Dr. Oz’s Hydration Handbook

Water composes around 60% of your body weight. Nearly every system of your body needs it to function properly, and yet, many of us are not getting enough on a daily basis. Dehydration can easily sneak up on you and trigger serious, even life-threatening medical conditions. Educate yourself on the warning signs and hydration tips to keep dehydration danger at bay.

Can you honestly say that you take the time each day to hydrate properly? So often hectic schedules prevent us from not only making sure we are drinking enough water, but also from noticing the signs of dehydration. Ignoring these symptoms can lead to severe and dangerous scenarios. Read on to learn the tell-tale symptoms of dehydration.

Dehydration Dangers:

1. Dark Urine Your urine should be clear; if looks like tea when you go to the bathroom, you’re dehydrated. For more on healthy pee see note below
2. Dry Skin If your body is dehydrated, it will do everything it can to hold onto fluids. Your skin is the first place to be robbed of water. Major indicators of dehydration include skin that is less plump and flexible, sunken eyes, dark circles or dry lips. Assess your skin with a skin turgor test; pinch a fold of skin on top of your forearm. If this pinch and stays up in a tent, there is not enough water volume behind your skin.
3. Dizziness When your body is dehydrated, it is harder to distribute water. Dizziness can occur when you go from lying down to sitting or standing. The upright movement causes water to rush away from your heart and brain, which makes you dizzy.
4. Constipation Your body absorbs water from your intestines and draws moisture from your stool. This makes them hard, dry and difficult to pass.

Here are ways that you can make sure you’re getting enough water.

Hydration Helpers:

1. Know When to Drink More When you do something that raises your heart rate, like exercising, you lose water. Counteract this loss by drinking an 8-oz glass of water per hour of activity.
2. Drink 1 for 1 Caffeine dehydrates your body. For every cup of coffee or tea you drink, have 1 glass of water too.
3. Get Your Water From Food Many fruits and vegetables are rich in water – the juicer, the better. Watermelon, papaya, cucumber and celery are great choices because they have water, sodium and potassium, which are all needed to prevent dehydration.

NOTE:

Learning to read your urine can save your life - and Dr. Oz is showing you how. Here's what you need to know about your pee.

1. Volume - The average person outputs about 1-2 liters of urine a day. If you're urinating more than that, it could be a sign of diabetes. If you're urinating less than a liter, it's indicative of dehydration. 
2. Color - The dehydration chart is used to determine how hydrated you are. Additionally, abnormal color in your urine can be a sign of a much larger problem. For example, red urine means that you are secreting blood and you should see a doctor immediately.
3. Cloudiness - This can suggest the presence of proteins in the urine, and this can sometimes suggest a problem in the kidneys.