6 Signs That You’re Dehydrated

The most common signs of dehydration, what dehydration does to your body and what to do if you discovered you’re dehydrated.

Did you know every day, millions of people walk about unknowingly dehydrated? For years, I sure didn’t. I thought that dehydration only happened in desperate situations or certain times of year during hotter seasons.

But dehydration is more common than many people think. You can become dehydrated at any age, any time of year (just as easily during spring, fall or winter as in the summer). It’s such a common predicament, that chances are you’re dehydrated at this very moment without even realizing it.

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Who’s at Risk for Getting Dehydrated?

You are, for starters.

Actually, anyone and everyone is at risk for being poorly hydrated, no matter how old you are or where you live in the world.

You might be wondering: Is dehydration really still a issue these days? Or any first world country with such open access to clean water? That sounds like more of a problem for someone lost in a desert without a camel.

Furthermore, doesn’t your body just tell you when you need water by getting thirsty?

Well. Yes and no.

Yes, your body will send you thirst signals when it starts to get desperate. But no, not right away. Because thirst is actually one of the last symptoms of dehydration. Meaning that by the time you’re thirsty, your body is already dehydrated.

Why Staying Properly Hydrated Matters

Exactly how important is adequate hydration in relation to a healthy lifestyle?

For starters, the human body is made up of a lot of water.

Your lungs contain 83% water, 79% in your muscles and kidneys, 73% in the heart and brain, 64% in the skin and even 31% in your bones. All tallied up, that gives the average person up to 60% of total body composition in water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

And that water is an absolutely vital ingredient throughout your body.

Your organs, blood and countless of your most basic bodily functions thrive and depend on it. Quite literally, it is the liquid life force that keeps everything running smoothly and efficiently.

Water is a pretty important deal. So accordingly, the lack of water is a pretty big one too.

6 Effects of Dehydration

Your body needs water like your car needs oil. Run low or on the wrong kind of oil and your car is going to have problems and ultimately experience a break down.

The same thing can happen to your body when it’s running dehydrated. Dehydration occurs when your body expends more fluid than you’re replenishing. Here are six signals to look for that may be your body’s check engine light flashing.

Dehydration Zaps Your Energy

Dehydration can leave you feeling zapped. Even with a full night’s sleep, you might feel like you have little to no energy to meet a project deadline, play with your kids or fuel through a workout.

Many people misinterpret this tiredness as a lack of sleep and turn to the aid of coffee or an energy drink for a boost.

Unfortunately, not only will it not solve the problem, the caffeine in these types of drinks can act as a diuretic and possibly worsen the problem by flushing more fluid out of your system. You might feel a brief burst of alertness from the caffeine but that stamina is often short-lived and followed by a further energy crash.

Dehydration Makes You Focus is Foggy

Because such a high percentage of your brain is comprised of water (73%), lack of fluid and proper hydration can slow down its production speed.

That can translate into difficulty focusing on work, school or specific tasks. You might feel a general sense of distraction or foggy-headedness. It might also surface in the form of a nasty headache no amount of Aspirin or even a pair of reading glasses can cure.

Dehydration Makes You Easily Fatigued

Fatigue, dizziness, and lightheadedness are side effects experienced in the early stages of dehydration. These signs are commonly misconstrued as hunger.

You might find yourself reaching for an energy bar or something from the nearest vending machine. But while a snack might momentarily boost your blood sugar or glucose, but it won’t restore strength or overall energy.

Dehydration Gives Ya Potty Problems

Adequate hydration plays a big role in what goes down during your trips to the porcelain throne. And it’s all fun and games until someone cries “constipation” or “inadequate urine output”.

All bathroom humor aside, lack of fluids can result in some real difficulty for the bladder and the gastrointestinal tract. Regular bowel and urinary movements are pivotal ways your body removes internal waste to help protect you from disease and gastrointestinal ailments.

Bowel movements in particular aid in the distribution and balance of healthy bacteria throughout your gut. And a 2012 study from the American College of Gastroenterology found that individuals with a history of chronic constipation were at an increased risk for colon cancer.

