How Do You Know If You Are Dehydrated? What do you do if you are dehydrated?

Adult dehydration is a common occurance. Keeping your body from becoming dehydrated is extremely important to your health and you need to know the warning signs of dehydration so you can take action, especially if you have a very active lifestyle. Your body needs a minimum of 64 oz of water per day. That's at least 8 glasses of water and you could probably drink more. So, how do you know if you are dehydrated?

Here are some signs and symptoms of dehydration:

1) Dry mouth and dry lips
2) Dark Urine
3) Sunken eyes
4) Flushed skin
5) Cramps
6) Headache
7) Fatigue

If you live in a warmer climate then you may need to drink more than 8 glasses of water a day. If you're active in sports or have a hectic and stressful lifestyle then you may also need to drink more liquids. Dehydration happens when there is not enough fluid in your body to produce sweat and your body can't cool itself down. It can be more severe for people with weakened immune systems and may possibly lead to death. Dehydration symptoms are easily recognized; hot, red, moist skin, confusion, dizziness, profuse sweating, rapid and weak pulse, nausea and even vomiting. Not so noticable symptoms of being dehydrated include headaches, loss of concentration, and moodiness. If you think you may be dehydrated, you shoul follow these basic tips:

To avoid dehydration, start drinking water first thing in the morning. Eight glasses of water a day is the recommended amount, but if your activities involve work outside or hard labor work, you need a lot more. Water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping the extra pounds off. So it's good to drinkplenty of fresh, clean water everyday!

Take sips rather than gulping down water all at once. You might even carry a Hydration Backpack like the High Sierra Gulp which features a 1.5 liter water reservoir. Other backpacks are available from brand names like Camelbak, Eddie Bauer backpacks, Kelty, and Source backpacks. Be especially concious of your water intake during sports or other outdoor activity.

Drink steadily throughout the day especially if you are active to avoid dehydration symptoms like a headache or even a migraine. We lose water through urination, respiration, and by sweating. So replenish your water level frequently.

Our bodies have about 60 to 70% water in them. Our blood is mostly water and our muscles, lungs, and brain all contain very much water. You can easily get some h2O into your system by eating fresh fruits and vegetables which contain anywhere from 70% to 92% of water.

When you wake up in the morning your urine should be clear with no odor, not dark yellow. This is a quick and easy way to tell if you are dehydrated. In severe cases, you can't keep liquids down and the condition is called "hyperemesis gravidarum" which requires medical attention. Also, if you are dehydrated or malnourished, your body may not be processing your medications correctly. This makes your blood volume low, therefore your entire transit system suffers and you will cramp up that much more easily.

There are many diets available that include water. Medifast diet is a fast weight loss plan using meal replacementsalong with real food. The program has been prescribed by doctors for many years. Ediets.com or ediets has some nutritional plans that stress the importance of water. The alkaline diet, mediterranean diet and the Zone diet also make water important in their routines. Whichever weightloss diet you choose, make sure to include enough water in your diet for good health.

You can alleviate many physical problems just by drinking the appropriate amount of water per day. This is especially true if you have difficulty with constipation. When you drink water it gets into the intestines where some of it goes to major organs such as the kidneys and bladder, but the rest is utilized by the colon to remove fecal out of your system.

As you start getting older you can lose some of your ability to recognize if you are thirsty so it is especially important for the elderly to drink water through out the day. So many physical problems for the elderly stem from being dehydrated.

Dehydration can be a serious problem but it is easily remedied. Be sure to always pay attention to your body and learn to recognize the symptoms of dehydration. Drink water all day long to avoid those uncomfortable symptoms. Your body will thank you!