We tend to think that dehydration looks like fainting, severe headaches, and being hooked up to an IV. But the truth is that the majority of us (more than 75% of adults!) are living with chronic mild dehydration, which means our bodies are being forced to operate with less fluid than they require, but have gotten used to existing in this state. Chronic mild dehydration means that you aren’t so dehydrated that you need to go to a hospital, but are dehydrated enough that it’s impacting your health and ability to function. A decrease in your hydration as little as 1-3% can result in a measurable cognitive loss (Quench, page 9), and not only can it lead to the ailments listed above, it can also lead to more serious health concerns and disease.

The list above is just some of the weird signs of dehydration that many of us experience every single day. Honestly, if you had asked me to assess this list ten years ago I probably would have checked each one of them. It’s amazing how things can change once you start hydrating properly!