Unlike gas, which builds up in your stomach and intestines and causes abdominal bloating, water can swell every part of your body. If you feel inflated like an air bag, that’s probably gas. When you feel like a waterlogged sponge, that’s fluid retention. And although it’s often considered normal and is usually temporary, water retention can be annoying and uncomfortable while it lasts.

Body fluids account approximately 60% of most of our weight, not including blood. They contain water, salts, electrolytes and other substances whose levels are regulated by your hormones and kidneys. Your body has to maintain a balance between sodium and water. When the ideal ratio changes, your kidneys hold on to water so they can dilute the sodium. The result, is bloating.

Because hormonal shifts, fluid re...