Fluid balance is maintained by ensuring that the amount of water consumed through food and drinks is equal to the amount of water excreted. One of the ways our bodies push us to work hard to maintain fluid balance is through thirst and cravings for salt. The kidneys are the most important factor in water excretion, although we lose water elsewhere, but primarily through the kidneys. Our kidneys control fluid volume by controlling the amount of water excreted in urine, the kidneys are able to conserve water by producing concentrated urine relative to plasma or they can ensure that we get rid of excess of water by producing urine which is diluted compared to plasma. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone, ADH) is a peptide hormone produced by the hypothalamus and is responsible for the direct control of excretion of water via the kidneys. ADH is responsible for inserting water channels into cell membranes where it will line the collecting ducts, allowing water to be reabsorbed. If there is a lack of ADH, little water will be reabsorbed into the collecting ducts and diluted urine will be produced. Anything that stimulates ADH secretion also stimulates thirst. Here are some factors that influence ADH secretion. Special receptors in the hypothalamus that are sensitive when plasma becomes too concentrated and will stimulate ADH secretion. There are also stretch receptors located in the atria of the heart that can be activated by a larger than normal volume of blood returning from the heart to the veins, which will inhibit ADH secretion because the body will have excess liquid he wants to get rid of. . Stretch receptors are also present in the aorta and carotid arteries and are stimulated when blood pressure begins to fall. They stimulate the secretion of ADH because your body needs to maintain sufficient volume in order to generate the blood pressure necessary to maintain normal blood pressure capable of maintaining normal blood pressure. to efficiently deliver blood to tissues. Total volume is not the only thing tightly controlled, osmolarity (amount of solute per unit volume) is also tightly regulated. Variation in osmolarity will cause cells to shrink or swell, thereby damaging or even destroying cell structure and disrupting normal cell function. In order to control this, your body balances the intake and excretion of sodium with that of water, as sodium is the primary solute in extracellular fluids, effectively determining the osmolarity of extracellular fluids. Osmolarity must be integrated with volume regulation, as changes in water volume will have a diluting or concentrating effect on body fluids. When you are dehydrated you lose more water than solute and the osmolarity of your body fluids increases as a result, your body wants to retain water and not sodium, which causes an increase in osmolarity. However, if you lose a lot of blood from trauma, your sodium and water losses will be proportional to the composition of body fluids and so your body will need to conserve both water and sodium, because this is necessary. ADH also plays a role in reducing sodium concentration by increasing the amount of water reabsorption in the kidneys, helping the body dilute bodily fluids. The kidneys have a regulated mechanism responsible for reabsorption of sodium in the distal nephron in case osmolarity decreases below..