Are you running low on water? It really does not take much to get yourself dehydrated, and that’s something you should definitely avoid. The human body is composed of 60% water; lose about 1.5% of it and you would have reached the tipping point of getting mildly dehydrated. Dehydration can be a result of several things and it can do a lot more to your entire body apart from just making you feel thirsty.
Below are the some of the consequences of allowing your body to get dehydrated.
1. It can make your breath go bad.
When you’re extremely busy, it’s easy to forget to drink water. And when you start noticing people cringing when you open your mouth at the end of a particularly busy day, then you’ll know that
something must be off. Dehydration can give you halitosis or bad breath. Your saliva contains a lot of antibacterial properties. Its production decreases when you get dehydrated, allowing bacteria to proliferate in your mouth resulting to rancid breath. So make it a habit to drink up; it’s for your own sake, oh yes, and others too!
2. It ups your sugar cravings.
Dehydration can mask itself as hunger which can amp your cravings especially for sugar. This happens often when you are exercising. When you work out on a dehydrated state, you tend to use your body’s stored carbohydrates (glycogen) at a much faster rate, thus depleting your supplies quicker. So once you
are done exercising, you will most likely crave for carbohydrates to replenish your dwindling glycogen levels to get you ready for the next exercise routine.
3. It ruins your workout routines.
Even when you’re just slightly dehydrated, it lowers your capacity to put effort into your routines. Studies have proven that dehydration levels at about 2% can reduce your body’s athletic performance by 10%, ergo, the more dehydrated you are, the lesser you can perform.
4. Dehydration can cause your skin to go dry and flaky.
To achieve a smooth and clear skin, you need plenty of water in your body. Water keeps your skin moisturized and lack thereof will cause you to have dry, sometimes even itchy and flaky skin.
5. Dehydration lowers your concentration levels.
When your body lacks water, its electrolyte balance gets shifted which results to lethargy, dizziness and decreased levels of concentration. It is advised not to engage in activities that require great concentration like driving, and operating complicated equipments/ machines when dehydrated to prevent any untoward occurrences.
6. It makes you feel tired.
Feeling really tired at the middle of the day may have to do more with your body’s water levels than you think. When you are dehydrated, your blood pressure tends to drop, it also makes your heart rate go up and your blood flow to go slow, especially the ones going to your brain. When this happens, you’ll feel
extremely tired. Lack of water in the muscles makes any kind of physical activity feel more difficult and a lot tiring.
7. It dampens your mood.
Feeling a little bit cranky? Drink a glass of water and you might just feel better. The effects of dehydration in the brain can cause bouts of irritability. So go ahead, drink up and lessen your irritable tendencies.
8. Dehydration can leave you more prone to getting chills.
Yes it may seem counterintuitive, but lack of water in the body can easily bring on the chills. This happens because you body starts to decrease the blood flow to your skin. Water holds heat, so when you get dehydrated, it will be more difficult to regulate your body’s temperature making you more ill-disposed to cold.
9. Dehydration can give you muscle cramps.
Dehydration affects your blood circulation, and when blood flow decreases, it can lead to muscle cramps. When your body loses water, its natural reaction is to protect your vital organs, ergo shifting the fluids away from your muscles and anything less
important in your body processes. Muscle cramps can be extremely painful. Changes in the potassium and sodium levels in your body through sweat loss can also trigger muscle cramps.
10. Dehydration can lead to constipation.
Water is needed for your body to keep things moving in your intestines. And when you lack water, your body compensates by removing water from your stool, making it harder and more difficult for you to pass. Note however that even though you are hydrated properly, it won’t necessarily relieve you from constipation that’s being brought forth by an existing medical condition, any medications you might have been taking or the lack of fiber in your system.
