Just how important is water for our well being? Well, according to every reputable doctor and health provider, it is the single most important thing you can put into your body. Every system in your body depends on water. Water is necessary for your body to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. It also detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries away waste from the body. Water is your body's principal chemical component, comprising, on average, 60 percent of your weight.

Dehydration is caused when you fail to take in more water than your body uses. Just a mild case of dehydration can drain you of vital energy and leave you feeling tired. Some of the common signs and symptoms of dehydration you may feel are:

Mild to excessive thirst

Fatigue

Headache

Dry mouth

Little or no urination

Muscle weakness

Dizziness

Lightheadedness

What causes us to feel drained and become dehydrated? Your lungs expel between two and four cups of water each day through normal breathing. If your feet sweat, there goes another cup of water. If you make half a dozen trips to the bathroom during the day, that's six cups of water. Often times, it is something so small that we don't realize it like the weather. Other times, it's from strenuous physical activity. Here is a list of some of the most common causes of dehydration:

Exercise - It's common since that the more you exercise, then the more you'll sweat and the more fluid you'll need to keep your body hydrated. Drink an extra one or two glasses of water short exercise workouts. Longer, more intense sessions of exercise like running a marathon or a game of basketball require additional fluid than one or two glasses. The amount of just how much additional depends on how much you sweat during that physical activity. Normally two to three extra glasses an hour is adequate, unless the weather is exceptionally warm that day. If you plan on participating in long bouts of intense exercise, you want to choose a sports drink which contains sodium. Replacing lost sodium will reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia, which can be life-threatening in some instances. You can also choose to replace lost fluids after your exercise session.

Environment - The dog days of summer can take a toll on your body. Hot and humid weather can make you sweat more than you normally would doing all of your daily activities and requires additional intake of water. The winter isn't much better for some of us. Heated indoor air also can make your skin lose moisture during wintertime. That dry air doesn't allow your skin to "breathe" properly.

Illnesses or health conditions - Often times when we are sick we become dehydrated. Conditions like having a fever, vomiting and diarrhea are prime causes of us losing body fluids. In most of these cases, drink more water and even sports drinks like Gatorade to give your body some extra needed hydration. Some conditions, including bladder infections or urinary tract stones, also require increased water intake.

Pregnancy or breast-feeding - Women who are expecting or breast-feeding should drink additional fluids in order to stay hydrated. Women lose a large amount of fluid when they are nursing. Leading doctors recommend that pregnant women drink about 10 cups of fluids daily and women who breast-feed try to have about 12.5 cups of fluids everyday.