The Mental and Physical Signs of Dehydration (Other Than Thirst)
We advise our Richmond plastic surgery patients to take excellent care of their bodies so that they are well-positioned for a healthy healing process after surgery. One thing they don’t expect? The importance of hydration! If you wait until you’re feeling thirsty, you are likely already a bit dehydrated. Here are other, lesser-known signs of dehydration.
Unexplained hunger
Making return trips to the fridge over and over again, even when you shouldn’t yet be hungry? Snack cravings can be a sneaky sign of dehydration. Drink a glass of water and wait several minutes to see if that helps to curb your snack itch.
Bad breath
Your saliva is composed primarily of water and when your body’s reserves are low, less saliva is produced. This allows bacteria to grow more rapidly, potentially leading to sour breath. So next time you find yourself reaching in your bag for a breath freshener, grab a water bottle, too!
Headache
According to the Cleveland Clinic, dehydration can give you a headache by changing the amount of fluids in your brain, causing it to shrink and create pressure on nerves. While there are many potential causes of headaches, if your headache pain is physically felt inside your head (not your neck and shoulders), try pouring a full glass of water to drink.
Constipation
Plenty of water in the body is critical when it comes to eliminating waste through the digestive tract. Chances are, constipation or irregular digestion could be one of the signs that you haven’t had enough water to drink.
Skin that doesn’t “bounce back”
Skin elasticity, or “skin turgor,” may temporarily decrease if you are dehydrated. To test it, pinch the skin on the back of your hand, and release; it should snap back relatively quickly. (Note that, while research supports water’s effects on elasticity, it’s a myth that dry skin is related to dehydration.)
Difficulty focusing
Research shows that dehydration affects your cognitive performance to a striking degree, affecting your ability to focus, your visual skills, and your motor skills. Try sipping water to see if hydration supports your ability to stay on task.
Irritability
We automatically associate an empty stomach with feeling irritable—who hasn’t felt “hangry?” —but hydration levels can also affect your mood. If you’ve had plenty of sleep and food but still find that you’re feeling grumpy, then dehydration’s neurological effects could be responsible for your negative mood.
Infrequent urination that is dark or amber-colored
If your urine is darker than normal and/or you’re only urinating every 6 hours or so, you may be dehydrated. Ideally, urine is about the color of pale lemonade or straw.
Listen to your body to learn how much water you actually need
The rule stands that most people need about eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. However, your activity level, what you eat, the climate where you live, your age, and medications you take can alter your hydration needs.
Instead of measuring your water intake to the ounce, you can tell if you’re properly hydrated by your urine color and how often you urinate. Dark, amber-colored urine or only urinating about every six hours are signs of dehydration. It’s ideal to urinate every 1.5 to 2 hours. (On the other hand, completely clear urine at a frequency of every 30 minutes or so is a sign of overhydration!)
Dehydration slows down important bodily functions
At this point, you may be thinking—so what? Why is it so bad to be dehydrated? It’s almost cliche to “drink more water,” so it can be easy to tune out this simple advice.
Here’s why hydration matters: Your body, at up to 60% water, simply can’t carry out routine functions without outside sources of water. Being dehydrated slows down your body’s natural processes like digestion and healing—and these are of critical importance for feeling good, fighting illness, and much more.
If you are one of our Richmond plastic surgery patients, we will talk with you about the importance of hydration (among other factors, like nutrition) during your recovery process, but remember: hydration is also important when your body isn’t working overtime to heal!
About board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Sharline Aboutanos
Dr. Sharline Aboutanos is dedicated to providing patients in and around Richmond, VA natural-looking results with both cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, as well as non-surgical rejuvenation treatments like Botox®, dermal fillers, microneedling, and laser resurfacing. As a female board-certified plastic surgeon, she is dedicated to listening to you and supporting your well-being. Schedule your consultation today by calling 804-355-3410 or contacting us online.