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First, the dehydration categories -

Mild dehydration is when fluid loss equals 5% of body weight. Moderate dehydration is 10% loss, and severe dehydration is 15% or more body weight loss.

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Recommended daily water intake -

The US National Academy of Sciences suggests that people drink between about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) and 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day. This number also includes the liquid that we take from food.

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Severe symptoms of dehydration -

Some of the more severe symptoms of dehydration include feeling dizzy, rapid heartbeat, and rapid breathing. Signs like these suggest that someone needs medical attention immediately.

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Smelly breath -

Now, the less severe signs of dehydration, starting with smelly breath. When you are dehydrated, your mouth produces less saliva. Reduced saliva, which cleanses, creates conditions for more bacteria to grow, causing smelly breath.

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Fatigue -

When you are dehydrated, your blood has less fluid. This means the heart has to work harder to pump nutrients, oxygen, and fluid to different cells, causing fatigue.

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Difficulty losing weight -

A lack of water in your body causes a slowing down of the body’s chemical reactions, meaning that the body’s ability to burn calories is slower.

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Cravings -

It is also more challenging for the body to burn calories when you’re dehydrated. You may also experience food cravings, making you eat more. Without enough fluid, it’s difficult for the body to metabolize glycogen (stored as glucose), so we crave glucose (sugar) to give us energy.

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Dark smelly urine -

Dark-colored and strong-smelling urine is one of the more well-known signs of dehydration. Urine is primarily salt, water, and urea, so salt and urea volume are higher without the water.

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Not urinating often -

Typically, if you are urinating less than four times in 24 hours, you may be dehydrated. The body expels water through urination, but if it doesn’t have enough water, it will retain it, meaning it won’t produce urine.

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Bloating and cramping -

Bloating is a symptom of many medical issues. One of them is dehydration. The body can attempt to retain water in the stomach when there’s not enough water in the body, causing bloating and cramping.

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Dry skin -

All types of skin, even oily skin, can become dry because of dehydration. This is caused simply by a lack of water in the skin, as the body prioritizes water for other activities.

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Not sweating -

Dry skin is also driven by a lack of sweat, as sweat naturally moisturizes the skin. A decrease in sweating is the result of the body attempting to retain water.

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Weight gain -

A lack of water in the body makes the body crave water, which is easily mistaken for food. This makes people eat more when they are dehydrated. An increase in calorie intake and a lack of physical activity (caused by a lack of energy) means people gain weight.

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Chapped lips -

A change in climate can cause chapped lips, but they can also be caused by dehydration. Essentially the body is pulling moisture from non-essential parts of the body, like lips, for more essential functions, like digestion.

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Moodiness -

Moodiness can be understood as a secondary symptom of other symptoms of dehydration. A lack of energy, chapped lips, sore skin, etc. can all cause somebody to feel moody. 

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Decreased skin elasticity -

Skin turgor refers to the elasticity of your skin. Generally, if the skin is pinched and released, it should spring back within two seconds. This may be different for older people. But an increase in the amount of time it takes to bounce back is due to a lack of water content in the skin.

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Foggy brain -

A 2% decrease in the body’s water content can cause short-term memory loss and, perhaps surprisingly, can decrease efficiency in doing math. Prolonged dehydration causes brain cells to shrink in size and mass.

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Tiredness -

Dehydration causes a lack of amino acids in the body, which are used to produce melatonin. Without melatonin, people may not feel sleepy at night and may feel tired during daylight hours.

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Dark circles -

The skin underneath your eyes begins to change color when the body does not have enough water, making them look sunken. This is reinforced by its proximity to the underlying bone.

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Urinary tract infections -

There are many causes of urinary tract infections. Drinking enough water allows the body to flush out (through urination) bacteria that can otherwise cause a UTI. Concentrated urine also irritates the bladder and causes the feeling of needing to urinate frequently.

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Joint soreness -

The majority of joint cartilage and synovial fluid is made up of water, which prevents bones from rubbing against each other. When there’s not enough water, the bones rub together, causing soreness.

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Stiffness -

After a certain amount of time, there will be friction in the joints, inflammation, and people experiencing stiffness.

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Cramping -

Not having enough liquids to replenish nutrients like potassium and sodium can frequently cause the muscles to cramp. Muscle cramps are also caused due to the overheating of the muscle itself, which needs water to cool down.

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Headaches -

When the brain doesn’t have enough water content, it shrinks. In shrinking, it pulls away from the skull, causing a dehydration headache.

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Sickness -

As the body needs water for most of the processes it goes through, a lack of water means that the immune system is compromised, causing a host of problems.

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Dry eyes -

This can be as extreme in children as there being no tears when they cry. Tear ducts cannot work to lubricate the eyes without water.

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Heartburn -

A lack of water can cause ulcers, gastritis, and acid reflux because the stomach doesn't have enough water to produce digestive acid.

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Weakness -

There are many reasons why muscle weakness is a symptom of dehydration. One of the more straightforward reasons for this is that the body can’t transfer the nutrients efficiently to muscles without enough water content in the blood.

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Tips -

Keeping a reusable bottle, getting flavored water, and drinking a glass of water every hour are great ways of staying hydrated without too much fuss.

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If in doubt, see a professional -

It should be noted that there is no substitute for seeking advice from a professional physician if you have concerns with your body. 

Sources: (WebMD) (MedlinePlus) (Medical News Today) (PubMed)

See also: Important reasons to drink more water

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