Dehydration Can Dry Your Skin

Composed of 64 percent water, your skin also needs access to its fair share of hydration. Without it, that epidermis is going to start looking dry, drab and become irritable.

And moisturizer isn’t going to fix it. You can slab as much baby oil and miracle cream onto it as you want, but lotion is only designed to help retain moisture already present in the body, not supply it.

Dehydration Can Make You Overheat Easily

To prevent overheating, the body’s primary cooling system is the secretion of liquid through pores, sweat glands, and the lungs. But when that system is short on juice, your body begins losing the ability to regulate internal temperatures.

When that happens it can mean a seriously scary shut-down. Especially in the hotter seasons, it can leave you with significantly higher susceptibility to heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion and even heat stroke.

How to Solve Dehydration

Are you feeling thirsty yet?

Dehydration can cause of number of problems. Fortunately, there is a remedy to dehydration. Unfortunately, the solution is somewhat lengthy and fairly complicated. If you have a pen and paper handy, get ready to take some notes.

Ready? Okay. Here we go:

Drink more water. (Mind-blowing, amirite?)

Yes, as a smart cookie like yourself has probably deduced by now, the key to treating a hydration deficiency is in fact, to supply more hydration!

How Much Water Causes Water Poisoning?

But wait, you may say, isn’t drinking too much water an equally risky issue?

Over-hydration and water intoxication (also known as water poisoning) are, after all, life-threatening conditions. People have actually died from them.

Water may be good for you, but when is it too much of a good thing?

According to Scientific American, the average adult can drink about four cups of water in an hour without causing any issues for the kidneys. To exceed that amount, by just one cup, would require someone to consume 60 cups (3.75 gallons) of water over 12 hours.

Some of the most publicly publicized cases of people dying from water poisoning have actually been in radio and television game shows where contestants where challenged to drink extreme amounts of water in a short period while trying to see which contestant could go the longest without using the bathroom.

The chances of the average person contracting any type of water-related poisoning (without a preexisting kidney condition) are reassuringly slim.

How Much Water Should You Drink a Day?

By now you’ve probably heard someone refer to the old 8×8 rule: Everyone should drink eight 8-ounce cups of water a day. That advice is actually more of an old wives’ tale and unsupported by any hard medical evidence. But it’s still not a bad place to start.

The actual recommendation by The Institute of Medicine for adequate intake is approximately 13 cups of total beverages for men and 9 for women a day. These are actually minimum recommendations. You can drink more than this in a day quite safely and there are even benefits associated with drinking up to a gallon of water a day.

The best way to gauge whether you’re adequately hydrated throughout the day is through (bear with me now) your urine. Not only should you be urinating more often during the course of the day, according to the Mayo Clinic, your urine should also be more of a colorless, pale yellow shade.

Tips for Boosting Hydration Levels

1. Set a daily hydration goal 

This doesn’t have to be dramatic or overly complicated. At first, it might be as simple as setting a goal to drink a glass of water with every meal and a glass of water between each meal.

From there you can gradually increase your intake to a larger amount.

You can also set more specific measurement based goals, like to drink half of your body weight in ounces a day (e.g. someone who weighed 150lbs might set a goal to drink 75oz of water a day) or a set amount like a gallon of water a day.

2. Make it convenient

I try to drink a gallon of water a day. I’ve found a few key tips help make it easier to be successful.

Keep a quality cup or water bottle with you throughout the day. 

I keep a temperature-controlled tumbler with me 24/7. It’s been one of the best investments in my health that I’ve ever made. It’s my favorite color, keeps my water ice-cold (just the way I like it) and makes it easy for me to sip water all day long.

Insulated Tumbler with Reusable Straw

If water isn’t easily accessible to you throughout the day, you’re not going to remember to drink enough to meet your goal. Period.

3. Spread out your daily hydration

Spread your water consumption out throughout the day. Your body can only process and absorb so much at once, so strategically better to sip on liquids continually throughout the day vs downing a few massive quantities.

4. Incorporate your hydration creatively

If the idea of drinking plain water bores you, try adding some flavor into it! Avoid drink flavor mixes that contain sugar or caffeine.

