cells require more energy to work and your body starts to demand for more oxygen. So because your body is working faster this means your body needs to get rid of the waste from the cells i.e. Carbon dioxide. When you exercise you lose a lot of water due to sweating so you will have to drink more water in order to keep your body’s water balance at the right
level.
References: http://www.h4hinitiative.com/hydration-and-health/water-balance-regulation http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Familiar-With-the-Hormonal-Regulation-of-Water-in-the-Body-of-Humans