Dehydration is a pretty sneaky health issue. On the one hand, it is difficult to notice when you are dehydrated – or at least it’s difficult to notice such a problem before it’s too late. As a good rule of thumb, you can consider yourself already pretty dehydrated by the time you actually feel thirsty. Indeed, thirst is not the best indicator of dehydration, and there are better ones to look out for.
But this i snot the only reason dehydration is one of the very sneakiest and underhand of health issues. As well as being difficult to identify, dehydration can also cause a series of knock-on effects that you might not immediately think are related to dehydration. And these problems can be especially difficult to relate to dehydration when you do not even feel thirsty.
If you have ever found yourself drinking endless cups of coffee to make it through a particularly trying day at work, you might find yourself losing focus, becoming excessively tired,or beginning to suffer aches and pains and herbal relief supplement.You might think more coffee is the solution. It’s not – these problems are most likely caused by dehydration!
A Better Water?
Before getting on to all the health problems dehydration could be behind though, it is worth mentioning that, in our day and age, there has been much industry interest in producing products that do something about this. The most effective remedies so far have all been alternative water products, working on the principle that the type of water you are drinking might not be hydrating you as much as possible.
Accordingly, you might decide to invest in things such as mineral water with added nutrients, or purified water to do something about any potentially health-hazardous contaminants. A special mention is due to isotonic drinks and rehydration solutions, which include electrolytes. These are also vitally important to control your hydrationas they regulate your body’s water use and water expulsion.
Common Health Issues Caused by Dehydration
So, here follows a list of health issues you might not immediately identify as being caused by dehydration:
Aches and Pains
And this can be aches and pains anywhere in the body, from headaches to that old sports injury hurting more than usual. Sometimes, the solution is simply to drink up.
Concentration and Focus Issues
If you’ve slept a full night and are still feeling tired after an amount of work which really shouldn’t be tiring you out as much as it is, then the problem is almost certainly dehydration.
Next Level Daily, a company that produces a daily journal planner for those with ADHD, say that hydration is especially important for sufferers of the condition – and dehydration can make concentration issues worse. This is a problem only compounded by the fact that ADHD medication can directly lead to dehydration itself. For those with this condition, hydration should be a top priority.
Dry Skin
This is more a symptom of long-term dehydration, but it is undoubtedly a sign that you are in dire need of some water. You might have thought that your dry skin is due to some other issue, but simply hydrating enough (every day) could well lead you to the solution.
Muscle Cramps
If you start feeling cramps in your muscles when you haven’t engaged any excessive physical exertion, then dehydration is very likely to be the culprit. However, bear in mind also that taking longer to recover from sports could also be because you are not hydrating enough.
Such are a few of the unexpected effects of dehydration. They are not terribly well known – but they should be.