We all know that in the absence of water there can be no life. As one of life’s essentials, it stands to reason that adequate water consumption is also crucial for us as human beings. Given that numerous bodily processes rely on the presence of ample water and the fact that water makes up about 70% of our mass, a lack of hydration is something we can spot easily.
How Do You Know You’re Not Drinking Enough Water?
You know you’re not drinking enough water when your body responds in ways that are not easy to miss. Here are nine sure signs that show you need to up that water intake!
Dry Mouth
One of the most obvious signs of being dehydrated or not having consumed enough water is dry mouth. Unless you have a preexisting medical condition or have consumed something that inhibits your saliva glands, your mouth shouldn’t be dry.
Under normal circumstances, having dry or cotton-mouth is a sure shot sign that you need to drink more water.
Head Throbbing
A very subtle indication that your body needs more water and you might not be drinking enough is head throbbing. If you’re not someone who suffers from migraines, have not suffered any recent head trauma and are adequately rested, having a head ache or throbbing head could mean you’re dehydrated.
This is because a lack of water in the system means a higher concentration of certain minerals and salts in the blood. The brain, being a sensitive organ clocks such compositional changes, triggering headaches.
Failing to hydrate only worsens these headaches. This is also because blood in a dehydrated body loses volume, hence, also reducing the brain’s oxygen supply. If you get a headache out of the blue, think back – maybe you just haven’t had water in a while.
Muscle Cramps
Water affects the electrolyte balance within your body’s muscles. Electrolyte balance is highly crucial for proper muscle contraction.
Dehydration disrupts this balance which in turn causes your muscles to spasm painfully or cramp. If you feel your muscles cramping more than they should and with little physical exertion, you might need to drink more water.
Lethargy
When you’re dehydrates, your blood changes in composition and may even thicken reducing in volume. This in turn results in less blood to all parts of the body. Less blood means less oxygen and a lowered blood pressure.
The combination of these two things makes people feel lazy and sluggish. If you find that you’re lethargic even when you have rested adequately and are prone to taking naps as and when you can or lack the energy to do things, it might have a lot to do with your water intake.
Bouts of Hunger
If you’re not suffering from some kind of eating disorder or other physical ailment that triggers hunger, sudden bouts of hunger may also relate to your water intake.
If you feel like nibbling on things throughout the day despite having three regular meals, this might be more related to the water your body is lacking. Making you feel hungry is a subtle way for your body to tell you to rehydrate.
Urination Signs
Your urine can tell you a fair bit about what is going on in your body. Given that urine should be about 95% water, fluctuations in this result in obvious signs.
Dehydration can cause your urine to look more concentrated – a darker shade of yellow so to speak. Further, in more extreme cases, if it hurts when you urinate in the absence of a UTI (urinary tract infection), it’s also a sign that you need more water. This is because your urethra is sensitive to changes in urine concentration.
Constipation
When it comes to your body’s waste disposal system, urination is not the only thing an inadequate water intake affects.
When you don’t drink enough water, your body tries reabsorbing as much of it as possible from other areas. This includes your urine and the feces in your intestines. This in turn inhibits movement and triggers constipation.
If you’re eating alright and not overdoing it with the chocolate and sugar but are still find you’re constipated more often than not, maybe you’re not drinking enough water.
Sweating and Body Odor
Your body also pulls water from your sweat glands when dehydrated and reduces the amount you sweat. At the same time, sweating is also a form of excretion. The toxins and waste that needs to go out will be removed using a lesser volume of fluid.
As a result your sweat smells a lot worse than it would if you were well hydrated. If you find your sweat smells particularly rank and it’s not something that runs in the family, drink more water.
Aging or Wrinkling Skin
The condition of your skin says a lot about your health and about your water intake. This is because approximately 65% of your skin cells comprise of water. When adequately hydrated, the cells remain tight and hence give your skin a firm and youthful appearance.
On the flipside, dehydration makes the skin cells flaccid, causing a drop in skin quality making it look wrinkled and dry. The skin under your eyes in particular can show whether you’re drinking enough water as not doing so results in dark circles under the eyes.
You Googled this Question
If you went online looking for material on if or not you’re hydrating enough, chances are you already expected that you weren’t. If that is so, it’s probably the ninth sign you’re not drinking enough water!
We at JEUZI manufacture stainless steel and insulated water bottlesand we’re all about helping you stay hydrated! We can’t make sure you keep your water intake up but our products can help. Good luck rehydrating!
