We often don't realize how much water our body needs and end up not drinking enough throughout the day. But what if you're drinking plenty of water and still experiencing signs of dehydration? This could be due to a different underlying cause, such as a prescribed medication. It's important to be cautious and attentive, as some medications can lead to quicker dehydration rates, even if you're not aware of it.
Why Am I Still Dehydrated After Drinking a Lot of Water?
Chronic dehydration is a form of dehydration that can go on for prolonged periods, not necessarily matter how much water one receives throughout the day. There are multiple reasons that an individual can be experiencing chronic dehydration. More common risk factors include living in an area that tends to be warm most of the year and conducting physical labor outside for several hours. Digestive health conditions that have frequent diarrhea as a symptom can also cause chronic dehydration, such as gluten sensitivity, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Breastfeeding and pregnancy can also lead to a higher chance of dehydration.
What Are the Main Symptoms of Dehydration?
With children, symptoms of dehydration can include blotchy hands or feet that feel cool to the touch, deeper and more rapid breathing, a dry tongue or lips, dry and wrinkly skin, having less than six wet diapers within a day for infants or not urinating within eight hours for toddlers, not producing any tears when crying, sunken eyes, or a soft and sunken in spot on the head. For adults, signs of dehydration are:
- Constipation.
- Feeling dizzy/light-headed/weak.
- Having a dry mouth or experiencing a dry cough.
- Flushed skin.
- Having a headache or feeling confused.
- Being intolerant to the heat or experiencing chills.
- Having a high heart rate but a low blood pressure.
- Not feeling hungry but having a sugar craving.
- Muscle cramps.
- Swollen feet.
- Feeling extremely tired.
How Long Do Dehydration Symptoms Last After Drinking Water?
It depends on how much fluid is in your body and how much water loss one has experienced throughout the day before consuming more water. If the dehydration is minor, rehydration will begin within a few minutes. However, the effects will not be noticed until several hours after the water drinking has started. For more severe forms of dehydration, it can take as long as a day and a half to become hydrated again, or potentially even a trip to the hospital if the dehydration is acute.
What Can Be Mistaken for Dehydration?
Specific symptoms can show signs of a health problem other than dehydration. If you are experiencing confusion, dizziness, or a headache, dehydration can be the cause, but so can heatstroke. Other signs of heatstroke combined with these three symptoms include a fever of 104 or higher, nausea, or a faster-than-normal heart rate. Both dehydration and heatstroke can be caused by hot outside temperatures or strenuous physical activity. Confusion could also be a sign of a stroke. To truly determine if someone is experiencing dehydration or a stroke, other stroke signs are slurred speech, numbness along one side of the body, or difficulty walking that is not usually present. A concussion can also be the cause of severe headaches, so it is essential to make sure and rehydrate before looking to test for a concussion. Lastly, menopause can have similar symptoms to dehydration, like an overall feeling of dryness or irritability.
How Long Does It Take to Fully Rehydrate?
It will depend on how long you have been dehydrated to determine how long it will take to rehydrate completely. With mild to moderate dehydration, it will be easy enough to rehydrate oneself at home within a few hours. Suppose symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting have been happening along with the dehydration. In that case, it is also essential to replenish electrolyte amounts with an electrolyte solution that can be added to water or a sports drink. For children and adolescents, Pedialyte is also an excellent option for rehydrating them. For severe dehydration, medical care will likely be required so they can provide you with intravenous fluids for quicker rehydration.
What Drink Will Hydrate You the Fastest?
Water is the easiest and most accessible option for rehydration. Particularly during a heavier workout or on a hot day, a sports drink can be a great choice, as it will replace the fluids you’ve lost and replenish electrolytes. It should be noted not to drink too many of these within a day, though, as they tend to be high in added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and calories. Snacking on raw fruits and vegetables can also be an excellent option, as most comprise 80-99% water. Those with the highest water content include berries, cabbage, carrots, grapes, lettuce, melons, oranges, and spinach.
How Can I Check Myself for Dehydration?
The easiest test to use to check for dehydration is the skin turgor test. To check for skin turgor, grasp the skin on either the abdomen or lower arm between two fingers to make it tented. Hold it there for a few seconds, and then release it. With normal turgor, the skin should return to its original position rather quickly. With dehydration, the skin will take a bit of time to return. Poor skin turgor indicates that moderate to severe dehydration is occurring.
Choosing a healthy plant-based and vegan diet is most beneficial when it comes to:
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Higher levels of energy;
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Improved sleep;
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Aids in energy and overall happiness;
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Provides a sense of comfort and relief;
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Could prevent major diseases such as obesity and diabetes;
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Accomplish weight-loss and management; and
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Improves mental and cognitive functioning.
There are really no excuses not to try healthier habits in your everyday life. If you are a man or woman looking for specific benefits of adopting healthier habits or just want to know about the general healing properties of herbs. Please remember to comment or post any health questions, or contact us directly!
References
Brennan, D. (n.d.). How long does it take to rehydrate after dehydration? MedicineNet.
Cleveland Clinic. (2022, June 28). Why are you dehydrated? 8 common reasons. Cleveland Clinic.
Cleveland Clinic. (2023, June 5). Dehydration. Cleveland Clinic.
Emergency Hospital Systems LLC. (n.d.). How long does it take to rehydrate? Emergency Hospital Systems.
Lawler, M. (2022, October 25). Is your symptom a sign of dehydration or something else? Everyday Health.
Van De Walle, G. (2023, May 23). The 6 best ways to rehydrate quickly. Healthline.
Vorvicke, L.J. (2024, February 8). Skin turgor. MedlinePlus.
Watson, K. (2023, April 24). What does it mean when dehydration becomes long-term and serious? Healthline.
