DEHYDRATION
The Truth About Hydration :Myths and Facts
Find out how much water you really need to drink each day, whether you can overdose on H2O, and more.
Leslie Barrie
By Leslie Barrie
Medically Reviewed by Justin Laube, MD
April 2, 2021
Medically Reviewed
Water-packed foods like watermelon can help you hit your hydration goals.
Hydration is one of those things you know you should be on top of, but you may not fully understand why.
“Hydration is important because our bodies really function [best with] adequate water balance,” says Shilpi Agarwal, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician in Washington, DC, and the author of The 10-Day Total Body Transformation. “Most organ functions require water in the right proportion to work — meaning your muscles, heart, and kidneys all need water and also need the body to be adequately hydrated in order to work properly.”
And what about dehydration, to some a scary word that may be associated with health issues big and small? “Mild dehydration can lead to dizziness, fatigue, flushed skin, headache, impaired physical performance, and confusion,” explains Malina Malkani, RDN, who lives in Rye, New York, and is the creator of Solve Picky Eating, a program for parents of finicky eaters. If unaddressed, more extreme dehydration can even cause problems like labored breathing, increased body temperature, poor blood circulation, and seizures, Malkani adds. And according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, dehydration can contribute to urinary tract infections and kidney stones.
To clear up confusion around hydration and dehydration, here are 10 things you must know to keep your health in tip-top shape.
- Myth: If You’re Thirsty, You’re Already Dehydrated
There is some truth to this widely repeated statement. “This can be a really helpful reminder to people, because many of us aren’t very in tune with our thirst, so once we realize we’re thirsty, our body really is calling out for water,” says Ginger Hultin, RDN, the Seattle-based owner of Champagne Nutrition and the author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep.
But it’s not a one-size-fits-all indicator. “Each person needs to assess if this is actually true for them, because there are a lot of reasons a person can be thirsty. It’s not 100 percent always because of dehydration,” says Hultin.
For example, something as simple as spicy food may make you thirstier than normal, according to the Cleveland Clinic. A sharp increase in thirst may also be a sign of a health problem like diabetes. It could be a side effect of a medication you’re taking; certain drugs cause dry mouth without causing dehydration per se. Regardless, it’s worth talking to your doctor if you’re much thirstier than normal to determine the underlying reason.
- Fact: Dark Yellow Urine May Signal That You’re Dehydrated
If you’re concerned you’re not drinking enough water, try this quick trick: Check your urine color. “Urine color can be a pretty good indication of hydration status,” says Hultin.
An eight-level urine color chart lays out urine color from clear to dark yellow or brown — as posted by the U.S. Army Public Health Command. Though everyone is different, explains Hultin, the lightest four colors indicate that you’re hydrated, and the darkest four may mean that you’re dehydrated. If your pee falls in the brown range, you should seek medical attention, as Hultin advises this could mean severe dehydration.
Source: Everyday Health
Inserted by Zimbabwe Online Health Centre
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