10 ways to know you are dehydrated
Dehydration is a threatening condition for the body since it usually means the body systems fail to operate at their optimum best. Varied conditions may lead to one becoming dehydrated and the goal is to always ensure that you don’t get to the point where the body begins to shut down owing to a lack of fluids. Documented reports have elaborated on dehydration and its causes but few have captured the signs to look out for and frontlineer.com has come in to highlight the ways to know you are dehydrated.
Low blood pressure
Some scientists may disagree but it is clear that the body works like a computerized system. Without adequate hydration, blood becomes thicker and added to the low fluid level in the body, low blood pressure becomes evident. Added to this, the immediate detection of a lower fluid level leads to a higher heart rate as the heart looks to maintain the capacity of the circulatory system and compensate for the lower fluid capacity in the vessels which leads to rapid heartbeat.
Dry skin with poor turgor
One of the ways to know you are dehydrated is when you experience dry skin with poor turgor. Dehydration affects the elasticity of the skin and this means that if the skin is dry and has lost its elasticity, you are experiencing mild dehydration. A simple experiment to check for this as noted by frontlineer.com involves pinching your skin to see the time it takes to settle. If it takes longer to settle, this is evidence of poor turgor which translates to dehydration.
Dark yellow urine
Most people ignore this sign but it should be one of the major element to look out for. Dark yellow urine becomes evident when there is a release of the ADH hormone that signals the kidneys to conserve water. This then results in release of concentrated urine which is dark yellow. Normal urine should be pale yellow and when you find that you are releasing dark yellow urine, you should know it is a sign of moderate dehydration.
Thirst
Evolution is an interesting element as it has given us thirst as a sign that the fluid levels in our bodies are getting lower past the threshold required. Extreme thirst always comes in when you are experiencing dehydration. Thirst also comes about when physical performance has also gone lower and this is always a signal that you need to hydrate.
Dry sticky mouth, lips and eyes
A simple way provided by frontlineer.com to identify if you are dehydrated is checking whether you have a dry sticky mouth, lips and eyes. Dehydration limits the salivary glands from producing saliva hence the dry mouth and lips. Dehydration also means the glands in the eyes will not have enough fluid which leads to dry eyes.
Headaches
As much as headaches may be a result of plenty of varied factors, it also stands as one of the signs that you are dehydrated. Headaches caused by dehydration also manifest with some form of irritability. Drinking water can reduce the headache or migraine and also get rid of the irritable nature in less than 15 minutes.
Fever and chills
Dehydration is a serious condition for the body since when the body doesn’t have enough water, it becomes difficult to regulate and maintain body temperature. Fever and chills are mainly associated with flu or ear infections but they are also signs of dehydration. So when experiencing hyperthermia and chills, your body may be alerting you to a case of dehydration.
Muscle cramps
Water is crucial for muscle function as reported by frontlineer.com, and a low concentration of the same exposes you to a risk of involuntary muscle contractions. When experiencing dehydration, it gets difficult for blood to reach the vital organs and the muscles around such organs lack the oxygen needed to make them vibrant which in turn contributes to muscle cramping.
Dizziness
Dehydration means the fluid capacity goes lower than the expected setting which means processing of glucose is limited. This leads to a lack of energy as cells lack operational efficiency. The result is therefore confusion and lightheadedness. The brain is 73% water and this means that maintaining that threshold requires regular water intake and the consumption of fluid filled foods and fruits.
Rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing
If you have done some heavy activity or exercise, the rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing may be normal but if it does not go away after relaxing and cooling down; you may be facing dehydration. Reports by frontlineer.com have highlighted that decreased electrolytes often affect the rate of heartbeats. A rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing should therefore be taken seriously since they may mean that your body is trying to point out a severe case of dehydration.
