6 Health Issues You Didn’t Know Came From Dehydration
Dehydration can cause health issues long before reaching lethally low levels. Losing only 10% of water weight can cause serious health complications. Nutrition impacts hydration levels as well as; health, illness, medications, activity and environmental conditions. Symptoms of over hydration and dehydration are similar, confusing the two could be related to serious life conditions.
Seizures have changed the way I go about my life. For me, dehydration plays into each of my events. Losing water weight can cause death! Click To Tweet
Water weight changes all day long, reflecting our hydration levels. We’ve all dressed comfortably in the morning and felt like a sausage by days end.
How often are you excited by your morning weigh in but feel you’ve blown it by the end of the day when checking in. Cheer up, your morning body weight reflects the amount of fluid loss during the night, which you replace during the day. However, if you notice a dramatic water gain in the morning from the previous day, it’s most likely water retention, which drinking water will help flush out.
What can change our hydration during the day: breathing, health conditions, medications, perspiration, hormones, exercise, daily activity, the foods you eat, and the fluids you drink. There are many ways that your hydration levels can change.
Replenishing lost water is important, especially during and after a workout. It’s easy to measure water loss relating to fitness; weight yourself before working out and after, the difference is water loss. While it would be great if you actually lost that much weight during exercise, it’s mostly water. Water weights 8.34 pounds a gallon, if your scale weight post exercise changed by 2 pounds, you’ll need to drink a quart of water to replenish. As always, avoid drinking to much water at once to avoid hyponatremia or water intoxication. I’ve had water sickness from drinking to much to fast and feeling nauseated, which quickly passes.
Drinking water can also help reduce bloating, in certain situations according to Livestrong.
While it’s recommended to drink 8 cups of water, or 64 oz, daily, you may need more if you’re more active. A 6 foot tall linebacker would consume more than a 5 foot tall office worker for example. Water comes from the foods we eat as well, think soup or watermelon for example; tea, coffee, sport drinks, and other liquids also count as water intake.
Eat this has a great article explaining the 17 things you need to know about water weight for additional details.
The following table is from Ace Fitness detailing the effects of dehydration.
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A few of the signs of dehydration are:
- Headaches
- Food cravings; for sweet foods of foods that hydrate
- Body temperature regulation
- Muscle cramps
- Flushed dry skin
- Bad breath due to lowered amount of saliva
Have you experienced signs of dehydration or a bad experience from not drinking enough water?
Are you drinking enough water daily, or following the 8×8 rule?
What tips or tricks are you using to get the proper amounts of water daily?
