I Thought I Was Just Tired

I used to think being dehydrated meant you had to be out jogging in 90-degree weather or lost in the desert. But recently, after weeks of feeling weirdly sluggish, moody, and just off, I learned that dehydration can sneak up on you—even if you're not feeling thirsty at all.

It started with little things: waking up groggy even after 8 hours of sleep, headaches by noon, and a general “meh” feeling that followed me everywhere. I chalked it up to stress or screen time. But then I stumbled across a Facebook post talking about how even mild dehydration can mess with your mood:
https://www.facebook.com/122099392514743210/posts/122132011034743210
That hit home.

Curious, I started digging and found a breakdown of dehydration symptoms and treatments that blew my mind:
https://askdocdoc.com/articles/685-dehydration-symptoms-causes-and-effective-treatments
Headaches, fatigue, dry skin, brain fog—they were all on the list. And I had almost all of them. What really surprised me is how dehydration can creep up from unexpected places: too much caffeine, eating salty food, or flying frequently. There was even a Twitter thread about this:
https://twitter.com/AskDoctors24/status/1942199466167087604
It said people often get dehydrated just by being on a plane for a few hours. Guilty as charged.

I’ve always been one of those “I forget to drink water” types. I’d make coffee, sip it for hours, then maybe have a glass of water with dinner. But after learning more, I’ve tried some changes. One tip I liked came from a Pinterest post about building hydration into your daily routine:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/928445279435706284
It suggested tying drinking water to things you already do—like after brushing your teeth or when you sit down at your desk.

There was also this Threads post that stuck with me:
https://www.threads.com/@askdocdoc/post/DLzn7sFIvak
Someone shared how drinking more water helped clear up their afternoon brain fog. That was the motivation I needed to try it myself. I started small—just one glass of water before lunch and one before bed. Within a couple days, I felt sharper. Less irritable. More awake.

And yeah, there’s definitely a social side to this. Hydration challenges are a thing now, like one I saw on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DLzn7eRMxcp/
People log their intake, remind each other, and post their progress. It makes it kind of fun, instead of just another health chore.

Even in work settings, it matters more than we think. One LinkedIn post from a healthcare expert said office environments—especially with AC or heating—can dry us out fast:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/askdocdoc_dehydration-isnt-just-a-summer-concern-activity-7347965250463219712-0dMg/