Why Drinking Water is Important – Causes of Dry Mouth and Hydration Tips

You’ve probably heard it countless times: stay hydrated, and drink more water! This advice is repeated so often that it has almost become a joke, immortalised in memes, GIFs, and other online satire. But here’s the truth: staying hydrated is no laughing matter. Neglecting to drink enough water can have surprisingly serious consequences, affecting both your body and mind in ways you might not expect. 

The reason so many health experts recommend drinking more water is simple: it’s genuinely essential for your health. However, what is slightly worrying is the fact that so many people don’t even drink the bare minimum recommended amount. Perhaps most eye-opening of all is the fact that around 53% of the UK population don’t drink their optimal amount of water. This must change. 

In this blog, we discuss the side effects of not drinking water, cover the best ways to stay hydrated, and discuss why it’s so important to drink enough water. 

How Much Water Should You Drink a Day in the UK?

It is recommended to drink between 6-8 glasses of fluids daily, which equates to around 1.9 litres. This can include water, low-sugar or sugar-free drinks, milk and tea or coffee. However, it is worth mentioning that nothing can truly beat plain old water for pure hydration purposes. While this is a good benchmark, it is worth considering that certain factors, such as climate and exercise, may affect how much you need to drink. 

Other factors that may impact how much water you need to drink include age, body size, gender, and environment. For example, a small, young female typically needs to drink less than a fully grown male. 

Signs of Dehydration or That You Need To Drink More Water

Thirst

It will come as no surprise that always feeling thirsty is a sign of dehydration. It is your body’s natural way of telling you to drink more water. If you find yourself feeling thirsty on a regular basis then you should try reaching for a nice cool glass of water. 

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth is one of the most notable physical signs of dehydration. A dry mouth will make your mouth feel sticky, parched, and unpleasantly dry. Dry mouth may also make you feel self-conscious about your mouth’s appearance. 

Urinating Less Often

If you don’t have enough liquids in your body, your need to urinate will decrease significantly. Generally speaking, urinating less than 3 or 4 times a day is considered on the low side. So, if you find your trips to the bathroom are less than this, you may need to drink more water. 

Dark-Coloured Urine

If you go to the toilet and find that your urine is dark-coloured, it usually means you are dehydrated. In addition to being dark-coloured, your urine may also smell quite strongly. 

Headaches

Nobody likes headaches. Well, staying hydrated is one of the best ways to prevent them. Dehydration can restrict the flow of blood to the brain, which causes headaches as well as migraines. 

Fatigue and Weakness

Low fluid levels can cause tiredness and a general lack of energy. This leads to feelings of weakness and general fatigue.

Sunken Eyes

Nobody wants sunken eyes. They scream tiredness or that you are not in a good place physically. Being dehydrated or not drinking enough water can result in sunken eyes. 

Best Ways To Stay Hydrated

Unsurprisingly, the best way to stay hydrated is to drink enough water. If you find it challenging to drink enough water, why not try some of these helpful tips:

• Drink water the second you start to feel thirsty.
• Drink water before, during, and after physical activity.
• Try drinking when eating or during mealtimes.
• Make sure you take on extra liquids when you are sick or feeling hot. 
• Buy a customised water bottle so you can track your fluid consumption. These water bottles usually indicate how much you should drink and when.
  

If you are looking for ways to hydrate outside the realm of water, fruit and vegetables are great options. Fruits and vegetables are high in water content. So, try to eat more of them if you are showing signs of dehydration. 

How To Rehydrate Fast at Home

If you find yourself in a position where you have to rehydrate fast while at home, be it due to dehydration caused by diarrhoea and sickness or otherwise, there are a few proven methods. The best choice for rehydration is drinking water. Water can be absorbed into your bloodstream in as little as five minutes, so drinking water can hydrate you pretty fast. 

If you are looking for some alternatives, sports drinks are also a good option. If you can, opt for sports drinks that contain electrolytes; they will help with your rehydrate quicker and more effectively. Oral rehydration solutions, or ORS, are another great option. ORS is a simple solution of salt, sugar, and water, which aids in rehydration, especially for those suffering from diarrhoea. 

