It isn’t just sports personalities who run the risk of dehydration while on the field. Normal human beings leading a sedentary life can also become dehydrated if there is inadequate intake of fluids. Water is the basis of life, and of your body. Since the human body needs water to distribute nutrients to different parts of the body via the blood stream, apart from hormonal secretion for normal healthy functions; it stands to reason that you should ensure your body is adequately hydrated at all times. Don’t wait for a crisis to act. If you have cause to doubt whether you are at risk of dehydration, check these signs to forewarn you.
It can be quite frightening if suddenly you find yourself unable to articulate anything because your mouth and tongue have literally run dry. Don’t imagine it is something that can happen to you only when you are in a hot, arid climate. It could happen to you just as much during the winter, or even in the rains when you haven’t been drinking the regulation eight glasses of water daily. Additionally, dehydration causes salivation to decrease radically, which in turn could turn your breath foul as bacteria flourish in your mouth. Proper hydration is vital to produce adequate saliva, and maintain fresh breath.
Since the blood needs adequate water in it to break down the glycogen in the blood stream, a sudden craving for sweets might be your body’s way of telling you that you need to increase your fluid intake. Plain room temperature, or cool but not cold, water is preferable to sparkling water. Soda water should be avoided if you are feeling dehydrated. If you suddenly feel hungry soon after a meal, you probably need to drink water to help your liver function properly.
Closely allied to this factor is a sense of chronic fatigue, so much so that when you wake from sleep, you feel so tired. Inadequate fluids prevent the blood releasing the much-needed energy your body requires to function. It also means that the blood is unable to carry the necessary nutrients to tissues to repair damage caused by routine wear and tear.
There could be many reasons why a person suffers from cramps. Vitamin E deficiency, menstruation, digestive issues are some of the factors causing them. However, dehydration due to excessive sweating or simply not drinking enough water could equally be responsible for your distress. So, the next time you find the muscles of your legs cramping, try drinking a glass of water with a dash of salt and two spoons of sugar dissolved in it.
Does your skin feel like that of lizard — rough and flaky? Has it suddenly lost its elasticity? That could indicate you need to increase the quantity of water you drink to rehydrate your skin.
Stress, high blood pressure, viral infections, sudden changes in atmospheric temperature could give you headaches. Chronic dehydration also gives you headaches which refuse to go away. Ensuring that regular water drinking is supplemented with nutritious rehydration by way of drinking fruit juices, the multifarious sorbets and sherbets which are available in the market, and can be easily prepared at home, are some of the ways to compel that headache to disappear.
Few people will tell you that dehydration can lead to bizarre behavior, and disorientation. Difficulty in focusing on what the other person is saying, or how you should be reacting to a situation might easily be indicative of dehydration. In an extreme situation, dehydration could lead to seizures or heat stroke.
Under normal circumstances, urine is light yellow. You know you must increase the amount of water you drink daily when it changes to a darker tint or becomes orange.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke compounded by dehydration could bring on a fever, or make a person feel chilled. Therefore, stay alert to any unusual bodily response to current room temperature.