You could be dehydrated before you feel thirsty. By the time you're thirsty, your body has already lost a lot of fluids. Your body can lose fluids in a variety of ways such as sweating, urination, diarrhea or vomiting. Staying hydrated is very important, especially if your body is trying to fight an illness or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.
Symptoms
There are multiple symptoms of dehydration. Signs of dehydration include a dry, sticky mouth, decreased urine output, little to no tears when crying, thirst, sleepiness, headache and dizziness. You can also have difficulty swallowing foods and have dry skin. Severe dehydration can cause extreme thirst and fatigue, lack of sweat, irritability or confusion and sunken eyes. You can also experience low blood pressure and fever if you're severely dehydrated. Severe dehydration is considered a medical emergency, according to BreastCancer.org.
Causes
Extreme heat, inadequate fluid intake, excessive loss of body fluids and some medications cause dehydration. When you're in extreme temperatures, such as in the desert, your body quickly loses water due to increased sweat. If you're very active playing sports on a summer afternoon and don't drinking enough fluids, you'll become dehydrated. Some medications cause dehydration.
Staying Hydrated
Drinking 64 to 96 oz. of water each day will help you stay hydrated, according to BreastCancer.org. This is about eight to 12 glasses of water if each glass is about 8 oz. You may need more depending upon your body and needs. If you're undergoing chemotherapy or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, your body needs additional fluids. When you're getting plenty of fluids, your urine will appear light in color, you will be able to produce tears and your mouth and tongue will not be dry or sticky.
Considerations
Sometimes your urine may be dark for other reasons. Multivitamins and certain medications can cause your urine to appear dark as a side effect of taking the medication. You can also have dry skin for other reasons that are not related to dehydration, such as dry air, hard water or harsh cleansers or detergents. If you feel that you're beginning to become dehydrated, sit in a cool area, drink plenty of fluids and have a small snack such as apple and peanut butter or an orange. Apples and oranges have high water content. Avoid consuming drinks that contain sugar, such as soda, tea or sweetened fruit juices as these can worsen dehtydration.
