How To Tell If You Need More Water
If you’re like most people, then you may not get enough water during the day.
And this could lead to dehydration, and a much slower time reaching your goals.
Even if you do drink water throughout the day, you may not be getting enough, which could impact your health in negative ways.
But how do you know if you’re not drinking enough?
It’s recommended that you drink 8, 8-ounce glasses of water each day. Some experts may even recommend you drink your weight (in kilograms) in ounces of water each day.
Usually, this keeps you fully hydrated…since you’re also extracting water from some of the foods you eat.
Here’s how you can tell if you’re drinking enough water—without having to track each day:
1. Dark Pee
This is one of the easiest signs that you’re not drinking enough water. When you’re fully hydrated, your pee should be mostly clear—or even have a slight yellow color. But, if your pee is dark yellow, then you’re not drinking enough water.
2. Mouth and Lips are Dry
Are you constantly using Chapstick on your cracked, dry lips? Or does your mouth always feel dry? If so, you need to drink more water. Dehydration reduces saliva production, therefore causing your mouth and lips to feel dry. You may also notice bad breath, since the bacteria isn’t being flushed from your mouth.
3. Lower Energy Levels
If you’re tired all the time, but getting enough sleep, you could be dehydrated. Typically, when you’re dehydrated, your body extracts water from your blood. This could slow the amount of oxygen reaching your working muscle groups and organs, making you feel sluggish, sleepy, or just zapped of energy.
4. Skin is Dry
If you’re dehydrated, your skin may be dry, itchy, red, and sometimes irritated. Since your body needs water to function, it brings water away from your skin, leaving it dry and cracked.
Drinking plenty of water is important for your overall health, and the many functions your body performs each day. If you’re not drinking enough water, you may experience plenty of health issues, including longer sickness, digestive issues, brain fog, and poor concentration. These 4 factors above could show you if you’re drinking enough water—or need to work on increasing your intake.