The Top Signs You Are Dehydrated

Everyone needs a certain amount of water each day to survive. And we should all be drinking water to keep our bodies and brains healthy. If we don’t get enough water, our bodies can’t function properly. We become dehydrated. That’s all pretty obvious, right? What isn’t always so obvious, though, are the signs of dehydration. 

It might surprise you to know that lots of people go through each day in a state of dehydration. Often, we simply just don’t get the right amount of hydration we need to function at our best. So, how would you know if you are at risk of dehydration? In this article, we’ll take a look at the warning signs of dehydration. Keep reading to find out what dehydration signs to look for and learn how much water you really need each day.

The Top Signs You Are Dehydrated

Like most people, you probably only drink water when you feel thirsty. But is your body sending you any other signals that you are becoming dehydrated? The following symptoms are all signs that your body needs to top up its H2O levels!

• Thirst: Thirst is a good indicator that you need water, but by the time you are thirsty, you may already be suffering from mild dehydration.
• Bad breath and a dry mouth: If your body needs water, then it can cause your breath to smell. This happens because you are not producing enough saliva to kill bacteria in your mouth. Ever wake up with morning breath and a dry, sticky mouth? You’re dehydrated. Drink some water!
• Not being able to urinate: If you are having trouble urinating, then this is a major sign your body needs water.
• Dry and cool skin: Dry skin that’s cool to the touch is another warning sign that your body needs water. Your body is trying to conserve water, so as you dehydrate you actually stop sweating.
• Headaches: Dehydration can cause migraines or headaches. If you’ve developed a headache, try drinking a glass of water. If it helps your headache, then you were dehydrated!
• Muscle cramps: As dehydration sets in, your body can’t cool itself down effectively. This causes your muscles to cramp up. This is why it is so important to keep drinking water while you exercise.

If you have noticed any of these symptoms, then your body is starting to suffer from mild dehydration.

Signs of severe dehydration include:

• Darkly colored urine
• Excessively dry skin
• Feelings of extreme dizziness
• Confusion, loss of energy, irritability
• Increased heartbeat
• Heavy breathing
• Fainting

How You Can Prevent Dehydration

How much water do you need each day? As a rough guide, you should be drinking about 50% of your body weight in ounces every day. If you are pregnant, nursing, sick, or exercising, then you’ll need to up those levels. You can use the chart below to work out exactly how much water you need to stay hydrated.

There’s a great range of water bottles on the Live Infinitely website! Our bottles come in bright colors and are fantastic for both kids and adults. Check out our sports bottles that feature time-marked water lines so can stay on track with your hydration. Even better, our fruit infuser water bottles enable you to create healthy, tasty infusions that will give you all the water you need plus an added zing of nutrients and vitamins!

If you are still having trouble motivating yourself to keep up your hydration levels, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at our blog post How to Drink More Water (Even When You Don’t Like It)! For top tips on staying hydrated.

How to Stay Motivated and Stay Hydrated

A fantastic way to encourage yourself to keep up your water intake is to join the Live Infinitely Water Warriors group on Facebook. If you are really serious about maintaining hydration, you can register for the Live Infinitely 60 Day Hydration Challenge! Our 60 Day Hydration Challenge will put you in contact with other H2O heroes and give you the motivation you need to get healthier and stay hydrated. Check it out!