Signs You're Dehydrated (Beyond Just Feeling Thirsty)

We have all felt it before, a crazy cotton-mouth thirst from waking up in the middle of the night, getting done with mowing the grass in the heat of summer, or finishing up a killer workout. But are there other signs that your body is telling you that you are dehydrated? As we have said before, no two people are the same; therefore, everyone's dehydration signs will be different. Below we have compiled a checklist to follow to make sure you aren't suffering from any of the drawbacks from being dehydrated.

Muscle Cramping/Twitching

• A painful tightening/contraction of any muscle within your body. It often happens to a specific muscle being targeted during a workout, a supporting muscle to a new movement your body may not be used to contracting/using. You may also experience a cramp later at night, often due to higher than normal muscle fatigue, an electrolyte imbalance, or a combination of the two. 
• An involuntary small spasming muscle contraction, often does not hurt and is more annoying than anything. If you are eating relatively well, getting good sleep, and recovering from your day/workouts, then this might be due to an electrolyte/fluid imbalance. It will often times resolve on its own, and there is no need for concern if this happens on occasion to you.

 Urine Color

• Slightly off clear or Barely yellow - sign of great hydration status, continue whatever you are currently doing to stay hydrated
• Completely clear -  potentially over-hydrated, too many fluids without enough electrolyte/mineral replacement
• Deep yellow, darker than lemonade, but still yellow - mild dehydration, total fluid is lower than normal levels
• Solid orange, burnt orange, red - severe dehydration, professional medical attention/monitoring may be necessary
• Bright/neon like yellow - some multivitamins or supplements might be making your urine a neon-like shade; this is no concern to your hydration. Just know what supplements you might be taking that might be artificially changing the color of your urine (if the color subsides within a few to several hours after taking, there is no concern here).

Headaches/Brain Fog

•  Party too hard? Losing too many fluids from sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea? New Medication like a diuretic? Alongside a multitude of other things can be the root cause or exacerbating the onset and severity of a headache or migraine
• Difficulty thinking, normal tasks becoming harder to perform, lack of attention can all be signs that your brain isn't firing on all cylinders and neurological signals might become impaired due to a lack of electrolyte/imbalance (all electrical signals firing from your central nervous system need electrolytes to transmit the signal to its destination, vice versa).

Fatigue/Muscle Weakness

• This is a less common issue, but it may still happen, and it's likely alongside some cramping or spasms. Your body needs time to heal, and to properly heal, you need to make sure you fuel it accordingly. Getting plenty of good-quality sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, and ensuring that you recover from your day/exercise routine. However, if all of those things are being taken care of, then you might be experiencing some form of electrolyte/mineral/nutrient deficiency causing a weakened feeling from your muscle output.
• Your nervous system is a giant, insanely complex infrastructure within your body. Electrical signals are constantly being sent all over your body, doing a wide variety of important jobs. Without the proper amount or ratio of electrolytes within your body, those electrical signals have a harder time moving throughout your body. Think of the electrolytes within your cells as traffic lights and signs, your nerves as the roadways, your nervous system and muscles as the destinations, and the electrical signals as the cars. You need every piece of this equation to properly move your body and contract muscles in the way your brain is telling them to move. Without every piece, the cars may have a difficult time reaching their destination. 

Extreme Dehydration

• If you are suffering from all above the symptoms to include; severe/rapid body weight changes, extremely low urine output, falls, confusion, shock, cool/clammy skin, etc...please seek professional medical attention immediately, as an intravenous solution is likely required and close monitoring will need to take place. Extreme dehydration can lead to multiple system organ failure, AKI (acute kidney injury), or hypovolemic shock.

Dehydration isn’t always just about feeling thirsty. From muscle cramps and twitching to brain fog, fatigue, and even changes in urine color, your body gives plenty of signals when it’s running low on fluids and electrolytes. Understanding these signs can help you stay ahead of dehydration and keep your body performing at its best.