For a more unusual hydration solution, bone broth is highly effective. Besides the fact that bone broth is mostly water anyway, it also contains electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. If that isn’t enough, the gelatin and collagen in bone broth can help the body absorb and retain water more efficiently, and bone broth also helps support gut health. 

Can You Drink Too Much Water? 

While drinking water is healthy and very much encouraged, it is worth mentioning that you can drink too much. Drinking excessive amounts of water can overwhelm your kidneys and dilute the sodium content of your blood. 

While it is difficult to tell how much water is too much water, it has been noted for some people that water intoxication symptoms can develop after drinking around a gallon, or around 3-4 litres, in a short period of time, especially if it’s consumed rapidly. 

Can You Get A Headache From Drinking Water? 

In short, yes, you can get a headache from drinking water. While not overly common, headaches as a result of drinking water are usually due to over or improper consumption. 

Overhydration can dilute sodium levels in the blood, causing an electrolyte imbalance known as hyponatremia (sometimes called water intoxication). Common symptoms of hyponatremia include headaches, nausea, confusion, and, in severe cases, swelling in the brain.

Other potential causes of headaches as a result of drinking water include ‘brain freeze’ or stimulus headaches, which are usually a result of drinking ice-cold water quickly. This causes brain blood vessels to constrict and expand rapidly, which triggers pain. Other less-known causes include water quality issues or sensitivity to additives found in certain types of water. 

Why Is My Mouth Dry Even Though I Drink a Lot of Water?

If you find yourself drinking enough water but still suffering from dry mouth, commonly known as xerostomia, it could be linked to other health, lifestyle, or environmental factors.

Medications

Medications and prescriptions can be one of the most common causes of dry mouth. Medications like antihistamines, antidepressants, decongestants, and blood pressure medications are among the most common causes. 

Mouth Breathing or Snoring

Breathing through your mouth, specifically at night, is one of the most common causes of dry mouth. This is largely because it dries your mouth out regardless of how much water you drink. Some of the most common causes of snoring and mouth breathing at night include nasal congestion, allergies, or sleep apnea. 

Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamin deficiencies can cause all manner of problems, including dry mouth. A and B complex vitamins, including B12, are mostly linked to dry mouth when deficient. This is because certain vitamins play a role in maintaining the moisture of the oral mucous membranes. Therefore, a lack of these vitamins can lead to a dry mouth sensation.

Underlying Health Conditions

Infections, diseases, and different health conditions can all lead to dry mouth. Conditions like diabetes, HIV or AIDS, a stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and the autoimmune disease Sjogren’s syndrome are all potential culprits for dry mouth. 

High Caffeine or Alcohol Intake

Both caffeine and alcohol can cause dry mouth because they both act as diuretics, which lead to dehydration and can cause a reduction in saliva production in the mouth. 

Dry Air or Environment

Dry air or dry environment can cause dry mouth because breathing in dry air draws moisture out of your mouth, giving you a dry mouth sensation. The most common environments that cause dry mouth include air-conditioned or heated rooms inside, and air outside during the winter months. 

Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety can affect your body in various surprising ways; one is the cause of dry mouth. Stress and anxiety can trigger the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response, reducing saliva production and leading to dry mouth. 

Does Tea and Coffee Count as Water Intake? 

If you’re a coffee or tea drinker, you’ll be pleased to know that both beverages count towards your daily water intake. However, when it comes to hydration, it’s not all good news – certain factors can influence how effectively tea and coffee hydrate you.

Since both tea and coffee contain caffeine, they can have a mild diuretic effect. The amount of caffeine in your drink plays a significant role in its ability to rehydrate you. For example, if you’re drinking high-caffeine coffee or an energy drink, you may need to consume additional fluids to offset their diuretic properties. On the other hand, caffeine-free teas and decaffeinated coffee hydrate the body just like water.

Learn all about other ways to stay healthy with YorkTest. At YorkTest, we pride ourselves on helping you live the best and healthiest life possible. We update our blog with insightful tips and tricks on how to keep your mind and body healthy. 

One of the most important ways you can keep healthy is by ensuring you don’t eat foods you are intolerant or allergic to. Eating trigger foods can cause a variety of symptoms. If you think you may have a food intolerance or allergy, why not take one of our premium at-home tests today?