9 Signs And Symptoms That Show You Are Dehydrated

In school, when we were attending our biology lessons, one of the first things that we were taught was that the human body is made up of up to 60% of water, right?

And our teachers and elders would have also told us that not consuming enough water every day can be harmful for our health.

This is because, since our body consists of around 60% of water, that level has to be maintained at all times.


Even if the water level in our body dips slightly, a number of health complications can arise and make us prone to diseases.

When we do not consume enough water, knowingly or unknowingly, it could lower the optimum water level of our body and lead to a condition known as dehydration.

Most of us may feel that dehydration is a simple health problem, which can be set right immediately, after drinking enough water.

However, dehydration, specifically chronic dehydration, can lead to a number of serious and fatal conditions, including heart attacks, stroke and death!

So, here are a few surprising signs and symptoms that show you are dehydrated.

1. Bad Breath
Have you been offered mint by your friends and co-workers more often than not, lately, because of your bad breath problem? If yes, and if you follow good oral hygiene, then your bad breath could be a surprising sign of dehydration. When your body is dehydrated, it does not produce enough saliva in the mouth and the mouth becomes dry. Dryness in the mouth can cause bad breath, even though you are following excellent oral hygiene.

2. Dry Skin
If you have been noticing that your skin has become drier, rougher and more brittle recently, regardless of the weather and even though you are following a proper skin care routine, then it could be due to dehydration. When the body is dehydrated, the PH level of the skin reduces and this causes the skin to lose its moisture, making way for dry skin. If the dehydration is not treated, it could lead to skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

3.Muscle Pain
Many people experience muscle pain now and then. Usually, muscle pain is caused by injuries, soreness after physical activities, certain diseases like arthritis, obesity, diabetes, etc. However, if you notice that you are experiencing muscle pain, soreness and cramps, although you have no other health issues, then it could be because of dehydration. When the muscle tissues do not get enough water, they become dry and stiff - causing muscle pain and cramps.


4. Sugar Cravings
If you are not generally a "sweet tooth" who craves for sweets and sugary foods often, but all of a sudden you are noticing that you have started to crave for sugar, it could be because you are extremely dehydrated. When you are dehydrated, it becomes extremely difficult for the body to breakdown the glycogen in the food and release glucose. When there is not enough glucose content in your body, it could cause you to crave for sweets and sugary foods more often!


5. Headaches
Headaches are one of the most common ailments that most people experience frequently, for a number of different reasons. For example, a headache can be caused by lack of enough food, rest, flu, migraine, stress, etc. Also, dehydration can be a reason for headaches. When you are dehydrated, the circulation of oxygenated blood to the head region becomes low, causing headaches.

6. Dark Urine
Normally, we never give much attention to our urine on a daily basis, unless we have an obvious problem, right? However, the colour of our urine can tell a lot about our health and so it can be useful to check that on a regular basis. If you notice that your urine is extremely dark in colour and murky, it could be from dehydration, as the urine gets highly concentrated, when there is not much water in the body.

7. Mood Swings
Normally, people associate mood swings with health problems such as depression, stress, etc., right? Or it could even be due to pregnancy or premenstrual syndrome. However, many research studies have proven that even chronic dehydration can trigger mood swings in people, as dehydration can lead to hormonal imbalances in the body.

8. Saggy Skin
If you have noticed that your skin feels loose and saggy, lately, although you are not at the age where saggy skin is considered to be normal, then it could be because of chronic dehydration. When the skin tissues are not well-hydrated, they lose their elasticity and begin to sag, prematurely.

9. Dry Eyes
Most people feel that dryness of the eyes could be due to commuting often in the pollution, working with electronic gadgets regularly and so on. While all these issues can also cause dry eyes, dehydration can also be a hidden cause for dryness of the eyes. Again, the tissues of the eyes lose their optimum moisture levels, when the body is not well-hydrated, causing dry eyes.

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