10 Signs That Your Body Needs More Water

We have all heard that the human body is primarily made up of water and that we need a certain amount of water to survive. Water makes up 73 percent of our muscles and kidneys, 83 percent of our blood, 90 percent of our lungs, and 76 percent of our brain.

Every day through urine and perspiration as well as when we breathe water is eliminated from the body, so replenishing it is essential.

We all know that we need to drink 6–8 glasses of clean water every day.

However, when we consume less water, the following 10 symptoms may occur.

1. Dark yellow urine

If you drink less water daily than our specialists recommend, the color of your urine may turn dark yellow.

This is because your kidneys are forced to eliminate more unnecessary substances such as proteins, toxins, and dead blood cells, making the color of your urine darker.

The darker color of urine may also appear when you are taking a certain medicine or after consuming blackberries, beets, food coloring, asparagus, and vitamin B.

You must drink more water and see if the color of the urine becomes lighter, otherwise, it could be a symptom of a serious illness such as hepatitis or gallstones.

2. Go to the bathroom less often

It is normal to urinate 6–7 times a day. But when the amount of water you consume is too small, go to the bathroom less often because there is not enough water to replenish the fluids eliminated during the day.

While the kidneys will retain as much fluid as possible to prevent dehydration, you will need to replenish the amount of water in your body by consuming the required amount daily.

3. Constipation

Dehydration is the main cause of constipation, and the problem of constipation can often be solved if you consume more water. When you run out of water, your body tries to absorb it from where it can, including from the colon.

Having enough water in the large intestine is essential for the formation of soft and easily displaceable stools. Of course, the lack of water causes the formation of harder stools that are difficult to remove.

To prevent and treat constipation, make sure you drink plenty of water as well as more high-fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables. Constipation can also be caused by lack of physical activity, hypothyroidism, intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis, food sensitivity, and stress. If you consume the recommended amount of water, then the cause of constipation may be one of the above.

4. Dry skin and more pronounced wrinkles

Most women rely on expensive skin moisturizers to keep their skin soft and smooth. Some go through various procedures to reduce and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles for which they pay high prices.

Before you spend your money, drink more water. According to Dr. Diana Howard, dehydration can cause irritation and inflammation of the skin, itching, and sensitive skin. In severe cases, the skin may exfoliate and peel or turn red and crack and bleed. At the same time, when the skin loses moisture, the cells wrinkle, causing more wrinkles to appear and making the skin look older.

5. Hunger and weight gain

Our body is very intelligent, but it has a drawback - it does not know the difference between hunger and thirst. The hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for regulating hunger and thirst, often becomes confused, causing a feeling of hunger in response to thirst. A snack instead of a glass of water leads to excess calories and weight gain.

When trying to lose weight or maintain your current weight, make sure you consume the recommended amount of water. If you feel hungry, drink a glass of water before having a snack and wait 10–15 minutes to see if the feeling of hunger has passed. If you still feel hungry then it's time to eat.

6. Thirst and dry mouth

Believe it or not, thirst is a sign that you are already slightly dehydrated. The feeling of dry mouth often appears with thirst and indicates that the mucous membranes need hydration. The only way to quench your thirst and dry mouth is to drink water during the day.

7. Headaches

When you drink less water than necessary, your body tries to store and reabsorb water from all tissues to make up for the lack of fluids. As a result, the brain tissue loses moisture and shrinks, withdrawing from the skull.

This activates the pain receptors, which leads to headaches. At the same time, when you consume too little water, the volume of blood decreases and thus reduces the amount of oxygen carried to the brain. In response, the blood vessels in the brain dilate causing inflammation, which intensifies the pain.

8. Fatigue

According to a study conducted in 2011, mild dehydration can be the cause of fatigue, exhaustion, and weakness. When you are dehydrated and your blood volume decreases, your heart must make a greater effort to carry oxygen and nutrients to your organs.

Next time you feel tired, try drinking a glass of water instead of coffee (which dehydrates). Coffee, tea, sparkling water, and energy drinks cannot replace water.

9. Joint pain

The water you drink helps to lubricate the joints.

When you consume less water than necessary, your bones come into direct contact with each other, causing joint pain. So drink more water to avoid these pains.

10. Dehydration weakens the immune system

Consuming an insufficient amount of water increases the toxicity of the blood because the water we drink helps to eliminate harmful toxins from the body. When there are too many toxins in the body, the immune system can weaken rapidly.

So keep in mind that your body is mostly made up of water and needs to be replenished. To control these 10 symptoms, drink enough water daily.