My current favorite is the non-caffeinated Orange Vanilla from Mio Vitamins. It tastes like you’re drinking an orange creamsicle dessert and is simply divine.

MioVitamins Liquid Water Enhancer Orange Vanilla

If you’re aiming to steer clear of artificial colors or sweeteners but still want to add some flavor to your water, homemade fruit water is a fantastic option. I have an entire guide on fruit water (including the nutritional myths and benefits, best flavor combinations along with a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your best, most flavorful pitcher of fruit water every time). Click here to check it out.

Drinks Besides Water for Positive Hydration

Also remember, your daily hydration doesn’t only have to come in the form of plain water.

Other recommended beverage options include:

• Flavored water
• Seltzer water
• Milk
• Almond milk
• Oat milk
• Decaffeinated coffee
• Decaffeinated tea

Try to steer clear of drinks that contain fairly large amounts of sugar, salt, caffeine or alcohol.

Taking Your Hydration to the Next Level

A few years ago, I set a goal for myself to try and drink a gallon of water a day.

I actually wrote an entire blog post about the experience and how to successfully set a plan to begin drinking a gallon of water a day, which you can read about by clicking here.

It’s easily been one of the best, most easily affordable investments in my health I’ve ever made. My skin is healthier, my energy levels are higher and I feel great when I’m being intentional to reach my daily hydration goals.

Final Thoughts on 6 Signs of Dehydration

Dehydration is more common than you might think and can create some negative health implications if left unchecked. But fortunately upping your daily hydration levels is safe and easy to do.

What are your favorite ways to stay hydrated? Have you ever tried drinking a gallon of water a day? I’d love to hear your input in the comment section below!

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Related articles on hydration

• How to drink a gallon of water a day
• Fruit-Infused Water: The Benefits, Myths and 20 Fruit Water Recipes
• How to drinking collagen every day for big benefits
• How to make almond milk from scratch
• How to make homemade oat milk

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Article References

1. “The Water in You: Water and the Human Body.” USGS, U.S. Geological Survey, https://on.doi.gov/2ZFOQEy
2. Yoon, Carol Kaesuk. “U.S. Drinking Itself Dry, Study Finds.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 June 1998, https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/16/science/us-drinking-itself-dry-study-finds.html.
3. Brody, Jane E. “PERSONAL HEALTH; For Lifelong Gains, Just Add Water. Repeat.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 July 2000, www.nytimes.com/2000/07/11/health/personal-health-for-lifelong-gains-just-add-water-repeat.html.
4. “Fit Facts Healthy Hydration .” ACE, American Council on Exercise, 2008, acewebcontent.azureedge.net/assets/education-resources/lifestyle/fitfacts/pdfs/fitfacts/itemid_173.pdf.
5. “Get the Facts: Drinking Water and Intake | Nutrition | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Aug. 2016, www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/plain-water-the-healthier-choice.html.
6. “Water & Nutrition | Drinking Water | Healthy Water | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 Oct. 2016, www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/nutrition/index.html.
7. Dunbar, Brian. “Follow the Water: Finding a Perfect Match for Life.” NASA, NASA, 16 Mar. 2007, www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/everydaylife/jamestown-water-fs.html.
8. “The Water in You: Water and the Human Body.” USGS, U.S. Geological Survey, water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html.
9. “Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 6 Sept. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256.
10. “Chronic Constipation Linked to Increased Risk of Colorectal Cancer.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 22 Oct. 2012, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121022081228.htm.
11. Birnbaum, Elisa H. “Work-up of the Constipated Patient.” Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, Thieme Medical Publishers, Nov. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2780252/.
12. Vandeputte, Doris, et al. “Stool Consistency Is Strongly Associated with Gut Microbiota Richness and Composition, Enterotypes and Bacterial Growth Rates.” US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, BMJ Publishing Group, Jan. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26069274.
13. Ballantyne, Coco. “Strange but True: Drinking Too Much Water Can Kill.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 21 June 2007, www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill/.

All writing copyright © 2013 Rachel Elise Weems Woods. Originally published 7-23-2015. Updated 03-15-2021.

Images copyright © Bigstockphoto.com