As temperatures soar during Ireland's hot weather, it is important to drink enough fluids during the day to fend off dehydration.
Women should drink about 1.6 litres a day and men should drink 2 litres of water per day.
However, in extreme heat, you will need to drink even more than the recommended amount to stay well-hydrated as your body is losing more fluid through sweat.
Dehydration can cause a number of health problems and even be life threatening in severe cases, so it’s important to be able to identify the signs.
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And there is one unusual sign in your poop that shows you should drink more.
What is a sign that I am dehydrated?
If you find that you are unable to poop, or are constipated, it could mean that you are dehydrated.
This can happen when you are dehydrated as the colon soaks up water from your poo to send to other parts of the body, if you are lacking in fluids elsewhere.
This can make your stools become hard and therefore unable pass through your body.
Constipation can then lead to haemorrhoids from too much straining during bowel movements.
How can I prevent dehydration?
In order to ease constipation you should drink more water and avoid alcohol.
You should monitor the amount of fluid you intake every day and drink more if you are thirsty.
You can also increase the fibre in your diet and eating wheat bran, oats or linseed.
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