water Two weeks ago, I wrote about how you can tell whether you are properly hydrated by looking at the color of your urine. If it is straw-colored, you are well hydrated. If it is darker, you need to drink more water.

This is still a great way to know whether you’re getting the right amount of water each day, but recently a friend mentioned that she had some seemingly unrelated symptoms that led to a diagnosis of dehydration.

My friend had a dry patch on her lip that would not go away, even when she put lipstick or chap stick on it. Her cuticles were dry and peeled off easily. She had also noticed that when she wore a sweater, the lines on the sleeves would imprint on her skin and take a long time to go away. Finally, she began having dizzy spells upon standing. These spells brought her to her doctor who diagnosed her with dehydration. Now my friend makes sure to drink plenty of water every day and those symptoms have disappeared.

So, if you have any of these symptoms, look in your toilet bowl or see your doctor to see if you need more hydration. You will feel a lot better with more H2O!

Feature photo by colemama via flickr