You’ve probably heard many times that you should drink a lot of water each day. The human body is made up of mostly water and when you are dehydrated you will feel the effects.
There are some common symptoms of dehydration that you may not be aware of. Being aware of these symptoms can help you to spot them and to take the necessary measures to correct them.
Take a look at some of the symptoms that your body is dehydrated and how you can go about making sure you are drinking enough water daily.
You feel Fatigued
Feeling fatigued is one of the main symptoms of dehydration. When your body is chronically dehydrated, blood flow diminishes around your body and your blood pressure will drop. This is because there is a lack of water and oxygen in your blood.
Once dehydrated your body will start to reduce blood supply to organs that it does not consider vital. The result is sluggishness and fatigue.
Urine Color
The color of your urine can give you a clear sign that you need to drink more water. When your urine has a dark yellow color it is one of the easiest signals that you are becoming dehydrated.
Dark urine usually has a brownish or deep yellow color that is hard to miss. When you are dehydrated your urine may also start to smell extremely bad.
Bear in mind that urine can change color for a variety of reasons, many people experience a change in their urine color when they take certain medications or eat certain foods.
However, barring this, if you are a healthy individual and your urine becomes very dark it is usually because you need to drink more water.
After hearing this, you may be wondering, does dehydration cause a UTI?
The answer is yes it can, so make sure you drink enough water if you are prone to infections.
Rapid Heart Rate
When you are dehydrated your heart rate starts to increase. You may start to experience heart palpitations.
This is because dehydration causes your blood pressure to drop, so your breathing and your heart rate will start to speed up as dehydration sets in.
This is one of the more serious complications that can occur from being dehydrated. Make sure that you are drinking as much water as you should throughout the day to alleviate this symptom.
Feeling Dizzy
Most people are not aware that when you are dehydrated your blood pressure starts to drop. You might also start feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
They may assume that something severe is happening to them when in fact all they need to do is up their water intake.
The truth is that a lack of water can be dangerous. You must take the time to properly hydrate. When you start feeling dizzy and lightheaded it can make you irritable and it may even make you feel unable to carry out your daily activities.
Constipation
One of the more unpleasant signs that you are dehydrated is when you become constipated.
Water is an important part of the digestive system. When you have enough water in your body, it helps to move things along your digestive system.
These forces waste to leave the body through your bowel movements. If you’re suffering from chronic constipation, you need to take more fiber and drink more water.
These two factors are key, to ensuring that you have normal bowel movements.
Your Skin Loses Its Elasticity
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that your water intake directly affects your skin. Many breakouts from acne or other forms of skin problems can be caused by dehydration. One thing for sure is that a lack of hydration can cause your skin to lose some of its elasticity.
The effects of dehydration on the skin are often seen in cases where people have long bouts of diarrhea. Losing a lot of water all at once can have a massive impact on your skin.
Headaches
Another common symptom that people experience when they are dehydrated is that they may start to have headaches. These headaches can be very intense.
As mentioned before when there is a lack of water your blood pressure can suddenly start to drop. This means that there is less oxygen going to your brain.
This oxygen reduction may cause your blood vessels to start dilating and this is probably the reason why you will feel a headache coming on. Some people also feel very light-headed as well.
Dry Eyes, Nose, and Mouth
When you become dehydrated it can also affect how well you produce tears. Tears are necessary to stop your eyes from drying out.
They also ensure that your mouth and your tongue are kept moist. A lack of water means that there will be less saliva produced in your mouth.
You should try to up your water intake to resolve this. After a week or two, you should see a massive difference.
Oral Hygiene
One of the more unpleasant side effects of not drinking enough water is that you can start having bad breath. You may be surprised by this, but this is something that can happen when there is not enough saliva in the mouth.
Your saliva helps ward off bacteria. When there’s not enough in your mouth you can expect to have problems with the smell of your breath. This is an embarrassing situation and it is best to take action to correct it as soon as possible.
How to Stay Hydrated
You now know some of the major signs that you are dehydrated. You may be wondering what are some of the practical steps you can take to ensure that you are getting enough water.
Since water is so vital to the proper functioning of your body it is in your best interest to try to incorporate it into your daily routine as much as possible.
Add Some Flavor
One of the main reasons why a lot of people do not drink water is that they don’t like the taste of just plain water. The best way to alleviate this problem is to add something to the water. Fruit juice is a good choice.
Try adding a little cranberry juice, lemon, or lime juice to your water to give it some flavor. These are just a few suggestions of the type of foods you can add to your water to give it a little bit of flavor.
However, you can select your favorite fruits and do the same thing. It doesn’t matter as long as you drink water.
Eat the Right Fruits
Selecting the right fruits and vegetables can go a long way in increasing your water intake. Try fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, cucumbers, and even lettuce if you’re looking for some more natural ways to add water to your diet.
Eating a lot of these foods in conjunction with drinking water can ward off dehydration.
Carry Water With You
When it comes to the water, out of sight can be out of mind and is not a good way to operate. Water may not be the first thing you reach for when you want a beverage. You may be one of those people who need to force yourself to drink water as your first choice.
The best way to do this is to always have it on hand. Do not leave your house without it in the morning. You will also want to consider getting a larger type of water bottle so that you will have enough water for most of the day.
Once you start taking your water with you and practice drinking it regularly you will notice a big difference in your overall health.
Track Your Water Intake
One of the things you can start doing is tracking your water intake. You can get a bottle that will connect to your smartphone and record how much water you drink.
This is a more expensive option. You could also set reminders on your phone so that you remember to drink water at different points throughout the day.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking the right amount of water throughout the day is important. For normal adults, this is 7 to 8 glasses per day.
It can be difficult to keep up with drinking water. It can be harder if you don’t like water or you’re just too busy.
Taking time to get a water bottle and take it with you every single day will pay off. You will start feeling a lot better and even your skin will start glowing.
You will also be preventing yourself from becoming extremely dehydrated and having your blood pressure fall. This can have some very unpleasant side effects.
Always make sure that you are checking the color of your urine as this is one of the quickest ways you know if you are drinking enough water.
