Humans need to drink at least 2 litres of water every day to keep you fully hydrated and healthy. One of the most common problems which affect not only our gut but our energy levels is chronic dehydration. It is incredibly common due to the busy, hard working lifestyle many people have adopted. These sorts of people ignore thirst and replace water with diuretic drinks such as coffee and tea. Statistics from the Natural Mineral Water Information Service shows that 90% of people in the UK do not drink enough water to stay healthy and well hydrated. Chronic dehydration can affect people from any age and can cause:
- Dark, Strong-smelling urine
- Infrequent urination
All of these symptoms indicate the lack of water intake in your body. You should ask yourself a few questions to find out if you are dehydrated;
- Does your mouth feel dry? This is a sign on dehydration.
- What colour is your urine? If it is dark you are dehydrated.
- Do you get frequent headaches? This is a sign of dehydration.
- If you pinch the skin on the back of your hand, does it bounce back quickly? If not, you are like a floppy plant that is not well watered.
- Are you moody? Dehydration can cause mood swings.
If you feel as if you are dehydrated, through the questions or not, you should:
- Make sure to drink about 8 glasses (2 litres) of water every day.
- Try to make sure you have a water bottle or glass of water with you at school, at work, in your car, at home etc.
- Finally, make sure to drink more water during the day rather than in the evening as you don’t want to be woken up at night with a full bladder!