Why dehydration didn’t look the way I expected

I wasn’t exercising excessively.

I wasn’t sweating heavily.

And yet, my body behaved like it couldn’t hold onto fluids.

This didn’t feel like typical dehydration — it felt systemic.

The symptoms I didn’t realize were connected

Looking back, the pattern was clear.

• Dizziness when standing
• Heart racing without exertion
• Weakness and shaky limbs
• Frequent urination
• Salt cravings followed by nausea

At the time, I treated each symptom separately.

Why mold exposure disrupts fluid balance

Mold places the body under chronic stress.

That stress affects hormones that regulate fluid and electrolyte balance.

Instead of retaining what it needs, the body stays in a defensive, wasting state.

This same stress response showed up in my digestion and nervous system: digestive disruption and mood changes.

Why drinking more water backfired

Water diluted what little balance I had.

Without electrolytes and proper signaling, hydration couldn’t be retained.

This is why people often feel worse when they’re told to “just hydrate more.”

The blood pressure connection I didn’t recognize

Low blood pressure crept in quietly.

Standing up felt harder.

My body struggled to regulate circulation.

This same instability overlaps with nervous system symptoms described in why mold symptoms are often missed.

Why this is common but rarely explained

Electrolyte imbalance isn’t dramatic.

It’s subtle, chronic, and easy to dismiss.

But over time, it amplifies fatigue, anxiety, digestion problems, and reactivity.

The environment pattern that clarified it

Once again, location mattered.

Symptoms worsened at home.

And improved when I left.

This pattern echoed the same realization that tied everything together: why environment matters.

A calmer way to think about hydration

I stopped blaming myself for “not hydrating correctly.”

And started understanding that my body was under environmental stress.

That shift removed a lot of unnecessary fear.