9 Signs You Are Drinking Too Little Water, Making Your Body Weaker
Drinking water throughout the day may be a challenge but is crucial to your health. Your body is made up of 75% water that needs to be replenished throughout the day. While we can extract some liquid from the foods we eat, it is crucial to take in plenty of water on a daily basis. This is especially true in extreme hot or cold temperatures, during activity, or for pregnant women.
Here are 9 signs that you are not drinking enough water
1. Fatigue
Not drinking enough water can cause an overall fluid loss in the body. This fluid loss can lead to a decrease in blood volume that puts excess pressure on the heart to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the organs, including the muscles. Lack of water can cause you to experience periods of fatigue and low energy as your body tries to function without enough water. If you’re constantly feeling sluggish and tired despite getting a quality night’s sleep, you may need to boost your water intake.
2. Your mouth and lips are dry.
When you’re dehydrated, saliva production decreases, leaving your mouth and lips feeling dry. Dry mouth can also make your breath stinky, because bacteria has the chance to linger longer when it’s not being washed away on the reg.
3. Frequent Illness
Water helps flush toxins, waste, and bacteria from the body to fight disease and infection as well as strengthens your immune system so you become sick less frequently. If it seems as though you’re always getting sick, you may need to start drinking more water to keep your body free of toxins and functioning at an optimal level. Since lack of water also causes fatigue, you may tend to be less physically active—another risk factor for weakened immunity.
4. Constipation
Water promotes good digestion and regular bowel movements by keeping your stool soft and moving it easily through the digestive tract. Not drinking enough water can cause your body to pull water from stool to compensate for fluid loss, leading to harder and firmer stool that is more difficult to pass. If your bowel movements are irregular and infrequent, try drinking more water to loosen your stools and relieve constipation and bloating.
5. Poor Skin Health
Water hydrates and plumps skin cells to make your skin look brighter, vibrant, and more youthful. However, lack of water can cause skin to lose its plumpness and elasticity—leading to dryness, flakiness, fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Water even helps reduce acne and other skin problems by flushing harmful toxins from the body. If beauty products and skin treatments are failing to improve the appearance of your skin, drink more water to achieve a more youthful appearance and to reduce or improve skin problems.
6. Sugar Cravings
Dehydration interferes with the body’s ability to reach into glucose stores for energy and can trigger cravings for foods high in sugar and carbohydrates. Unusual and sudden cravings for sugary foods like chocolate, donuts, cookies, and candies may indicate that your body is in great need of water—not food. If you’re experiencing sugar cravings or hunger pangs even though you’ve recently eaten, try drinking more water to rehydrate your body and keep cravings at bay.
7. Decreased Urination
When your body is dehydrated, the kidneys retain as much fluid as possible to maintain their function. This can lead to decreased urination—one of the most common signs of low water intake. Lack of water can cause your urine to become darker in color, stronger in odor, and cloudier in appearance. You may also face a higher risk of urinary tract infection when your body lacks enough water to flush out toxins and bacteria. You’ll know you’re drinking enough water when you start urinating more frequently and the urine is clearer, lighter in color, and far less odorous.
8. You have a headache.
The exact way dehydration causes a headache isn’t known. But experts believe that when hydration levels drop, so does blood volume, which leads to lower blood flow to the brain. This reduces the brain’s oxygen supply and causes the blood vessels to dilate, leading to headaches and even lightheadedness.
9. You feel hungry even after you just ate.
Thirst and hunger cues come from the same part of the brain, so it’s easy to confuse the two. If you feel hungry even when you know you’ve eaten enough, there’s a good chance your body’s actually telling you it needs water, not food.
Important note: The following symptoms could be a sign of severe dehydration: rapid heartbeat or breathing, sunken eyes, fever, confusion, or delirium. If you experience any of these, go to the hospital.
References: blog.vida.com, healthcareassociates.com
