Healthy Lifestyle - Four Not-So-Obvious Signs You May Be Suffering From Dehydration

As you go about your quest to live a healthier lifestyle, it is not only essential you consider the foods you are putting into your body, but also the beverages you are taking in as well. The fact of the matter is even slight dehydration can have a profound influence on how you feel and function on a daily basis.

Learning to recognize these signs before they get too serious may just help you prevent unwanted issues before they start. Most people know thirst as the main sign, but there is more to be on the lookout for.

Below are four key signs of dehydration not so recognisable that you will want to keep your eyes open to...

1. Headaches.

You know the pounding throbbing headache you sometimes have? Perhaps the problem could be attributed to dehydration. Most people are fast to write their headache off as just a normal occurrence, but it may not be. If you are chronically dehydrated, you may be experiencing headaches far more frequently than someone who isn't.

Take in a glass or two of water and see if that doesn't give you relief.

2. Sleepiness.

Chalking your mid-day sleepiness off to only getting seven hours of sleep the previous night instead of your usual eight? Sleepiness can also be a sign of dehydration. Ideally, you will want to start your day off with a large glass of cold water and then keep the water coming in beyond that point.

By doing so, you can ensure you are putting your best foot forward regarding combating drowsiness during the day.

3. Muscle Cramps. 

Feeling those muscle cramp more often? Or perhaps you are getting those annoying muscle twitches as of late. Both can be attributed to lack of sleep. When you are not well hydrated, your muscle cells are not functioning normally, and you may be more prone to experiencing irregularities with contractions.

Muscle contractions are especially common during exercise, so if you have to take a stop during your run because of a bad leg cramp, it may be time to drink up.

4. Lightheadedness.

The last sign you could be suffering from dehydration is feeling lightheaded. Lightheadedness comes on because your blood pressure is low, which is also a sign of not enough fluids entering into your body.

When dehydration occurs, less total blood volume will be circulating throughout your system, which then causes overall blood pressure levels to lower.

Take in a glass of water, and that should fix things almost immediately.

There you have a few of the not-so-obvious signs you may be suffering from dehydration. Are any of these impacting you?

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

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How to Get Rid of Neck Pain

Your neck is a delicate structure attached to intricate muscles in the back, chest, head and shoulders etc. These structures help to fix your neck thereby making it tight.

Your neck does a lot of work when it looks sideways at any object of interest or you respond by nodding when you are being asked a couple of questions. Your neck muscles are constantly working to support the weight of your head and this is a very difficult task as they are mostly designed to help you move or perform a certain motion. Bones are the main supporting apparatus of your neck and the muscles of the neck only help assist motion of the main supporting apparatus which is the bone. Tilting you head down and sideways could in a long period make your neck develop spurs which could cause headaches and neck pains etc. To prevent yourself from having such neck pain, you can easily adopt these few hints as they can help you relieve, prevent and eradicate neck pain.

Always take a good posture. You can stand or sit in an upright posture as this would help you prevent neck pain.

Exercise your neck. Lengthen and stretch your neck from time to time to help it get accustomed to various stress and strain that could cause pain.

Let your neck relax. Make all side of your neck relax properly, you can use ice packs or towel. You can do this yourself with a simple stroke of ice over the neck or affected area or you can hire a therapist.

Take a warm bath. Run hot or warm water over the affected area for ten to twenty minutes while maintaining an erect posture, do this repeatedly. You can choose an hourly or a daily routine.

Apply a hot pad. You could use a hot pad to apply pressure on the affect area. This suites the area adequately and helps relieve the pain

Use balms and ointments. You can simply use special balms and ointments to relieve neck pain. Simply get one and apply it to the affected areas.This balms and ointments help the muscle fibers relax.

Use a neck brace. In cases where the pain is so severe, you can use a neck brace to hold the neck in the desired position. This method is recommended if you feel the pain is so severe and you can't bear it much further. To do perform this, simply fold a bath towel in a cylindrical pattern and wrap it round the affected part of the neck directly. Let the skulls base sit directly on it and then assume a comfy position.

Massage your neck. You can simply rub affected parts of your neck with your hands and get a soothing relief.

Sleep it off. If you feel so much pain on your neck, you can simply take a nap or sleep off as the pain will be gone by the time you wake up.

See a doctor. If pain is more than severe and threatening, quickly see a doctor as most times the pain radiating out could also be a sign of an underlying disease.

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Avoiding Muscle Cramps During Exercises

Muscle cramps are sometimes called a "medical mystery" and tend to come out of nowhere, for no apparent reason at all. The reasons behind most muscle cramps are usually related to dehydration, nutrient insufficiency, and electrolyte imbalances. When our bodies are lacking in one or the other, we usually get painful muscle cramps that can affect our sleep, athletic performance, and exercise routines. A cramp feels like a knot that bunches up inside of a muscle and is sometimes very painful. For some, you are actually able to see the knot underneath the skin, depending on how bad the cramp is. If you find yourself in the midst of a muscle cramp, try stretching the muscle while after wards giving it a gentle massage. This usually is good for getting the cramp to go away immediately.

Workouts can turn into nightmares if you find yourself in the midst of the groove and then are suddenly faced with a painful cramp. I want to share with you some of the tips I give my Chino Hills health club clients. It doesn't matter where you workout, on the beach, in the gym or at home if you don't give your body the attention it needs you could find yourself suffering from painful muscle cramps. Here are some effective ways to prevent and avoid getting muscle cramps during exercise:

1) Stay hydrated. Drinking water before, during, and after workouts can keep you from having painful muscle cramps. Make sure that you are drinking water all through the day, however.

2) Make sure that you are taking a multivitamin, this will ensure that your body is receiving all of the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs- Don't forget to eat something when you take your multivitamin for better absorption.

3) Sip on some Powerade or Gatorade for electrolytes. These drinks can often times keep your balance in check while still feeding you spurts of energy while you workout.

4) Be sure to check in with your doctor if you are certain that you are staying hydrated and getting all of the right nutrients. Sometimes some medical conditions can lead to muscle cramps, and certain medications can cause cramps as well.

5) Stretch before you exercise. I am not talking about just a 30-second stretch; it needs to be at least a good 10-minute or so stretching session. This will definitely decrease your chances of getting those painful and uncomfortable cramps.

6) Eat a banana or a pickle, both are high in potassium, a nutrient requirement for avoiding muscle spasms/cramps.

Not only are they painful, muscle cramps are annoying and can be avoided. Make sure that you are receiving adequate nutrition and do not forget to take your vitamins. There is nothing like trying to work out while getting caught up in the middle of a dreadful muscle spasm! Remember that a muscle cramp can strike at any time, so make sure that you are taking the necessary precautions to avoid them. And as I remind my Chino Hills health club clients, do not forget to consult with your physician if they seem to be getting too much out of control, he or she will be able to detect if there are further problems causing the cramps/spasms.

You definitely do not want to wind up whaling out in pain while in the middle of a workout. Let's face it, cramps slow us down. Where there is prevention, there is a way to avoid these painful cramps. So, nurture your body properly, stay hydrated, and have a great workout with no spasms.

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