Dehydration is sneaky. It's one of those things that you might not notice for a long time. Dehydration is caused by a lack of water in the body and can be caused by excessive sweating or by consuming too little water. It occurs when more water is lost than taken in, causing a decrease in blood volume, which leads to reduced blood flow to vital organs. This can lead to headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, and weakness as well as constipation and dry mouth. Dehydration can also cause difficulty concentrating, irritability, dizziness, and fainting spells. If left untreated it can have dire health consequences; like high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. Because of how hydration, or lack thereof, can affect your body and impact your health, it's easy to understand why hydration is one of the most important factors in your health. Your body needs proper hydration daily to function at its best.
When it comes to hydration, "you are what you drink". The truth is, our bodies need water to function properly. Water helps regulate body temperature, transports nutrients and oxygen to cells, removes waste products from cells, and lubricates joints. Hydration is an optimal part of your overall health and wellness. Even if you don't feel thirsty, you should be sure you are properly hydrating your body throughout the day. Drinking hydrating beverages, and eating water-rich fruits and veggies can help with everything from your brain function to skin health.
As the weather continues to heat up and the days get longer, dehydration is sure to continue affecting more and more people. The following are four common signs of dehydration–keep an eye out for these so that you can stay healthy this summer.
Dry Skin
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It protects us from the sun, germs and other harmful elements. It also helps to regulate body temperature by releasing sweat onto the surface of our skin. The skin can become dry when it has lost too much water or if it doesn't get enough water to stay healthy. If your body is dehydrated it will alert you through dry skin. When your skin loses its moisture, it can become dry and flaky, cracked, and dull in appearance. You may also experience things like sunken eyes, and chapped lips when your body is suffering from dehydration. Sunken eyes happen when your body doesn't have enough water to fill out the spaces under your eyes, causing them to look like hollows in your face instead of full circles. Chapped lips occur when there isn't enough moisture on your lips for them to stay hydrated; this causes them to crack and peel off easily.
Dry skin is usually caused by a lack of moisture or oil in the epidermis. The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin that acts as a barrier against infection, water loss, and other harmful substances from entering your body. As this layer becomes damaged or weakened it becomes more prone to cracking and breaking down resulting in dryness. Dry skin can also be caused by environmental factors such as hot weather leading to increased evaporation of water molecules from your body surface area at a faster rate than they are replaced by new ones being absorbed back into your system via drinking water intake levels. This causes your body to become dehydrated which means there isn't enough water available for all processes within your body to function properly without any complications.
If you have dry skin then you need to rehydrate your body as well as your skin by drinking plenty of water and hydrating beverages like purple tea, throughout the day, or eating foods that contain high levels of water such as watermelons or cucumbers.
Muscle Cramps
Dehydration causes muscle cramps because it reduces blood flow to the muscles, which leads to a lack of oxygen and nutrients reaching them. As a result, there's less space for electrolytes like sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium to move around inside your body. These electrolytes help regulate muscle contraction so they're critical for movement and posture maintenance in your arms and legs. When you're dehydrated, your cells don't work as well as they should. Your heart has to work harder to circulate blood through the body. When this happens, your muscles start contracting involuntarily — and sometimes those contractions can be so strong that they cause pain or even injury. These muscle cramps in your arms or legs are happening because they are under more stress than normal when they're working harder than usual. This is why you'll hear people who are dehydrated say that their muscles feel stiff or achy — not just sore from exercise, but like they ache all over their body when they're tired or inactive.
People who exercise often are at risk for dehydration because they sweat more than other people do during exercise. People who live in hot climates also have an increased risk of dehydration because their bodies have to work harder to cool down than those who live in cooler climates do. If you don't get enough fluids on a regular basis, then you may experience dehydration-related muscle cramps when performing any type of physical activity that requires heavy lifting or pushing, or pulling. If you experience muscle cramps, it's important to drink water right away. Drinking a hydrating beverage will help replenish what you've lost and ease the pain so that you can get back to doing what you enjoy.
Dizziness and Confusion
When your body is dehydrated, it doesn't function normally. You may have trouble concentrating, experience confusion, or feel like you have foggy thoughts. These effects are often subtle and easy to overlook in the moment. If they happen often, however, they can affect your work and relationships. Dehydration can affect your mental functions for several reasons. When you don't drink enough water, your body loses fluids that are important for blood flow — especially in the brain. Your brain is made up of 75% water. When you are dehydrated it causes the brain to swell, which makes it harder for the blood flow to reach your brain. This can cause lightheadedness and other symptoms of dehydration, like a headache or fatigue.
Dehydration can also lead to dizziness because it affects your balance system. This system relies on fluids in the inner ear to maintain balance. As these fluids decrease due to dehydration, balance becomes more difficult for the brain to control. Dizziness is often the result of this imbalance.
Low Energy and Fatigue
Dehydration causes low energy and fatigue. As the body loses fluid, it also loses electrolytes, which are necessary for proper functioning of all cells, including muscle cells. Without fluids, your heart and muscles may not be able to work as well. Muscle weakness can make you tired, even when you're not exercising or doing anything else that would normally cause fatigue. Low fluid levels also affect blood flow, which means there might be less oxygen-rich blood available to carry nutrients to your muscles and other parts of your body. If these things happen, it's possible that those muscles won't feel strong enough or capable of doing their job efficiently. This causes those muscles to feel weak and fatigued as well.
Take control of your health and stay hydrated. The key to staying hydrated is to not wait until your body tells you to drink. Keep a bottle handy filled with your favorite water or hydrating beverage to replenish your fluids throughout the day. But what if you don't always have time to grab some water? Or what if you're someone who doesn't want to drink water all day long? Sometimes you may want something different to consume and purple tea provides this, as well as many nutrients and antioxidants that are beneficial to your mental and physical health. Purpose purple tea provides the hydration you need with the added benefit of convenience. Purpose comes with a bottle that fits comfortably in any bag, purse, or cup holder so that you can keep your body hydrated at any time of the day. Pick up a bottle or case of your favorite Purpose flavors on our website or in your local Kroger, Raley or Whole Foods stores. Check out the locations tab on your site to find the store nearest you with Purpose Tea on its shelves.
