Dehydration Headache Symptoms, Remedies and More

By paula

Reviewed: dr. vanta

Article Sources

Article Sources

• 1. 'Dehydration Headache' Healthline, 27 April 2021, https://www.healthline.com/health/dehydration-headache#symptoms.
• 2. 'Dehydration - NHS' NHS, 27 April 2021, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/.
• 3. Water-Deprivation Headache: A New Headache With Two Variants', Headache, 06 Jan 2004, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2004.04014.x.
• 4. 'Water: How much should you drink every day?' Mayoclinic, 28 April 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256.

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Dehydration headaches are incredibly common and can be unpleasant to deal with. These headaches strike if someone doesn't drink enough water. They're particularly common in the summer months when the weather is hot and people lose a lot of water through perspiration, but they can occur at any time of the year.

Learning how to recognize dehydration headaches can help people deal with the symptoms, banish the headache before it gets too bad and prevent the problem from recurring. Dehydration, if left untreated, can be serious, so it's important to be mindful of daily water consumption.

1. What Is a Dehydration Headache?

Dehydration headaches are, as the name suggests, headaches that occur when a person is dehydrated. Not taking in enough water to support the body's essential processes and activity level can lead to many mild, short-term symptoms, including dehydration. If the dehydration becomes severe, the symptoms may become life-threatening.

Unfortunately, research into the exact mechanism that causes dehydration headaches is limited.¹‘Dehydration Headache’ Healthline, 27 April 2021, https://www.healthline.com/health/dehydration-headache#symptoms. However, people who suffer from them report experiencing a headache that feels worse when they move their heads and that gets better within 30 minutes to a few hours of drinking water.