It’s possible to survive without food for a few days. But without water, it gets difficult for humans to survive. Our body constitutes up to 70% of water. If it gets scarce fluids, even the organs fail to function properly.
What Happens If You Don’t Drink Enough Water?
In order to maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle, it’s always important to drink enough amount of water. You are at the risk of the following problems if your daily water intake is not as per your body requirements.
Persistent Headaches
Your head starts getting affected when your body gets dehydrated. However, if you stay dehydrated for a longer period, you may also get a persistent headache that doesn’t go away that easily. This is the reason that health experts often advise intake enormous amount of water.
Fatigue
If you do not replenish your fluid intake, your energy levels will drop, which can lead to fatigue and fog in your brain. Therefore, the next time you drink another cup of coffee, make sure you take water instead of that unnecessary cup of coffee.
Moreover, whether you’re exercising or working casually at your desk, your body requires water to function properly and keep yourself cool.
Sluggish Bowel Function
Health experts say that the human colon carries water receptors that pull the water from the stomach which ultimately results in the softness of stool. However, when the human body gets deprived of water, the stool gets harder. Moreover, lack of water in the body can also cause constipation, abdominal cramps, and pain.
Moreover, lack of water can also cause other stomach issues such as stomach acidity. Our stomachs are basically acidic in nature and dehydration can increase the acidity. However, the acidity if gets increased may also cause ulcers.
Dull Skin
Dehydration results in dry, flaky skin on the face, appearing less radiant, plump, and supple. The overall tone and complexion may be uneven, and wrinkles may be more visible. Dehydrated skin can make you feel uncomfortable, but it heals relatively easily with lifestyle changes and more intake of water.
Dry Mouth
If you don’t get enough water, your mucous membranes can dry out, which can lead to insufficient saliva. This dryness of the mouth can make it difficult to speak, swallow, or even breathe. Fortunately, drinking water can easily solve this problem.
Weight Gain
Lack of water in your body can disturb your metabolism. When you drink less water, your body ultimately makes you feel more hungry and you start eating more. This also disturbs your normal weight which ultimately leads you towards obesity. However, obesity itself is a disease that can cause further diseases such as hypertension.
Kidney Problem
Water plays a key role in the proper functioning of the kidney. As our kidneys have a major role in the detoxification of our body. Lack of water doesn’t allow the kidneys to perform detoxification completely. This can ultimately cause infection of the kidney or in some other organs. However, prolonged dehydration can also be the reason for kidney failure though this rarely happens.
Higher Risk of Stroke
Water is also good for your ticker. Studies of BMC cardiovascular disorders show that drinking less amount of water and becoming dehydrated can increase the risk of stroke and increase recovery time. So, to keep your heart in top condition, be careful about how much water you drink. If your urine is yellow or your body is weak, drink water immediately.
Weaker Workouts
Sweating causes the loss of electrolytes and water. Therefore, it is important to drink water before, during, and after training to replenish the lost water. As per health experts, a study shows that exercise causes dehydration in the body. The body if already short of water, may not burn as much fat.
Moodiness
Lack of water in the body may also result in sudden changes in mood. Health experts say that even our brain stops proper functioning during dehydration. If you often feel laziness and drowsiness without any particular reason, check out your daily water intake. See if it is a lack of water in your body that makes you feel numb and doesn’t allow you to stay active for a longer period of time.
Frequent Illness
Water helps to remove toxins, waste products, and other bacterias from the body to fight diseases as well as infections. It also strengthens the immune system, making you less likely to get sick. If you continue to feel sick, you may need to drink more water to ensure that your body is free of toxic chemicals and is working at optimal levels. Lack of water also causes fatigue, which can lead to reduced physical activity. This is also a risk factor for less and weakened immunity.
Are You Drinking Enough Water?
Considering all the above-discussed side effects of dehydration, it is important to ensure that everyone takes a proper amount of water. Nothing is more important than human health because “health is wealth”.
Therefore, it is important to make sure that your daily water intake is as per your body’s requirements. However, you also need to make sure that that you are also considering the geographical and environmental conditions while working on the water intake calculation.
Moreover, if you feel any of the above-mentioned symptoms and not facing dehydration, visit your doctor. There may be some other reasons for such conditions other than dehydration.
Final Verdict
Though dehydration rarely causes vulnerable diseases if prolonged it can be harmful. As our body functions around water, it gets deprived of water for a longer period of time severe kidney issues may occur. Therefore, it is important to maintain daily water intake and drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. So, stay healthy and have some water.
My sister recently had a kidney stone and she admitted not enough water! I am a water drinker daily I usually drink 2 32oz cups a day. If I have gone out shopping etc then I am not drinking enough. If I don’t drink enough water daily I get leg cramps
I didn’t realize all the side effects, Last weekend I stopped drinking diet pop and now only drinking water. I’m feeling better but my mouth has been dry the last 2 days.
This article is very interesting I always keep a glass of water handy
I always forget how important drinking water is it is great for the reminder.