Do you adhere to the recommended eight glasses of water a day?
No one has to tell you that it is important to drink enough water each day; you know that. However, it is possible that you are still dehydrated even if you are drinking enough water. How exactly is that possible and, more importantly, what can you do about it?
And how do you recognize that you are dehydrated?
Dehydrated
There are a number of symptoms that can indicate that you may be dehydrated. For example, your urine may be very dark in colour. Also, bad breath or the inability to sweat may indicate that you don’t hold or ingest enough fluid. If you drink a lot of water, you won’t expect to be dehydrated, but it’s still possible. Bustle was also wondering how this is possible and figured it out. We list five possible reasons below!
1. You don’t drink often enough
Eight glasses of water a day should be enough to keep you hydrated. It’s just that this doesn’t work if you don’t divide the drinking of those glasses of water throughout the day. For example, some people may drink a litre of water in an hour, but they don’t drink (enough) during the rest of the day. Rehabilitation specialist Scott Michael Schrieber recommends drinking all day long, even when you’re not thirsty.
2. You don’t get enough electrolytes
Electrolytes are needed to carry fluids to your cells. By electrolytes, we mean sodium, chloride, magnesium and potassium. “Your kidneys rely on electrolytes to help your body hold on to water, so if you do not have enough electrolyte intake, the water you drink passes right through you, rather then staying in your body to help replenish and nourish your cells,” Dr Arielle Levitan explains to Bustle. An easy solution: drink coconut water more often as this drink is full of electrolytes.
Go to the next page to read about the other four things that might cause you to be dehydrated!
Disclaimer: this information is not an alternative to professional medical advice. In case of doubt, please contact your doctor.
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