What Really Happens To Your Body When You Don't Drink Enough Water

Besides the fact that you'd literally die without it, there are many, MANY imperative reasons to drink water frequently, every single day.

It starts out pretty mild — you might feel thirsty and have a dry mouth. But the long-term effects of not drinking enough water not only have an effect on your weight (in a bad way), but they're also extremely dangerous and life-threatening.

Drinking water is necessary to survive. And there are so many perks to drinking water consistently. You get clearer skin, it helps with bloating, and it protects your organs and tissues.

The only downside is how much you have to go to the bathroom.

Here's what happens to your body.

Milder Symptoms

Even mild dehydration has strong effects. Here's how you'll feel with a lack of H2O (hint: it's really not fun).

Fatigue, tiredness, sleepiness
Headache
Constipation
Dizziness
Mood change, irritability, increased anxiety
Sunken eyes
Shriveled skin
Muscle cramps
Joint aches

Severe Symptoms

If things get worse, so do your symptoms. These are the "go to the hospital" signs.

Low blood pressure, with a rapid heartbeat
Fever
Delirium, unconsciousness
Severe diarrhea and/or vomiting
Inability to keep fluids down

Latent Effects

Consistently not drinking enough water for an extended period of time has its effect as well. Although you may brush off the milder side effects, your body is still suffering — and several of these have a significant bearing on weight gain.

Low water, slow metabolism. Your body's ability to remove waste and detoxify is inhibited. In addition, your metabolism is slower without water. One study found that drinking 16 ounces of water daily increases your metabolic rate by 30 percent. Guys. That's literally ONE standard-size water bottle. JUST DRINK IT.
Increased hunger. When you're somewhat dehydrated, your body confuses it for hunger, causing you to eat when you don't need to. Read: weight gain.
Slowed circulation, irregular temperature. Your CV system suffers, and your equilibrium is totally out of whack.
Digestion problems. That constipation we talked about becomes a regular thing. Not fun. Also not great for weight loss.
General fatigue. The same goes for your energy levels. You'll constantly feel tired, unable (or unwilling) to exercise, and unable to concentrate.
Increased blood sugar. Your body needs water to break down sugar. If you're diabetic, this is especially dangerous.

Severe Long-Term Effects

Now for the worst of it. Yes, it's terrible that dehydration can make you gain weight (or keep you from losing it), but there are some bigger issues at hand. If you're truly neglecting your water intake, this should likely help you get on track. Here's what happens to your body when you don't get enough water.

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