Is your head throbbing, or are you feeling sharp and dull pains in your head? In this case, there's a high chance you have a headache. While headaches are an ordinary occurrence in humans, they can be debilitating and seriously affect going about daily life. Some people find it difficult to avoid and manage them. However, did you know that dehydration might be the cause of headaches?
Headaches caused by dehydration are commonly called "dehydration headaches." This can happen when your body has insufficient fluid.
Understanding Dehydration Headache
Free public domain CC0 photo.[/caption]
The human body needs balanced electrolytes and fluids to function properly.
As you move your body throughout the day, the body loses a certain amount of water mainly via sweat and urine. The amount of water loss highly depends on your activity and the environment that you are staying in. Sometimes, when the body is used to exerting too much effort or is in a hot environment, it can rapidly lose more water than it can compensate for, resulting in dehydration, which can become the cause of headaches.
The brain is made up of 90% water, and even 5% water loss in the body can cause headaches. The main reason why dehydration causes headaches is that the brain is temporarily dehydrated in this condition. The good news is that once the body gets re-hydrated, the brain goes back to its normal state and the headache can be relieved.
Symptoms of Dehydration Headache
There are some causes of headache, so how can you determine that it is caused by dehydration? Here are some symptoms that will tell you that it is a dehydration headache:
- Dry mouth
- Dark-colored urine
- Low blood pressure
- Extreme thirst
Improving for Dehydration Headache
Once you have figured out that dehydration is the cause of headaches, it is important to address the issue immediately.
Here are some ways to treat dehydration headache:
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER
Since one of the leading causes of dehydration is excessive loss of fluid in your body, drinking water is a natural and effective treatment.
Ideally, you should only drink 200 to 250 ml of water in 15 -30 minutes. You should continue drinking until you feel that your headache and other symptoms have subsided.
REPLACE LOST ELECTROLYTES
The first thing to do when you realize that the cause of headache is dehydration is to replace the lost electrolytes. There are several ways to naturally do this, such as consuming electrolyte-rich food and naturally derived beverages.
Watermelon is packed with water, potassium, and natural sugar that can help your body replenish its lost electrolyte. Plus, it's delicious and refreshing, so you won't feel bad while eating it.
Avocado is considered by many as nature's natural butter. Still, aside from that, it is also loaded with plenty of potassium. A piece of avocado has around 975 mg of potassium.
Coconut water is replenishing your electrolytes is by drinking coconut water. A cup of it contains 250 mg of sodium and 500 mg of potassium. Packaged coconut water is fine, but you will get more electrolytes from fresh coconut water.
REDUCE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Closeup of computer laptop on marble table[/caption]
Physical activities cause your body to consume electrolytes and lose fluid through sweat. The harder your body works, the more electrolytes and fluid it loses.
As soon as you start feeling symptoms of a dehydration headache, immediately stop any physical activity that you are doing. Find a chair and sit down there. If you don't, you might exacerbate your situation as your body will continue to lose fluids.
