It’s no news that dehydration occurs when your body loses fluid more than you take in. However, you may be at a higher risk if you have low body weight or have a long term health condition.
Dehydration is often caused by not drinking enough fluid to replace what you lose. The weather, the amount of physical exercise you engage in, and your diet can contribute to dehydration.
Some of the early signs of dehydration include
- Dry mouth
- Always feeling thirsty
- Light-headedness and tiredness
- Having concentrated dark coloured and smelly urine
- Passing urine less often than usual
Are you dehydrated? Replace the fluids and electrolytes (minerals) your body already lost by drinking plenty of fluids such as water, or fruit juice. Fizzy drinks may contain more sugar than your body may require and may be harder to absorb such in large amounts. Also, avoid tea, coffee, soda, and alcoholic drinks. They can dehydrate you further as they all pull water from your body.
Are you of the school of thought that says water is bland and uninteresting? You can infuse your water with fruits to give it flavour. Fruits you may combine are cucumber/lime, lemon, orange, and strawberry/mint, or any combination of fruits that suit your taste and/or mood per time.
It is worthy to note that water makes up over two-thirds of the healthy human body. It also lubricates the joints and eyes, aids digestion, flushes out waste and toxins, and keeps the skin healthy. You’ll be doing yourself a great service by drinking fluid that is just enough for your body to live on regularly. And you do not have to wait until you are thirsty to drink water or take in fluid as the case may be.
If dehydration lingers for long and is left untreated, it may cause fits (seizures), brain damage and ultimately death. So stay hydrated.
