7 Signs to know Body Suffers from Dehydration

Getting enough fluids intake is essential for survival. Drinking water is one of the essential routine that keeps your body hydrated. However, with the rising mercury levels during the hot summer, it is common for many to get into a state of dehydration. In those times, it is ideally good to intake both water and water-filled foods to keep your body fluids balanced.

Dehydration occurs when your body loses the essential fluids level and fails to balance it. It can be from mild, or moderate to severe, depending on the body’s ability to maintain fluid balance. Thirst and dark urination are the common signs of dehydration that your body needs water, but there are also few other ways you can identity moderate to extreme levels of dehydration.

Here are few signs of dehydration through which you can identify the body’s need for hydration. These signs will help you know that your body is suffering from dehydration and take the necessary measures.

1. Dry skin and lips

Sky and lips dryness is one symptom that identifies dehydration. Your saliva production decreases and you feel thirsty. Though sweat can be an initial sign of dehydration, extreme states can result in dryness in skin. Your lips get cracked and skin gets rough. As your body gets dizzy, not enough blood is circulated to the skin and thus it gets dry. Not only during hot summers, but even during cool weather, there is possibility for the body to get dehydrated.

2. Headaches

As your brain is seated within a fluid sack, depletion of fluid content in the body affects it. This might cause headaches. If you experience lower fluid levels in the body, the blood flow to your brain gets affected, causing discomfort in head.

3. Low energy levels

Dizziness and sluggishness is a part of symptoms related to dehydration. Since your body‘s defense mechanism does not work properly due to dehydration, you will experience discomfort all over the body. Moreover, there is possibility for the body to reduce blood supply to various parts of the body. So, you feel your body working slower than ever, making you feel sleepy or dizzy.

4. Dark Urination

Dark urination and hard bowels are result of lack of fluids in the body system. The color of your pee can tell a lot about the body health. Dark yellow to orange colored pee can be the result of your body dehydration.

5. Body cramps

The sodium deficit in the body can result in muscle fatigue and cause body cramping. Full body cramping can be related to heat and loss of fluids in the body. This happens for people who are constant sweaters. Such times, you can take a electrolyte sports drink to help the body balance the fluids.

6. Muscle spasms

The heat in the body is likely to get you muscle cramps. Because of the muscles working harder, they tend to take hold of the heat itself, causing crampes. Moreover, reduced body electrolytes and minerals such as sodium and potassium can also leads to muscle cramping.

7. Hunger cravings

The body’s dehydrated state leaves your system to diminish its activity. Moreover some of the nutrients and internal organs become less active as the release of necessary components gets blocks. As a result, your body craves for more food as energy substitutes. Most probably, you get cravings for sugar and salt as they tend to be the immediate energy producers of glycogen. In such times, it preferable to intake fruits and veggies with high water content to keep yourself hydrated.

Tips for Staying Hydrated

• Drink lots of water
• Spice up your water with flavors
• Try fruity iced teas
• Replace snacks with fresh or frozen fruit, yogurt, healthy smoothies or veggies.
• Steer clear of ice water or hot water. Take room temperature or lesser cooler water or else your stomach arteries might get constricted.

Normally, it is recommended for women to intake about 2.7 liters of water every day, which counts to about 11-12 cups while, men are advised for taking 3.7 liters per day counting to about 14-15 cups.