According to research, most individuals walk around at least partially dehydrated most of the time, and this is generally because of two things; they do not drink water regularly and they do not know what the symptoms of dehydration actually are.
When we think about dehydration, most of us imagine dry and cracking lips, delirium etc. like we see in the movies when someone has been lost in the desert or at sea for a while without water. While this is true, those are signs of extreme dehydration – mild dehydration is far sneakier but just as dangerous to our health, yet most of us never even realise that we are dehydrated.
The human body does not just go from full to dehydrated in an instant; it happens over time. If you are aware of your body, you may notice subtle signs that all is not right, like you notice that your printer is running out of ink slowly… each time you print the page is a bit lighter until you can hardly read what is printed on it.
Here is some idea of what happens to your body as it becomes more dehydrated, expressed in percentages to show the proportion of water missing from your body:
- 1% Dehydration: You begin to feel thirsty
- 2% Dehydration: Physical performance becomes inhibited, you start to feel hot and have less of an appetite
- 3% Dehydration: Your mouth becomes dry, your concentration wavers, you get a headache, you get irritable and struggle to sleep
- 4% Dehydration: Your body temperature increases, as do your heart and respiratory rates
Once dehydration reaches in excess of 10%, especially in hot temperatures, you run a serious risk of life-threatening heat stroke. Chronic dehydration can increase the risk of infection, especially of the urinary tract; a quick check of the colour of your urine can also tell a lot about how dehydrated you are; the darker your urine the more dehydrated you are and the quicker you need to drink water.
Remember, when you feel thirst or your mouth is dry, you are already partially dehydrated, so it is best to make sure that you drink sufficient water throughout the day. Start the day off with a large glass of water and drink water at regular intervals, more if it is hot or you are undertaking physical exercise or working outside in the heat.
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