HOW DEHYDRATION AFFECTS YOUR ENERGY, STRENGTH, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE

Have you ever awoken in the morning feeling foggy, almost as if you had a hangover? What do you think? You could've been dehydrated.

In reality, the diuretic effects of alcohol contribute to the symptoms of a hangover (headache, dry mouth, sleepiness, and exhaustion).

Do you typically have great exercises, but some days your buttocks are dragging by the end—or, worse, you can't get started? What do you think?

You were most likely dehydrated. Dehydration has a sneaky way of sneaking up on you. It's too late by the time you experience the full force: You're already parched.

If the weather isn't especially hot, you might not associate the symptoms with a lack of water. You may believe that you are simply overworked, that you haven't gotten enough sleep, or that you are ill.

The core temperature of your body rises when you become dehydrated. This has a negative impact on your cardiovascular function and limits your physical work capability.

Heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke become more likely as the temperature rises.

Even minor dehydration of 1% of body weight can affect exercise thermoregulation. That's only 2 pounds for a 200-pound person, but it may happen in as short as 30 to 60 minutes of intense training.

According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, a 1.5 percent loss in water weight reduced bench press strength by 5.6 percent.

Muscle strength can be reduced by 10% with a 3% reduction.

When you lose 4% to 5% or more of your body weight in water, your muscle and aerobic endurance can drop by 20% to 30%.

You could die if you lose more than 10% of your body weight as water.