Besides feeling thirsty, could dehydration have bigger effects on your health?
Signs of nutrient deficiencies usually take weeks or months to appear, but this isn’t the case for water. Dehydration symptoms like a dry mouth, increased thirst, headache and decreased urination can come on within a few hours if you’re not keeping tabs on your daily water and fluid intake. But mild dehydration is easily remedied with water or a water-electrolyte beverage.
Consequently, most people consider dehydration a temporary health issue with little to no long-term effects. Still, research has suggested that frequently being dehydrated may increase one’s risk of developing high blood pressure. And this could be a problem, considering that the average American adult drinks only around 44 ounces of water daily – not meeting the daily recommendations, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading