Water is vital to maintaining a healthy body. I know we’ve heard it time and time again, drink more water! But do you know why exactly that is? Did you know there is a list of negative side effects that you may not like if you don’t drink enough water? The average male’s body is made up of 60% water, whereas a woman’s body is made up of 55% water. That fact alone shows how important water intake is for us. Not only that but our bodies are constantly losing water just by existing. We lose water from sweating and we lose it in our urine, this is why it is so important to constantly be refueling our bodies with water.
In recent studies, you can find out you can go about three weeks without food whereas you can only go about three to four days without water before utter dehydration and I would hate to say it, but possibly death. Although the daily recommendations vary from study to study, on average it is recommended we drink at least 10 glasses of water a day. Not only will this help us survive but water is what lubricates our bodies and help to energize our muscles so we have the energy to conquer our everyday tasks. We have researched and compiled 15 signs that you’re not getting enough water. Be reminded, we are not professional doctors so make sure if feeling uneasy about any of these symptoms to always consult your professional right away. So let’s grab a glass of water, take a sip and let’s dig in.
Headaches
Not only are our bodies vastly made up of water but so is our brain, 80% to be exact. When you become dehydrated that results in water loss around the brain tissue. This can then cause brain shrinkage and then the pain that surrounds the brain-also known as your headache.
Being dehydrated also decreases the blood flow as well as oxygen to our brains. Medical News Today says that dehydration headaches can occur at the front, side, back, or all over the head. So consider drinking a glass or two of water before immediately going for a bottle of painkillers. If hydrating doesn’t relieve the pain consider consulting your doctor.
Dark Urine Color
The color of your urine is an easy indicator to show whether or not you are drinking enough water. A good rule of thumb is to keep in mind the lighter the color of your urine, the more hydrated you are, and vise versa.
Water is what helps your kidneys flush out toxins and waste. In contrast, the darker the color such as dark yellow, like orange juice, the more dehydrated you may be, sorry if we just ruined orange juice for you! The next time you visit the restroom make sure to make note of the color of your urine, you may need to pick up a glass of water after you return.
Dry Mouth, Eyes, and Skin
These may be the most obvious symptoms of needing more water but are just as important to know. Sometimes that one cup of coffee turns into two or three or maybe four depending on the day, but if you’re not drinking enough water alongside your coffee that can dehydrate you. As soon as you feel like your mouth is becoming dry it may just be an immediate symptom you need to put more water into your body.
Following, dry eyes can be another symptom of not having enough water. You could have been just staring at your computer for too long but when in doubt drink more water. lastly, the least obvious of the three water can affect your skin. Your skin is your largest organ so we need to take care of it and most of it needs water to stay hydrated. Drinking more water can help prevent wrinkles as well as save you from a few breakouts.
Low Energy
Having low energy levels can prevent people from being productive. That’s partly because when our bodies are low in energy we often feel lethargic and fatigued. Perhaps your children kept you up all night or you binged watched the latest Netflix show which is resulting in your tiredness. Or, perhaps your low energy is caused by dehydration.
When your body becomes dehydrated it starts to store its energy by decreasing blood circulation. When that happens that also results in less oxygen being delivered to our muscles and therefore when the blood isn’t flowing properly it causes us to feel lethargic and lack energy.
Frequent Muscle Cramps
Sweating, especially a vigorous workout session can cause a significant loss of body fluids. You only have so much in your body before it’s best to refuel with a bottle of water. If our bodies are lacking water, our bodies are smart enough to delegate where the water should go. Our circulatory system is more important than our muscles, so that will get priority.
When our muscles don’t have enough water surrounding them they can become very sensitive. This can then cause spontaneous muscle contractions and spasms. Furthermore, sweating isn’t the only way to deprive the muscles of water, lack of water consumption as a whole can cause muscles spasms too. So whether you workout or not make sure to drink your water so you don’t get a Charlie Horse in the middle of the night.
Bad Breath
There may be an underlying factor that is causing your bad breath that a stick of gum or mint cannot fix. A lack of drinking water can cause chronic bad breath.
Dry mouth, also known as Xerostomia is a result of a lack of saliva production in the mouth. This can be caused by tobacco use, some medical conditions but also can be caused by dehydration. Saliva plays an important role in regulating the population of microorganisms that live in our mouths. Whereas dehydration causes our saliva to lack and then allows bacteria and yeast to develop in and around our teeth, gums, and tongue. This can then turn our mouth into a very bad-smelling one. Listen to your mouth, and consider drinking more water the next time it starts to smell bad.
Digestive Issues
As we just discovered a lack of hydration in the mouth can affect the mouth but can also affect your digestive system too. Dehydration can cause the amount and strength of mucus in our stomachs to decrease. If we have less mucus in the stomach it can then lead the stomach acid to cause some serious damage to the insides of our bodies. This can then lead to what we call heartburn and indigestion.
Following, dehydration can also lead to constipation! This is caused by a lack of lubrication in our intestines. We can all imagine what happens if there is nothing to keep the intestines from moving along. If this doesn’t make you take another drink of water then I don’t know what will!
Difficulty In Losing Weight
Anyone trying to lose weight needs to prioritize drinking water throughout the day and whenever they exercise. Dehydration impacts everything from your energy levels to your digestion to craving unhealthy foods. All these factors can prevent you from achieving your weight loss goal.
Your body cannot break down stored fat without proper hydration. Even if you exercise, this could be what is stopping you from seeing progress. Consider how much water you are consuming daily when you feel like your weight loss progress is in a rut. The sooner you start drinking more water, the sooner you’ll get to reaching your weight goal.