The survival shows often focus on the person or persons focusing on finding a clean source of water or water and a way to purify it. Why is it so important? Without water, especially in severe climates, you can last about three days before you become severely dehydrated. Water is far more important than food, since body fat can help provide the energy necessary to live. You don’t have to go completely without water to become dehydrated. Simply sweating more, without increasing your intake of fluid can create a problem. Diarrhea and vomiting can also cause dehydration. Some symptoms of dehydration are dangerous, while others are far less severe.
Do you feel exhausted? It might be dehydration.
People often get a cup of coffee when the mid-morning blahs hits them. While the caffeine may wake them up, maybe it’s really the hydration from the coffee that’s doing the trick. If you drink more than five cups of coffee it acts as a diuretic, so you’ll urinate more frequently, which can add to dehydration. Instead, drink a glass of water. If dehydration is the problem, you’ll notice a boost of energy almost instantly. Dehydration has another effect. It can interfere with your sleep cycles, making them shorter and leaving you tired the next day.
One clear sign you can use in a pinch is a pinch.
One of the universal signs of dehydration in the animal kingdom is the pinch of skin. If you can pinch the skin and it doesn’t snap back to normal quickly, it’s a sign of dehydration on both animals and humans. It’s referred to as the skin turgor test and is taken on the arm or abdomen in people and on the back of the neck in most animals. Dry cracked lips and a dry mouth are two other signs that more fluid is needed.
Achy joints and a headache are signs of dehydration.
Your body needs fluid to keep the joints moist and make movement easier. If you’re dehydrated, your joints may ache, telling you to get a bottle of water and start sipping. Since your blood thickens the less fluid you have, it can lead to stretching blood channels in the brain, causing a headache. The low blood volume can lead to fainting or dizziness. Dehydration can affect how well your muscles function, which affects your performance.
- If you’re dehydrated, it can cause the reduction of blood volume, which can cause low blood pressure. In other cases, it increases the amount of solutes in the blood and lowers blood volume, increasing vasopressin, which increases blood pressure.
- Another quick check for dehydration is the color of your urine. If you have very little urine and it’s dark yellow or even brown, it’s a sign of dehydration. Normal urine is pale yellow if you’re hydrated.
- Dehydration can cause you to wander mentally and lose focus, affecting memory, mood and concentration. Older people dehydrate faster and in many cases, the anger and confusion of dehydration is often mistaken for dementia.
- If you’re drinking too little water, constipation can be a problem. Since water flushes out the toxins in your body, it boosts the immune system. If you have more frequent illnesses, consider drinking more water.
For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching