The average human body is 60% water, so it should come as to no surprise that not drinking enough is detrimental to your health.
We lose water through our sweat glands and even just by breathing, so it's important that we drink plenty of the fluid each day to replenish our organs.
As our bodies age, we don't retain water the same way as we used to, and we often miss some of the signs that we're in need of hydration.
Trust me, it's more than just feeling thirsty, and if you don't pay attention to these 10 warning signs, you may be jeopardizing your overall well-being.
1. You always seem to be sick
Your doctor tells you to keep hydrated when you're sick for good reason.
Water flushes out toxins in your body so that your organs can function properly.
When your organs need water to survive, they'll start to borrow water stored in your blood cells, which will do you no good in the long run.
I'll get to why that's bad in the next few points.
2. You're usually craving a snack
When I say snack, I don't mean a bag of carrots.
I'm talking about candy, chocolate, cake, cookies, and all that good stuff, which is actually not good at all.
Dehydration impacts your digestive track, causing bacteria to grow rapidly in your intestines.
Like most bacteria, they crave sugar, which helps to keep them alive.
3. Your skin is aging faster than your peers
No one wants to look like their friend's mom, but if you spend years not drinking enough water, you might get there.
As we grow older, our bodies need more water because our sensation of thirst gradually decreases.
Water helps keep our skin moisturized and look young and fresh, so not drinking enough will only dry out your skin, which will cause wrinkles and speed up the aging process.
4. You always feel tired and exhausted
When your body is borrowing water from your blood cells, there's not enough of them pumping to give you energy, so you're going to feel lethargic.
Instead of burrowing under your bed sheets, replenish your system with some life-saving H2O.
By getting up and committing to be more active, you'll get more exercise, and in turn your body will crave more water.
5. Gaining weight
Water makes you feel bloated, but not drinking enough can also make you gain weight.
Luckily, you'll only feel bloated temporarily, but losing the weight may be a difficult task.
If you aren't consuming enough liquids, your body can't burn fat properly, which will slow down your metabolism and encourage you to eat more.
6. You can't think properly
If you feel like you're losing your mind because you have lapses in concentration or have suddenly become extremely moody, it may be because your brain doesn't have enough water to work at full capacity.
Keep in mind, your brain is the first organ to be affected by dehydration.
For faster migraine relief, try catnip tea. The plant's leaves have sedative properties that will soothe your aching pain. It also helps that you're consuming some kind of liquid.
7. You're constipated
When my daughter was in elementary school, she suffered from constipation.
There were various natural ways we tried to treat her, but the best method was just forcing her to drink more water than usual.
Keeping hydrated helped to soften her stool and decrease bloating.
8. Headache and muscles pains
Dehydration is painful.
The cartilage around our bones are mostly made up of water, so to keep them healthy and prevent them from grinding against each other, you need to keep your body hydrated.
9. Your breath smells
There was a time my breath smelt so bad that even Listerine couldn't fight off whatever was going on in my mouth.
The minty fresh smell only lasted for an hour, and then I was back to smelling like I just woke up.
When your body is dehydrated, you have less saliva in your mouth, which allows bacteria to thrive.
It's all that bacteria that's causing your mouth to smell, so for the love of yourself and everyone else that gets in close proximity to you, drink water.
10. You feel "dry"
Whether it's your skin, lips, eyes, or the inside of your mouth, if you feel dry often, it may not be because you're not applying enough moisturizer.
People who suffer from eczema or extremely dry skin are usually recommended to drink more water because it replenishes their skin.
