In Body, Uncategorized

7 signs you are dehydrated

During the summer months, people are typically a little more aware of their fluid intake. But as Fall rounds the corner and the weather cools down, making sure you get the proper amount of hydration isn’t typically on the front of anyones mind. Dehydration is easy to miss and is an important component to health. Not being fully hydrated can result in sluggishness, brain fog, and irritability. Below is a list of 7 signs you are dehydrated but before you skip ahead, read why and how much you should be drinking first.

When I’m doing an intake for a new client, one of the first things we discuss is hydration. Here’s how the conversation usually goes:

Me:      Are you getting enough fluids?

Them: Yes

Me:      How much water are you drinking?

Them:  Water? No, I drink coffee in the morning and I’ll have iced tea at lunch.

Me:      Do you have anything after that?

Them:  No. I don’t like to drink water because I have to pee.

Me:      That’s kind of the point.

Here’s the down and dirty on peeing. If you aren’t having to go to the bathroom a least a few times a day, you are probably dehydrated.

Water makes up at least two-thirds of the human body. The body depends on it to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ needs water to function. It also plays a large part in lubricating your joints and eyes, keeping your skin healthy, and facilitating proper digestion and elimination of toxins. Dehydration also creates an imbalance between the salts and sugar in your body which can affect the way it functions and your performance.

How much water should you drink? The short answer is, “It’s complicated.”Click To Tweet It depends you – how much you exercise, what you weigh, how hot it is, etc.

 These are signs you are dehydrated. The best way to tell if you need to up your water consumption is by checking them first:

  1. Little or no urine, or urine that is darker than usual
  2. Dry mouth
  3. Sleepiness or fatigue
  4. Extreme or long term thirst
  5. Headache
  6. Confusion
  7. Dizziness or lightheaded feeling
  8. No tears when crying

If any of these apply, you are probably a little or maybe a lot dehydrated. Also, if you are concerned that you are not drinking enough water, again, your urine is the best barometer. If it is consistently colorless or light yellow, you are most likely staying well hydrated. Dark yellow or amber-colored urine is the best sign you are dehydrated.

Remember, all liquids are not created equal when you are looking to hydrate.

A typical sports drink, which is advertised to be the best thing to hydrate during exercise, contains high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. It has two-thirds of the sugar content of soda, and is 30 times more erosive to your teeth than water. High-fructose corn syrup could cause negative health impacts like preventing the natural production of your body’s human growth hormone (HGH). It also contributes to almost all chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Soda is just as bad. A 20-ounce bottle of cola gives you 16 teaspoons of sugar through high-fructose corn syrup. Diet soda makes no difference either because a study revealed that diet soda drinkers have a 70 percent increase in waist size than those non-diet soda drinkers in a 10-year period.

Finally, avoid drinking tap water if you can. It contains fluoride, medications, heavy metals, and disinfection byproducts – some at high levels. If you can, install a water filter in your home to ensure that these harmful contaminants are strained.

Drink Living Water and Listen to Your Body

Fill your glass up with clean, filtered water (I have a reverse osmosis filter in my kitchen) and add a little sea salt or pink salt. This re-mineralizes the water which better matches the molecular structure of your cells so they can uptake the fluid easily for faster hydration.

Finally, I know we are getting a little personal here but don’t forget to do a little pee check if you are not sure. Is it clear? Is it dark and smelly? Are you having to go regularly? If not, up your fluid intake. Your body cleans itself at night and through the morning, usually until around 11:00 am. By drinking more upon waking, you give it a chance to detoxify, flushing all those impurities out of your system. If you are a soda drinker, see if you can switch that out with a fresh juice or infuse water with cucumber or lemon. Your body will be happy dancing inside I promise.

These are just a few wellness facts to make sure you are at your optimum level of performance. There are lots of other weird wellness facts that will blow your mind. I made you a list so you can see for yourself (check out #3 – it’s weirder than weird). For your free download and to subscribe to my out of the box thinking newsletter The Wellness Edge, click the link below (you can unsubscribe at any time).

Click Here For Your Weird Wellness Tips

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