10 Signs That You are Dehydrated
Here is this month's note from our LNP, Michele Klee:
The human body is made up of approximately 70-percent water.
So it makes sense that fluids are vital
for the majority of our bodily functions—protecting our joints, maintaining organ function, transporting oxygen to cells, and sustaining body temperature.
It also makes sense that the body can become dehydrated fairly quickly due to excess perspiration, hot weather, sun exposure, and lack of fluids throughout the day.
Here are 10 of the most common signs of dehydration.
1. Fatigue Sets In When the body suffers from chronic dehydration, blood flow and
blood pressure drop
due to a lack of water and oxygen in the blood.
2. Urine Appears Dark Yellow Concentrated, dark, yellow urine is a first sign of dehydration.
3. Sudden Lightheadedness When your blood pressure drops due to dehydration, dizziness often follows if you stand up too quickly.
4. Heart Rate Increases Dehydration often causes plummeting electrolyte levels, which will lead to increased heart rate, heart palpitations (or spasms) in the actual heart muscle.
5. You Overheat Fluid levels within the body keep our temperatures regulated so we don’t become dehydrated and overheat—or even worse suffer dangerous heatstroke!
6. Muscles Cramp Hydration, or more so electrolyte balance, is vital for muscle contraction so when sodium and potassium stores are low it can cause painful muscle spasms.
7. Constipated Water is necessary for efficient digestion, which means water absorption is required for healthy bowel movements.
8. Skin Loses Elasticity Why did you think your doctor pinches your skin to see how fast it bounces back? This quick “pinch test” indicates normal turgor
(hydrated skin snaps back to normal quickly
) vs. decreased or compromised turgor (dehydrated skin remains elevated and returns to normal slowly).
9. No More Tears If you’re crying and stop producing tears it’s a good clue that you’re seriously dehydrated.
10. You’re Parched Listen to your body! One surefire way to tell if you’re dehydrated is when you’re thirsty, your mouth and throat are dry, your tongue may feel sticky or dry, and even parched and swell in cases of extreme dehydration.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!
