Understanding Your Body’s Hydration Levels
Understanding specific gravity, or water levels in urine, and how that effects your health.
What is Specific Gravity / Water in urine?
Specific gravity measures the concentration of substances in your urine, providing important insight into your body’s hydration levels. It shows how diluted or concentrated your urine is, which reflects how much water your body is holding on to versus excreting. The more concentrated the urine, the higher the specific gravity; more diluted urine means a lower specific gravity.
What can the test tell you
A urine specific gravity test helps you understand whether you're well-hydrated or if your body is retaining or losing too much water.
If Specific Gravity is high
This typically indicates that your urine is more concentrated. Common reasons for high specific gravity include dehydration, where your body conserves water and excretes less. Other causes could be excessive sweating, not drinking enough water, or a high-salt diet. In some cases, certain medical conditions may cause the body to retain more water.
If Specific Gravity is low
Low specific gravity means your urine is more diluted, which can happen if you're drinking a lot of fluids, especially water. It may also indicate that your kidneys are not concentrating urine efficiently, which can sometimes be a sign of an underlying condition, such as diabetes insipidus or over hydration.
Why Specific Gravity matters for your health?
Monitoring the specific gravity of your urine is a useful way to check how well your body is balancing fluids. Proper hydration is essential for many bodily functions, from maintaining blood pressure to helping your kidneys flush out waste. If your urine is consistently too concentrated, it may strain your kidneys over time or lead to issues like kidney stones. On the other hand, very diluted urine can indicate overhydration, which can dilute important electrolytes in your body.
Who should consider Testing?
If you're concerned about dehydration
Specific gravity can help identify if you're drinking enough water or if your body is conserving too much fluid.
If you exercise heavily or live in a hot climate
These factors can increase your risk of dehydration and affect the concentration of your urine.
If you experience frequent urination or extreme thirst
Low specific gravity may indicate your body isn’t retaining enough fluids, which could point to underlying health issues.
If you have kidney health concerns
Knowing your urine’s specific gravity can provide insights into how well your kidneys are functioning and managing fluid balance.
Take charge of your hydration
Regularly checking the specific gravity of your urine can help you make informed decisions about your hydration levels and overall health. Whether you're worried about dehydration, overhydration, or kidney function, this test offers a simple way to stay informed and balanced.
Our Biomarkers
Our iOS and Android compatible app will analyze results provided by our Urine test kit to provide recommendations and knowledge on 18 different biomarkers. Click on any of the 18 biomarkers to learn more.
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