“Drink More Water.” We see this recommendation everywhere. Do we really have to pump our body with an unlimited amount of water? You might believe you’re drinking enough water, but if you sat with a coffee all day, you may be dehydrated more than you think. There are facts: the human body is mostly water, and we lose up to 2.5 liters of it every day just by moving around and doing normal things. Just taking out air makes us lose a lot of water—every day we lose about half a liter.

How many glasses of water should you drink every day?

Being able to keep the right amount of fluid in our bodies means drink more water. The Mayo Clinic, which gets its information from the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, says that adult women should drink about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of water every day and men should drink about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) every day. And while about 20% of those totals can come from food (like soup, fruit, veggies, etc.), not many of us really get that much.

But how do you know if you’re really thirsty? We asked Dr. Lela Ahlemann, who is an expert in skin, proctology, and nutritional medicine, to tell us what she thought. There are seven main signs that you’re not getting enough water.

Seven Signs That You DON’T Drink Enough Water

Being thirsty and having a dry mouth

One very common sign that someone is dehydrated is, well, feeling thirsty. This and a dry mouth are often the first signs that you need to drink water. And for good reason: a dry mouth not only means you aren’t drinking enough water, but it also means your defense system is slowly breaking down. A dry mouth can weaken the oral barrier, which is part of your immune system. This can make you more likely to get infections, says Ahlemann. “If you can’t drink water when your mouth is dry, you should at least rinse it out with some liquid.”

Dark pee or not making as much urine

Ahlemann says, “When we don’t drink enough, our urine gets thick and changes color.” The doctor says that pale yellow pee is best. There’s no doubt that you need to drink more if your pee is dark. The best way to tell if you’ve drunk enough water is to look at your own pee.

Headaches and feeling dizzy

According to Ahlemann, low blood volume from dehydration can cause headaches and vertigo. “This means that our brain isn’t getting enough blood and nutrients.” If you feel dizzy a lot, you should see a doctor.

Tiredness and trouble focusing

One of the most common signs you’re not getting enough water is feeling tired and having trouble focusing. “Lower blood volume is also to blame here, which, as we already said, means that our brain isn’t getting enough oxygen,” the doctor says.

Lips and skin that are dry

Ahlemann says that dry skin and lips are common signs of being dehydrated. Self-test: “Pinch the skin on the back of your hand between two fingers and pull it up.” This will tell you if this is true for you. If it takes a long time to go back to how it was, that means it’s dehydrated. Also, a lot of people find that their skin itches more when it’s dry. “The skin may also look paler because it isn’t getting enough oxygen and micronutrients,” she says.

Lots of dark circles around the eyes

Ahlemann says, “If you don’t drink enough, your blood gets thicker, which makes the vessels stand out more.” If you don’t drink enough, your eyes may look sunken, have dark bags under them, and get more wrinkles.

Gas and bloating

Most likely a sign that you’re not drinking enough? Stuffy stools. It makes sense that this would happen: if you don’t drink enough, your bowels will take too much water out of your stools, making them smaller. The body doesn’t feel the need to get rid of waste when the intestines aren’t full. “In medicine, we talk about constipation when a person has solid stools because they haven’t been drinking enough water,” Ahleman says. “But a lot of people don’t know this: going without water can also make your stomach swell.”

What are the causes of dehydration?

Most of the time, we need to drink more water than we think. What should you do if you drink a lot of water every day but are still thirsty? It might mean that something else is going on. Your amounts of water can change depending on things like your medicine, how much you sweat, and whether you’re sick.

Why you need to drink more water

You have been trying to drink more water, but you still feel thirsty. That’s because of these things.

You’re not getting enough water

It seems clear, right? You may think you’re getting enough water every day, though. But the truth is that you’re not quite there.

How many glasses of water should you drink every day?

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine say that people should drink the following amounts of water every day:

375 liters (125 ounces) for guys.
2.7 liters or 91 ounces for women.
But Dr. Fertel says it’s not that simple. “Those rules don’t seem very useful to me because they’re based on a normal person of normal weight in a normal situation.”

How much water you need to drink depends on how much energy you use. Some of these factors are how often you work out, how much you sweat, and how many fruits and veggies you eat.

He says, “As a general rule, drink when you’re thirsty.”

Older people, young children, and people who may not be able to feel thirst as well should be told to drink water.

You don’t have enough electrolytes.

Electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium chloride, are needed. You can get them from fruits and veggies.

Dr. Fertel says, “Water has hydrogen and oxygen, but it doesn’t have the electrolytes our bodies need.”

Fruits and vegetables like apples and bananas not only keep you hydrated, but they also give you electrolytes that help your brain, muscles, and nerves work properly. Electrolytes also help your body’s cells keep the right amount of water.

Electrolytes that you lose when you sweat can also be replaced with sports drinks or other refreshment products.

That’s a lot of water at once.

This might not be a good habit if you drink a gallon of water first thing in the morning.

Getting too much water in your body will only make you pee out the extra, which will carry important nutrients away with it.

Instead, try to drink plenty of water all day.

You’re making too much sweat.

You lose fluids and salts when you sweat, whether you’re working out or just being outside in the heat. It can make you dehydrated if you don’t drink more water to make up for what you’ve lost.

“Don’t forget that we lose water when we breathe and sweat,” says Dr. Fertel. “That’s why it’s important to drink water.”

You’re having a lot of soda or coffee.

Soaking up that iced coffee might make you feel like you’re getting enough water, but it’s not that simple.

Certain drinks, including coffee, products with caffeine, and even booze, can make you pee or urinate more, which can make you even more dehydrated.

While you can still have your morning coffee, there’s nothing better than good old water.

You feel bad. Are you fighting a bug? Feeling thirsty can also happen when you have a bug. Losing water can happen when you vomit, sweat, or have diarrhea.

Again, you might want to sip on drinks throughout the day instead of having a lot of water all at once. This may be easier on your body. Think about tea, chicken soup, sports drinks, and so on.

She says, “The great thing about chicken soup is that it has salt in it, which helps the body keep water.”

Your medicine

Some medicines might make it easier for you to lose water. Some medicines, like laxatives, antacids, diuretics, and blood pressure pills, may be made to get water and salts out of your body. It’s important to talk to your doctor if one of the side effects is water loss.

“Talk to your doctor about the best way to stay hydrated in hot or warm weather if you have heart failure or problems with fluid retention,” says Dr. Fertel.

Do you have diabetes?

It could be an early sign of diabetes if you have to go to the bathroom a lot and always feel thirsty.

Because your body is trying to get rid of sugar, you’re going to the bathroom a lot. And it can make you lose water. You may have sweet-smelling pee and lose weight at the same time.

Dr. Fertel says, “You may also taste something metallic in your mouth and smell something sweet, fruity, or like nail polish remover.”

If you drink more water than recommended and are still hydrated, you may need additional attention to this matter. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that insufficient water in your body,may result in different fatal medical conditions and must be addressed ASAP. Consider consulting holistic doctors and asking how acupuncture and homeopathic remedies can help you to restore a water-electrolite balance.

Find a holistic provider in Philadelphia, PA, to restore your water metabolism

If you live in Phliquiladelphia or the nearest suburbs and suffer from water deficiency, contact Philadelphia Holistic Clinic at (267) 403-3085 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tsan and discuss what needs to be done to restore water.