Have you ever wondered how to tell if you are hydrated?
Proper hydration is essential for almost every single one of your bodily functions. If you’re not getting enough water, your wellbeing is guaranteed to suffer.
However, dehydration and thirst don’t necessarily go hand in hand, so it can be difficult to tell whether or not you’re getting enough water. Read on as we list some useful indicators of proper hydration.
The color of your urine is one of the most reliable indicators of your body’s level of hydration.
If you’re dehydrated, the contents of your toilet bowl will be a dark yellow. When you’re properly hydrated, it will range from light yellow to fully clear.
This doesn’t mean that dark urine is always a warning sign. However, if your urine is consistently a dark shade of yellow (it can even be orange in some cases), you should increase your fluid intake without delay.
There are a number of cognitive symptoms that can result from dehydration. These include forgetfulness, loss of alertness, and low mood.
Such issues can even occur as a result of mild hydration loss. This means that it isn’t necessary to forgo water altogether in order to suffer a loss of some mental clarity.
These symptoms may be more severe in young children and in the elderly.
Proper hydration is essential for the various functions of the skin. For this reason, your skin can be one of the best places to spot the effects of dehydration.
Various skin issues, such as roughness, flaking, redness, or cracked lips can come about due to insufficient levels of hydration.
Many such skin issues may have other causes as well, however, such as poor diet or extreme weather.
While candy cravings are nothing uncommon for most of us, abnormally strong or frequent longings for sweet things can indicate dehydration.
Because of the relationship between hydration and glycogen release in the liver, a shortage of fluids in the body can lead to cravings for sweet food. So, the next time you’re overcome by the desire to eat a sugary snack, try drinking a tall glass of water instead.
Now that you know how to tell if you are hydrated, the next step is to understand what to do about it if you aren’t.
In most cases, simply consuming some water will be sufficient to alleviate the symptoms of dehydration. However, in instances of severe dehydration, medical intervention may be required. In such cases, water is administered through an intravenous (IV) drip.
If you’re suffering from symptoms of dehydration that don’t subside when you drink more water, it might be a good idea to have your doctor perform a physical exam. While it is useful to know how to tell if you are hydrated, only a qualified medical professional can make a definite diagnosis about your state of health.
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