Water is a vital part of living a healthy lifestyle.
It helps to maintain the proper pH balance in your body and it keeps you from feeling tired or thirsty.
Whether you are trying to stay healthy or lose weight, drinking enough water is an important part of the equation.
We are all constantly told to drink lots of water, but how many people actually do it?
It’s not easy, but you should always try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
The truth is that every part of your body needs water in order to function properly, and if you don’t have enough then it can lead to dehydration.
This post about water and wellness will talk about the signs that indicate you are not drinking enough water as well as some tips for making sure you stay hydrated.
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Signs You’re Not Drinking Enough Water
Below are some signs your water and wellness regime is going downhill.
1. You are always thirsty.
Everyone is occasionally thirsty – but constant thirst means you are not drinking enough water.
The human body is designed to take in fluid from the foods you eat, but if your water intake does not meet this requirement, then thirst occurs.
Thirst can also be a sign of dehydration – which only makes the desire for water even greater.
Your risk for kidney stones and high blood pressure increase with chronic dehydration as well.
2. You are feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
If you’re not drinking enough water, your blood volume will be low.
This means that there is less fluid in the circulatory system to help with circulation and transport nutrients around the body effectively.
When this happens, dizziness or feeling lightheaded can occur.
Additionally, if you do experience these symptoms when standing up quickly after sitting for a while, this could also be a sign that you’re not drinking enough fluid.
3. Your urine is dark yellow or dark brown in color.
Dark yellow urine can be a sign that you’re not drinking enough fluid because the kidneys need water to help flush out toxins and waste material.
This is why your body will hold onto fluids if it doesn’t think it’s getting enough – including in the form of dark yellow or brown urine.
Urine should be very light (almost clear) when there is an adequate amount of fluid intake.
If this sounds like something you might experience, make sure to drink more water every day – especially on days where you exercise heavily or are exposed to high temperatures.
It may also mean that you have consumed foods with artificial colors; these dyes cannot be processed by the liver as quickly as other food additives found in junk food, so they tend to show up in the urine – making it look darker.
4. You feel groggy, unfocused, or tired.
Dehydration can make you feel fatigued and low on energy because of the effects it has on your blood pressure levels – this is due to a drop in plasma volume as well as an increase in cortisol production which leads to elevated stress hormone levels.
These symptoms are also exacerbated by exercise – so if you’re working out more but aren’t drinking enough water, then expect these feelings of fatigue and drowsiness to continue.
Make sure that your daily fluid intake includes replacing those lost after workouts – don’t wait until later to replenish fluids since the negative consequences will only worsen without adequate hydration throughout the day.
A better solution would be staying properly hydrated before exercising so that you don’t experience these negative effects in the first place.
Water and Wellness: Tips for Staying Hydrated
If you’re ready to start drinking more water, here are some tips that can help:
- Keep a reusable bottle with you at all times so you’ll always have access to H2O. This will make sure no time goes by without your body getting its recommended daily intake of water.
- Drink warm herbal tea throughout the day as well; not only does this provide hydration but many herbs also boast their own health benefits (chamomile is great for sleep and stress relief.).
- If plain old bottled or filtered tap water isn’t doing it for you, there are tons of ways to spice things up. Add fresh fruit like strawberries or cucumbers to infuse flavor and antioxidants, or make your own flavored water.
Just remember – if you don’t stay hydrated enough on a daily basis, then it will catch up to you eventually.
Drink up every day (64 ounces for women and 100+ ounces for men) and reap the benefits that come from staying properly hydrated all year long.