Look what happens to your body when you don't drink enough Water!

Water is essential for human life. It makes up about 50-70% of our body weight and is crucial for our organ and other bodily functions to operate properly.

Any deficit in normal body water – through dehydration, sickness, exercise or heat stress – can make us feel sick. It starts with feeling thirsty and fatigued and then develop a mild headache. This can then develop into the person feeling irritated and grumpy, both mentally and physically.

We continually lose water via our breath, urine, faeces and skin. Most healthy people regulate their body’s water level remarkably well via eating and drinking, and are guided by appetite and thirst. However, some people don't and need to understand what happens when the body doesn't get enough water.

What happens when your body becomes dehydrated

By the time you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrated; our thirst mechanism lags behind our actual level of hydration.
Research shows that as little as 1% dehydration negatively affects your mood, attention, memory and motor coordination. Data in humans are lacking and contradictory, but it appears that brain tissue fluid decreases with dehydration, thus reducing brain volume and temporarily affecting cell function.
As you “lose” body water without replacing it, your blood becomes more concentrated and, at a point, this triggers your kidneys to retain water. The result: you urinate less.
The thicker and more concentrated your blood becomes, the harder it is for your cardiovascular system to compensate by increasing heart rate to maintain blood pressure.
When your dehydrated body is “pushed” – such as when exercising or faced with heat stress – the risk of exhaustion or collapse increases. This can cause you to faint, for instance, when you stand up too quickly.

Less water also hampers the body’s attempts at regulating temperature, which can cause hyperthermia (a body temperature greatly above normal).
At a cellular level, “shrinkage” occurs as water is effectively borrowed to maintain other stores, such as the blood. The brain senses this and triggers an increased sensation of thirst.

Research shows that as little as 1% dehydration negatively affects your mood, attention, memory and motor coordination. Data in humans are lacking and contradictory, but it appears that brain tissue fluid decreases with dehydration, thus reducing brain volume and temporarily affecting cell function.
As you “lose” body water without replacing it, your blood becomes more concentrated and, at a point, this triggers your kidneys to retain water. The result: you urinate less.
The thicker and more concentrated your blood becomes, the harder it is for your cardiovascular system to compensate by increasing heart rate to maintain blood pressure.
When your dehydrated body is “pushed” – such as when exercising or faced with heat stress – the risk of exhaustion or collapse increases. This can cause you to faint, for instance, when you stand up too quickly.

Remember - Less water also hampers the body’s attempts at regulating temperature, which can cause hyperthermia (a body temperature greatly above normal).

At a cellular level, “shrinkage” occurs as water is effectively borrowed to maintain other stores, such as the blood. The brain senses this and triggers an increased sensation of thirst.

The best concept to live by is to ditch soda, and other sugary drinks, and drink pure filtered water. Add in a splash of lemon, or other fresh fruit for taste. Your body will thank you!