Do you know these unusual signs of dehydration?

The human body is made up of approximately 60% of water. The brain and the heart are made up of 73% water, and the lungs are composed of around 83% water. Muscles and kidneys are composed of 79% water and the skin contains 64% water. In fact, our bones are even made of 31% water. And these figures are enough to tell you how important water is for smoother bodily functions. This is the reason we often are told to have more and more water throughout the day.

Dehydration might affect you when you are down with certain health issues which make your body lose water at a faster rate. Diarrhoea is one of the common causes for dehydration. Mild dehydration can be discomforting while severe dehydration has serious aftermaths such as clotting of blood, seizures, and chronic severe dehydration might lead to death of an individual. 

To ensure smooth functioning of the body, one has to keep himself hydrated and in fact, even mild dehydration can affect your mood and energy level. Any degree of dehydration can affect your mood and energy level. Thirst and fatigue cannot be obvious signs of dehydration but there are warning signs that you should never miss out.

Look for unusual signs of dehydration given below:

Bad breath

Dehydration prevents your body from making saliva. Possessing anti-bacterial properties, saliva helps in keeping your mouth clean. When you are unable to produce saliva because of dehydration, bacteria start to grow in your mouth causing bad breath.

Dry skin

Dehydration affects your skin making it dry. When you pinch the skin of a dehydrated person, it may remain tented and take a couple of minutes to get back to its normal state.

Muscle cramps

Dehydration causes muscle cramps but exercising is also one of the reasons why you suffer from the condition. When you get engaged in an exercise, the muscles seize up from the heat generated. Changes in sodium and potassium are responsible for muscle cramps.

Fever and chills

Severe dehydration can make you suffer from fever and chills. Fever can worsen your dehydration. The higher the fever, the more dehydration occurs.

Increased craving for food

Our body confuses the feeling of thirst with hunger and that is why, when we feel like having something, we actually need water. Dehydration makes it difficult for organs such as liver to release stored glucose for energy production. Craving for food especially sweets happens because your body finds it difficult to break down glucose for energy release and use it as a fuel.

Headache

It happens with mild to severe dehydration and it might even trigger a migraine headache. The science behind staying hydrating to avoid headaches is not clear However, dehydration does contribute to headache.

These are the signs apart from being tired and thirsty to acknowledge that you are dehydrated. You need to drink at least six to eight glasses of water to live a healthy life. Include fruits and veggies which are high in water content.

*Source: According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158