Healthy lifestyle: four not-so-obvious signs you may be suffering from dehydration

As you progress in your quest to lead a healthier lifestyle, it is essential that you consider not only the foods you eat, but the beverages you eat as well. The fact of the matter is that even mild dehydration can have a profound influence on how you feel and function on a daily basis.

Learning to recognize these signs before they get too serious can help you prevent unwanted problems before they start. Most people know that thirst is the main sign, but there is more to watch out for.

Below are four not-so-recognizable key signs of dehydration you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for …

1. Headaches. Do you know the throbbing headache you sometimes have? Perhaps the problem could be attributed to dehydration. Most people are quick to dismiss their headache as normal, but it may not be. If you are chronically dehydrated, you may experience headaches much more often than someone who is not.

Have a glass or two of water and see if that doesn’t give you relief.

2. Drowsiness. Want to attribute your midday sleepiness to only sleeping seven hours the night before instead of the usual eight? Drowsiness can also be a sign of dehydration. Ideally, you’ll want to start your day with a large glass of cold water and then keep the water coming in past that point.

By doing so, you can ensure that you are doing your best to combat daytime sleepiness.

3. Muscle cramps. Do you feel those muscle cramps more often? Or maybe you’re having those pesky muscle spasms lately. Both can be attributed to lack of sleep. When you are not well hydrated, your muscle cells do not function normally and you may be more prone to experiencing irregularities with contractions.

Muscle contractions are especially common during exercise, so if you have to stop during your run due to a severe leg cramp, it may be time to drink.

4. Stunned. The last sign that you might be suffering from dehydration is feeling dizzy. Lightheadedness appears because your blood pressure is low, which is also a sign that not enough fluids are getting into your body.

When dehydration occurs, less total blood volume circulates throughout the system, lowering overall blood pressure levels.

Have a glass of water and that should fix things almost immediately.

There you have some of the not-so-obvious signs that you may be suffering from dehydration. Are any of these affecting you?