You lie in bed with a pounding headache, cramped muscles and a dry, sticky mouth. You need to get up but you can’t from being overwhelmed with dizziness. Without hesitation, you type your symptoms into the WebMD search engine and horrible illnesses load onto your screen. You immediately think, ” I am going to die.” Fear not. The chances of your self-diagnosis being true are slim to none. There is a simple solution to the way you are feeling: you are dehydrated.
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Dehydration occurs when the body loses more water than it takes in. With the human body being made up by two-thirds of water, this liquid is needed in order for our bodies to function. If not enough water is consumed, the body becomes dehydrated.
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The symptoms of dehydration range from mild to severe. Mild symptoms include dry mouth, sleepiness, thirst, dry skin, constipation, few tears when crying, dizziness, headache, and decreased amount of urine. If not treated, severe symptoms can develop.
These severe symptoms include extreme thirst, very dry mouth, no urine (if any, the urine is much darker than usual, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, fever, rabid breathing and heartbeat, and in the worst case – death.
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It is quite easy to avoid dehydration. It is popularly recommended to drink eight 8-oz. glasses of water each day to remain hydrated. To some, this amount might seem excessive, but do not worry. About 20 percent of the foods we consume daily, such as fruits and vegetables, consist of water to help you reach your recommended water intake. Also, if water is just too plain for you, try out infused water.
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Next time your body is feeling a little down and you need a little pick me up, grab a glass of water and start chugging. There is no better way to satisfy your body then giving it something that it needs so much.
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