What quenches your thirst best on a hot summer noon–A glass of water or a can of carbonated drink? When every inch of your mouth is begging for some hydration, is there a drink other than water that can actually quench your thirst? I don’t think so. If our body constitutes 75% water, you can well imagine what all its presence could do.

However, today we’ll make a list of things that its (water) absence can lead to. Read on to look for those 8 signs that indicate the fact that you aren’t drinking enough water.

1. Uncontainable Thirst

There’s no bigger indication than thirst that you are dehydrated. The very the fact that you are thirsty says that you already are dehydrated. This is exactly why it is suggested that you are sufficiently hydrated when you begin the day or before you start on some strenuous physical activity. If you continue the activity in spite of the thirst, you might experience an excessively dry mouth. If you’ve led yourself to this position, stop the activity immediately and replenish your body with the electrolytes that it has been deprived of. Drink plenty of water and fluids with electrolytes like sodium.

2. Passing Concentrated Urine

Other than thirst and dry mouth, another indication of dehydration is your urine. Look for the color and the frequency of urinating to know whether your body is adequately hydrated or not. If your urine looks dark yellow, it is shouting out the fact that your body is dehydrated and you need to rehydrate immediately. A faint yellow color is a sign that there’s enough water in the body. Again, refrain from physical activity and stay away from direct sun to prevent the condition from turning worse. Immediately drink at least 4 glasses of water to regain normalcy.

3. Wrinkled Skin

Dry and shriveled skin is another sign that your body is dehydrated. Nonetheless, in this case, you need to understand the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin. In the former case, it is the lack of oil secreted by the sebaceous glands that make it dry, and the latter is a result of lack of moisture and water. This means that you could be having oily skin, but your skin could still lack moisture. One of the differences you can find in your skin caused by dehydration is a loss of skin turgidity. Apart from that, you could also find itch, redness, and flaking skin as a repercussion of dehydration. However, note that this loss in turgidity is temporary and rehydrating will make the skin turgid again.

4. Craving And Hunger

Have you ever felt that jab of hunger pangs in your stomach that vanishes soon as you reach out to the glass of water? Yes, that is because one of the ways in which dehydration manifests is in the form of hunger. The body misinterprets the lack of water to hunger, and this could lead to food cravings and overeating. Regularly sipping water will not only ensure that you are hydrated but will also solve those midnight pangs and early morning sweet cravings.

5. Fatigue

There could be innumerable causes behind fatigue, but one of the most overlooked causes is dehydration. You not only feel tired and fatigued but can also find difficulty in focussing on a task when you are dehydrated. Refrain from consuming stimulants like coffee if you have chronic fatigue issues. Stimulants, in turn, act as diuretics and make you pee multiple times leading to further loss of water.

6. Muscle Soreness And Cramps

People who engage in high-intensity physical activities must make sure they drink more amount of water than what is prescribed for normal people because they constantly lose out water in the form of sweat. Dehydration causes severe muscle spasms and cramps. You get tired more quickly when you don’t stay hydrated. This hampers the productivity of your muscles. Also, the altered neuro muscular control which is a result of dehydration causes that twitch and the cramp. The electrolyte imbalance which happens because of loss of body fluids also contributes to the twitch.

7. Increased Heart Rate And Shock

When there is severe loss of water or fluids, the body goes into a state of shock. Blood, the fluid connective tissue, is made of 90% water. When the body is deprived of water, the body compensates for it by increasing the cardiac output. This makes the heart beat faster. Nonetheless, if the water inadequacy is not solved, the body goes into a hypovolemic shock caused purely because of lack of fluids in the body.

8. Headache

Again, let me remind you that water is required by every organ of the body to work efficiently. Our brain is no exception. The skull is encapsulated in such a way that it is surrounded by the Cerebro Spinal Fluid which ensures that no mechanical shock interferes with the functioning of the brain. When your body is craving for hydration, note that you are depleting water from most parts of the body. When this fluid in the brain is lost, you experience intense headaches because there is no cushion protecting it from mechanical pressure and shock.

Did you know that you could survive without food for six weeks, but once the water in the body gets exhausted you can’t make it beyond a week? That’s how important water is to your system. Don’t wait for thirst to remind you to stay hydrated because by then your body is already lacking the fluids it requires. Grab your glass, now! How are you going to remember to drink enough water? Let me know your ideas in the comments section below.

Source: Stylecraze.com