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| Signs of Dehydration |
13 Signs of Dehydration Most People Ignore
Most people ignore the symptoms of dehydration. Water plays a vital role in our body; it mainly keeps our body hydrated. Whenever you get dehydration, especially in summer, you will get troubles. Whether you are working outside or enjoying outdoor recreation it is important to stay hydrated. According to a statistical finding, 75 percent of Americans fail to meet their daily water intake and this is not good, because you can get chronic dehydrated if it continues. Your body starts showing warning signs that your body is lacking water. Our digestive system, metabolism system, and every part of our body need water. Therefore, you should notice some warning signals if you get dehydration. Older people are more likely to get dehydrated.
CAUSES OF DEHYDRATION
Dehydration occurs when your body loses excess water or fluid than it taking in. There are a lot of things that may cause dehydration.
1. The commonest cause of dehydration is exposure to hot weather. When you are exposed to a hot environment, the heat increases your body’s internal temperature. Your body starts sweating to cool it and this causes loss of water for your body.
2. Intense workout. If you perform intense exercise, your body expels an excessive amount of body fluid through sweat. If this lost fluid is not replenished by drinking the proper quantity of water, you can become dehydrated.
3. Vomiting and diarrhea are the two conditions that cause dehydration and loss of electrolyte. The condition becomes worst when you fail to drink the water due to nausea.
Here are the 13 dehydration symptoms most people ignore.
1. HEADACHE
Headaches are one of the possible signs that your body lacks water. Having less water drops your body’s hydration level leads to a reduced amount of fluid surrounding your brain, which protects the brain from mild bumps and movement. This is a fact because when your brain shrinks, it pulls away from your skull and will activate pain receptors. Moreover, dehydration leads to headaches because it decreases the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain. Headache sometimes triggers migraines. Remember, when you suffering from headaches, please drink a glass of water instead of reaching for a pill. If the headache is due to dehydration, it will go away soon. You should drink water when you wake up and when you have breakfast. It is to help you fulfill the needs for water in half of your day.
Another thing that happens when you get dehydration is you cannot think clearly, you cannot focus on what you are doing. It is because your brain is not getting enough water. The human brain, which is made up of approximately 90% water, it definitely shows various signs when dehydrated. When your brain is not getting enough water, its size actually shrinks as much as 2%, the brain cannot fire off the neurotransmitters without enough water. As a result, your brain is fuzzy you cannot think right. It can even cause symptoms like brain fog, forgetfulness, and difficulty in focusing, thinking, communicating. Your words do not come outright, and you cannot even remember the simplest things. Lack of water in the brain can affect your decision-making, memory, and even mood.
3. DRY MOUTH AND BAD BREATH
Bad breath is the most common sign that your body lacks water. Due to lack of water, your mouth dries up and produces less saliva. Saliva contains antibacterial properties. The absence of enough saliva leads to the growth of bacteria in the mouth, causing stinky breath. Bacteria present in the mouth feed on the cells and food particles and decompose them to produce bad breath.
4. CONSTIPATION
Constipation is the general sign of dehydration. However, you should remember that water could not work alone in your digestive system. It needs fiber’s help as well. Both of them should work together in balance to help you get rid of constipation. Be careful because a long period of constipation may cause fatal pain in the anus. Due to diarrhea or vomiting, excessive fluid loss may also harden the stools and lead to constipation. Lack of water in the body can even cause heartburn and indigestion. Water helps to lubricate the digestive system and keeps the digestive tract flexible and clean.
5. REDUCED URINATION
If you are not urinating every after few hours or having very dark urine, your body is probably lacking water. The first thing to see if you are dehydrated is by checking the color of your urine. The color of your urine is an important indicator of your hydration level. Clear or light-colored urine indicates a well-hydrated body, while dark yellow or amber-colored urine could be a sign of moderate to severe dehydration. If you are not urinating at all, then most likely you are severely dehydrated. In this case, make sure to start drinking more water to re-hydrate your body. A body releases its toxic through your urination; not urinating on a regular basis can be problematic. Regular basis urination is a sign of a healthy drinking habit.
6. LETHARGY AND FATIGUE
You always feel tired. When you are severely dehydrated, you easily get tired. It is because your blood becomes thicker so it will not move as quickly as they normally do. Lack of water causes low blood pressure and inadequate oxygen throughout the body, including the brain. In the time of dehydration, your body needs more power to ensure proper blood circulation, transporting nutrition, and even breathing. That is why you feel fatigued and lethargic, which makes you sleepy and tired. In this case, go and get your bottle of water. You should re-hydrate your body immediately and get some rest.
7. MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN
A human body contains about 80% water. Water is a vital component to keep your joints and cartilage healthy. When your body lacks water, your bones start grinding against each other, causing pain in the joints. If your body is well hydrated, your joints can handle certain movements such as running, jumping, or falling awkwardly without any pain. Due to dehydration, there is a change in the electrolyte level in our blood. This electrolytic imbalance can cause muscle cramps or soreness. Even in cold weather, you may suffer from muscle cramps while exercising, as dehydration may develop due to the water loss by sweat during a workout, which may not be replenished with sufficient fluid intake.
8. DRY SKIN, LIPS, AND ACNE
As our skin is the largest external organ connecting the internal circulation of fluid and nutrients, anything we put in or do not put in our system will have an immense impact on how our skin looks. Dehydration causes less sweating, which means the body is not able to wash away excess dirt and oil accumulated on the skin throughout the day. Water helps flush toxins from the body. Dehydration increases the risk of acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Lack of water also causes dry skin that lacks elasticity and chapped lips. So drink a proper amount of water instead of using moisturizer and make sure your skin is hydrating from the inside.
9. FOOD CRAVINGS
Intense food cravings. People usually mistake their need for water with food cravings. When you are in dehydration, your body sends false signals to your brain that you are hungry but actually, you are thirsty. If you are craving more foods then you should evaluate if you are dehydrated. For example, if you start craving fruit or something that contains water, then most likely you just need some water unless you think that you need more vitamins in your diet. Due to glycogen production difficulty in the body, you must eat fruits like watermelon, berries, which are not only sweet but also high in water. Next time when you get a sudden food craving, drink a glass of water first before reaching for a snack.
10. REDUCED ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
Dehydration impairs your exercise performance. You will notice that you are struggling in your performance in the gym or sports activity. A loss of water through sweat equal to 2 % of body weight causes a noticeable decrease in physical performance. Dehydration makes your blood thick and this vicious blood is unable to carry proper oxygen and nutrients in your body. With this fall in oxygen level, your energy level and exercise performance will simply suffer. Dehydration may also cause a decreased rate of glycogen use.
11. ACCELERATED HEART BEAT
Dehydration has a direct impact on heart rate and performance. The hydration causes a decrease in plasma volume, making the blood more viscous. This affects blood circulation and increases your heart rate. The heart rate changes an average of three beats per minute for every 1% change in body weight resulting from dehydration. Dehydration causes changes in the electrolytes present in your body, leading to lower blood pressure. If you feel your heart beating faster, try sipping water slowly to see if you feel better. If the problem persists, consult your doctor immediately.
12. ALWAYS HUNGRY
Most people think that thirst is the main symptom of dehydration. However, it is not quite true. It only occurs when you are severely dehydrated. Because you are ignoring your water intake, your body makes you think that you are hungry, since you also get water from the foods you eat as well. Therefore, if you think you need more food when you are hungry, it might be just your perception. In fact, you need water more than food. Besides this, the digestion of food cannot work properly without water even when you only have a meal.
13. LIGHTHEADED WHEN STANDING UP
Lightheaded when standing up in most cases caused by anemia, but it may also be caused by dehydration. If you get lightheaded when standing up, it means your blood misses oxygen. Therefore, the blood cannot flow through your body parts, especially your brain. When your brain is not getting enough water, you may feel dizziness. Before you make any suggestion, you should drink water first and if it is not going, well after a short time, then you can think that you may be suffering from anemia. Anemia may happen due to fewer red blood cells and hemoglobin in your blood.
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| Water to Prevent Dehydration |
How to prevent dehydration?
Therefore, it is always important to pay attention to your body’s need for water in order to avoid those signs and symptoms.
v Treatment of all the disease symptoms due to dehydration should start with drinking plenty of water daily. Water is very cheap and available everywhere. You do not have to spend much money to drink more water. You must not wait until you feel very thirsty because thirst is the symptom, that you already got dehydrated. Dehydration actually has an impact that is more significant on your body.
v At least 75% of us walk around dehydrated. You must carry a water bottle all the time, especially in the hot season. When you are in the sun, we recommend one and a half liters or quarts per hour.
v Do remember that another form of liquid drinks like ice tea, soda, or orange juice is not going to help you a lot in dehydration because it contains sugar; it has to be pure water. Sugar inhibits your body to absorb the water you drink. Therefore, drink plain water without sugar and sweetener.
v You should also avoid eating dry, processed, and junk food. Do not drink the alcoholic beverage if you feel dehydrated as alcohol acts as a dehydration agent and will make the situation worse. Caffeine-containing like coffee, eat and soft drinks should be avoided.
Well, most people ignore these 13 dehydration symptoms. Dehydration is not a thing to ignore and if you do not pay attention, it may even threaten your life in extreme cases. Cases of dehydration turn fatal mostly in children and the elderly. I hope you enjoyed this if you have something on your mind. Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
