How Do I know if I’m Dehydrated

Signs of Dehydration

3 out of 4 Americans suffer from chronic dehydration: If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated, but even when you don’t feel thirsty, you can still be dehydrated! If your body is chronically dehydrated, you will see symptoms:

• Dry skin
• Headaches
• Fatigue – The 3 O’clock crash is caused by dehydration!
  
• Dry Lips
• Achy joints

Digestive problems like constipation are also symptoms of low-level, chronic dehydration. Your brain controls the amount of water that your organs get. If you are dehydrated, the first organ that the brain cuts off water to is the large intestine. When that happens, food wastes dry up, and then get stuck inside your colon.

Long term dehydration will lead to many health problems; over 75% of your body is water, and just like a plant, when you dry out you begin to wither and die. Over time, as your body dries out it will affect all of your organs, and they start to shut down. Long term dehydration will also cause you to gain weight, because your body is trying to retain water. Mild dehydration can even affect your mood and is a factor in depression

A Simple test to find out if you are dehydrated

The Pinch Test: The best way to find out if you are dehydrated is to pinch the skin on the back of the hand near the knuckles; it should flatten back out immediately or within 2 seconds. When you are dehydrated it stays pinched up for several seconds. You can also check the color of your urine, it should be very light yellow or clear, if it is dark yellow you are dehydrated. Lastly if your lips look wrinkly, parched or peeling, you are dehydrated.

How much you should drink to avoid dehydration

Some health experts recommend drinking six 8 ounce glasses of water per day, but some people who work out may need more. People who exercise will need to replenish fluids lost through perspiration. many people find that a 16 oz bottle of water is plenty for hydration when they work out. When you drink your water is important too, a previous entry on this blog discusses when you should drink in order to achieve superior hydration.

Dehydration Kills A glass of water, and hour before bed could save your life! Dehydration during sleep causes heart attacks and strokes, and many people stricken this way simply do not wake up. Make sure you drink an 8 ounce glass of water an hour before bed – the life you save will be your own.

Water Quality Matters

Clean water is important for good hydration, and it you can’t get it from a bottle. Plastic water bottles contain Bisphenol-A, a known endocrine disruptor which some studies show has harmful effects.You are better off filtering your home tap water, its cheaper to get water when you filter it yourself as well.

Is Alkaline Water better for Hydration?

Yes. Four studies have shown that alkaline water hydrates the body better than plain water. The reason alkaline water hydrates better is because the mineral hydrates in alkaline water lower the surface tension of water. That makes it easier for water to penetrate cell walls and provide needed hydration.

Alkaline water best for extreme dehydration: Study Research conducted using 32 firefighters as volunteers shows that alkaline water can fight extreme dehydration. The #1 cause of Firefighter deaths while fighting fire is heart attack – not the danger from the actual fire itself! The reason firefighters are killed by heart attacks while fighting fire is that their bodies become extremely dehydrated, which makes it harder for their heart to pump blood.

The study showed that firefighters who rehydrate with alkaline water get rehydrated faster than if they drank plain water. The researchers in the study recommended that firefighters drink alkaline water to avoid heart attacks.

Alkaline water can help you drink more water Would it be easier for you to drink more water if it tasted better? Alkaline water made by a water ionizer tastes better than plain water, it’s slightly sweet and feels a lot more refreshing as you drink it. This has even been proven in a blind taste-test study, which showed that drinkers picked the alkaline water over the plain water every time.

Find out more about how hydration works with our free e-book on the benefits of alkaline water!

 Put the Power of Alkaline Water Hydration to work for you. Call us at 877-959-7977 for money saving offers that can make owning a water ionizer cheaper than drinking bottled water

References

Heil, P, and J Seifert. “Influence of bottled water on rehydration following a dehydrating bout of cycling exercise.” Springerlink. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, n.d. Web. 9 Jul 2013. <http://www.springerlink.com/content/kn41764j65165u3x/fulltext.pdf>.

Heil, D. “Acid-base balance and hydration status following consumption of mineral-based alkaline bottled water..” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13 Sep 2010. Web. 26 Mar 2014. <http://www.jissn.com/content/7/1/29>.

Ericson, John. ” 75% of Americans May Suffer From Chronic Dehydration, According to Doctors.”Medical Daily. Medical Daily, 03 Jul 2013. Web. 15 Nov 2013. <http://www.medicaldaily.com/75-americans-may-suffer-chronic-dehydration-according-doctors-247393>.

Koseki, M, Y Tanaka, and et al. “Effect of pH on the Taste of Alkaline Electrolyzed Water.” Wiley Online Library. Journal of Food Science, n.d. Web. 3 Jul 2013. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17995745

Armstrong, Lawrence E. Matthew S Ganio. and et al. “Mild Dehydration Affects Mood in Healthy Young Women.” . The Journal of Nutriton, 21 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 July 2014. <http://jn.nutrition.org/content/142/2/382.full>.

Holsworth, R, , and et al. “Effect of Hydration on Whole Blood Viscosity in Firefighters.” ebscohost. Alternative Therapies, n.d. Web. 27 Dec 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d19a888b-bdf2-4a84-8138-fca11b03df01@sessionmgr4005&vid=2&hid=4112>.