How Can You Know if You are Dehydrated?




What is dehydration?

You’ve probably heard doctors advise to drink plenty of water but do you know why? Drinking water helps in maintaining a stable body temperature, helps your body in getting rid of waste properly,  and keeps your skin glowing. Throughout the day, your body uses and gets rid of water so it is necessary for you to replace it. If the loss of water is greater than your intake of water, then you become dehydrated. Physical examination, blood test and urinalysis are common ways of determining whether or not you are dehydrated. 


Unfortunately, dehydration is a very common problem.. If you become too dehydrated then you risk organ damage, organ failure, shock and even brain damage. 


Feeling thirsty is often considered as the first sign of dehydration when in reality, by the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. If you’ve reached this point, you should drink water and drinks with electrolytes but try to avoid reaching this point.

 

Symptoms of dehydration include: 


  1. Dry mouth

Without enough water in your body, your salivary glands are unable to produce saliva. Your mouth will feel dry and you might find it hard to talk or swallow. Another telltale sign of dehydration is tasting sourness in your mouth. Dry mouth can also cause bad breath as you don’t have enough saliva in your mouth to swallow the bacteria there. 


  1. Infrequent Urination 

One of the ways your body loses water is by urination. When there is already a shortage of water in your body, your body will try to exhale the least amount of water possible, and so you will urinate less. The color of your urine will also turn darker. In fact, during urinalysis, the color of urine is used to determine how dehydrated you are. A pale shade shows that you aren’t drinking enough water, darker shades of yellow point out that you are severely dehydrated. If you are not urinating at all, you should immediately seek medical care. 

 

  1. Dry Skin 

You lose a lot of water during the summers when it’s really a lot. This is your body’s way of trying to maintain a low temperature in the heat. The telltale signs of dehydration evident on your skin include: 

  • Flaking of skin
  • Cracked lips or skin
  • Clammy skin 
  • Roughness of skin 


  1. Fatigue

Water carries vital nutrients in your body, delivering them where they are needed. But when you are dehydrated, your body has to work extra hard, leaving you feeling sluggish and tired. You might even feel dizzy if you are too tired. 


  1. Constipation 

You might have difficulty in bowel movements if you don’t have enough water in your system. Dehydration can cause or worsen constipation. Water helps in digesting food and moving the waste along the digestive tract. When you are dehydrated, you’ll find difficulty in passing stool and it may look dry or like small lumps. 


Diagnosis of Dehydration: 

A physical exam is usually enough for your doctor to diagnose that you are dehydrated. A blood test is used to check the electrolyte levels and kidney function. Urinalysis allows your doctor to check how dehydrated you are and if there are any infections. 


Avoid all the complications that come along with dehydration and drink plenty of water, especially during the hot season, when you perspire a lot! 

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