Be sure to drink more water on hot days than usual. The body dehydrates quickly through sweat, and dehydration can be the beginning of serious ailments. Here are some lesser-known signs of dehydration that you need to watch out for every day.
Most of us know that dehydration causes a strong feeling of dizziness, vertigo and even loss of balance. But until this stage of advanced dehydration, there are some lesser-known signs of dehydration that most of us ignore.
It’s important to look out for the first signs of dehydration to prevent more serious problems later. Be sure to carry a water bottle with you whenever you leave home and consistently drink moderate amounts of water, lemonade, teas or cold compotes (possibly without sugar) to keep yourself healthily hydrated.
Lesser-known signs of dehydration
1. The mouth starts to smell bad
As the body becomes dehydrated, it produces less saliva and bacteria begin to multiply in the oral cavity. One of the first signs of dehydration is bad breath and a dry mouth.
2. You wake up tired in the morning
Do you happen to wake up more tired in the morning on hot summer days than you do the rest of the year? Many times, because of the heat wave, we struggle with insomnia and sleep only a few hours a night. But dehydration also has its say.
Many of us do not drink water at night, even if we wake up. In conditions of high temperatures, the body sweats profusely and we become dehydrated. The blood becomes a little thicker, the heart pumps harder, and we wake up more tired than when we went to sleep. So, make sure you drink enough water in the evening and even overnight.
3. You feel the need to eat something sweet
Surprisingly, dehydration makes us crave something sweet. Often, after a few hours of not drinking much liquid, we feel the need to eat a cold ice cream, to drink something cold and sweet, but refreshing. This sensation occurs because the body metabolizes glycogen much more slowly, if we are dehydrated, and we feel the need for sugar to restore our energy.
However, you should avoid sweet treats. Instead, drink water to hydrate yourself properly, and only then eat something sweet.
4. You go to the toilet too rarely
As you drink less water, your body tries to retain it and you will go to the toilet less often. It’s possible that you don’t realize this in the first hours if you get busy with various things, and forget that you haven’t gone to the toilet in the last 4-5 hours. In these conditions, you are already dehydrated.
5. Sweat smells worse
If you provide your body too little water, the skin dries out and the sweat glands produce less sweat, which is more concentrated in salts. That’s why your sweat may smell worse, especially underarms.
6. Concentration problems
A slight decrease in the volume of water that the body needs, of only 2%, can lead to a decrease in the ability to concentrate. You can no longer pay attention to all the details, do simple mathematical calculations or follow all the steps of more complex problems.
7. Circles under the eyes
Dehydration causes the appearance of unsightly dark circles, under-eye shadows or bags, and your face takes on a tired expression. If you wake up with dark circles in the morning, it means that you were dehydrated overnight and you need to take action, drink more fluids in the evening, but not alcohol or sugary drinks!