Stress And Dehydration: Breaking The Cycle
Stress can cause dehydration, and dehydration can cause stress. Itâs a vicious cycle. You can break it by building more water consumption into your day. âStress can result in many of the same responses as dehydration — increased heart rate, nausea, fatigue, headache — so if you can remain hydrated you can reduce the magnitude of the physiological responses we have to stress,â says Trent Nessler, PT, DPT, MPT, managing director of Baptist Sports Medicine in Nashville.
How do you know if youâre dehydrated?
- First, are you thirsty? If you are, youâre already dehydrated.
- Second, take a look at the bowl the next time you go to the bathroom. If the urine is dark in color and has a pungent smell, youâre dehydrated. The darker the urine and the stronger the smell, the more dehydrated you are.
In general, you should try to drink between half an ounce to an ounce of water for every pound you weigh, every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75 to 150 ounces of water a day. If youâre living in a hot climate and exercising a lot, youâd be on the higher end of that range if youâre in a cooler climate and mostly sedentary, youâd need less.
Can Water Help With Depression Stress And Anxiety
Water plays a vital role in regulating our body functions and taking care of any illnesses. Drinking water helps our organs work properly, and that includes our brain. The brain governs our mental health, and water can play a significant role in that as well. However, the question is, Can water help with depression, stress, and anxiety?
Dehydration can strain the body, leaving us stressed, tired, and edgy. Simply put, dehydration stunts brain functioning, so think of water as a nutrient your brain needs.
Dehydration affects our moods, according to researchers at the University of Connecticut, it shows an increase in total mood disturbance.
In quite a few ways, dehydration can create or affect changes in our mental health. Since our mental health links directly with our brain, dehydration is linked to depression, stress, and anxiety.
Read on, and lets find the answer.
According to the WHO , mental health is:
a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
Mental health governs our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It helps determine how we think, feel, act, handle stress, and make choices.
Research has linked dehydration and depression, and now we can learn how important water is for our mental health.
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Dealing With Mental Health Easily
Dehydration affects our moods and how we think and feel. If youre already prone to and struggle with mental health problems, make it easy on yourselfdrink some water. Without much effort, drinking enough water daily is an easy step to stay as mentally healthy as possible.
Start with a glass of water in the morning. Carry a water bottle wherever you go. Drink between meals. Although carrying water around is easy, it is remembering to drink that is difficult. You can easily ignore being dehydrated despite headaches and swift mood changes.
Even when were hydrated, we have enough trouble having a clear mind and thinking straight. Why is there a need to have more of that by staying dehydrated? Although medical attention is ideal for extreme mental health conditions, drinking enough water, at least, keeps the brain from struggling.
Staying hydrated is a sign of good emotional, physical, and mental health. We should not have a one-dimensional approach to mental health.
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Why Is Water Important To Our Physical Health
Our physical bodies need water to function on many levels. Without good hydration we do not function well. Physically we need water to function on an electromagnetic level. Without water our four main electrically driven bodily processes do not operate. Water is the driving force behind the systems listed below and is needed for them to function optimally
- Our metabolic system is electrical.
- Our nervous system and our nerve impulses are transmitted electro-chemically.
- Substances are transported through our cell membranes electrically.
- Body fluids contain ionized chemical elements that are electric conductors.
Lack of water and reduced body fluid therefore means our physical systems and health are compromised. Dehydration means we do not function physically or emotionally at our best. To be emotionally well we must be physically well. This is why water has a great impact on any feelings of anxiety.
The Science On Dehydration And Anxiety
Not drinking enough water or being dehydrated may make you feel depressed and anxious. This is true even when controlling for other variables that may influence mood, according to a 2018 study published in the World Journal of Psychiatry.
Researchers questioned 3,327 adults about their water intake and then had them rate their mood on a depression and anxiety scale. They found that the people who drank two cups or less of plain water per day reported significantly higher levels of depression than people who drank five cups or more each day.
Even people in the middle, who drank three to four cups per day, rated their moods as better than the dehydrated group.
Water and mood are so connected that even very mild dehydrationlosing just 1 percent of your bodys watercan make you feel depressed, according to an earlier study published in The Journal of Nutrition.
The researchers had 25 healthy young women do the same workout on three separate days. On the first day, they did a moderate sweaty workout and didnt replace their sweat loss by drinking water, allowing them to become mildly dehydrated.
In the second workout, they not only sweated out water but were also given a diuretic, a drug to draw extra water out of their system, making them quite dehydrated. The third workout they performed fully hydrated.
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Does Water Reduce Depression
In one research of nearly 3,000 people published in 2018, those who drank more water had a decreased risk of anxiety and depression than those who drank less water. Though the link between dehydration and sadness was greater, researchers discovered that people who did not drink enough water had higher levels of anxiousness. They also had higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress.
The connection between drinking water and reducing feelings of depression has been noted in studies since at least 1977. A study conducted by Drs. Roy Peppler and James Proctor found that those who drank more water experienced fewer depressive symptoms than those who did not consume enough H20. The researchers concluded that “these findings support the hypothesis that adequate fluid intake may be related to the occurrence of mental disorders.”
More recent research on this topic was presented at the annual meeting of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Barcelona in October 2018. The study’s conclusions were similar to those of the previous research project mentioned above. The new study authors concluded that “increasing total fluid intake is associated with reduced risks of anxiety and depression.” They added that these results “support current recommendations for individuals who want to reduce their risk of anxiety or depression to increase their fluid intake.”
Dehydration Is Bad For Your Brain
One of the first signs of dehydration is brain fogbeing unable to concentrate and having difficulty remembering things.
It makes sense that it would affect your cognitive abilities. After all, 73 percent of your brain is water. But can not drinking enough water wreck your mood as well? According to both science and your sixth-grade gym teacher: yes.
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How Can I Get Rid Of Severe Anxiety Fast
Simply put, the only way to get rid of anxiety is to learn to deal with it. This can be hard and time consuming. A first step is to realize that anxiety is a normal and healthy feeling and that nothing bad is going to happen if youre anxious. Its just a feeling, not an illness. Then, try to figure out why youre anxious. A few ideas: Youre anxious about your job or school performance Youre anxious that youre anxious Youre anxious that youre failing Youre anxious about a relationship Youre anxious about a physical feeling, like a headache. If you cant figure out why youre anxious, try to notice what happens when youre anxious. Can you see a pattern? Does your heart race? Do you feel a knot in your stomach? Do you jump from one thought to another? Do you have a hard time focusing? Do you feel like youre going to fall apart? Do you feel like youre going to die? If you identify a pattern, then try to view that pattern as a fact. Its a fact that you have a hard time focusing. Its a fact that you have a knot in your stomach. Its a fact that you have a headache. If you can view your anxiety as a fact, itll be a lot easier to deal with it..
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Do We Have To Drink Water Are Pops And Squashes And Other Fluids Adequate
Yes, drinking plain water is essential. When we are thirsty it is our body signalling to us that we need water yet most people reach for teas, coffees, pops, squashes and any other fluid other than water which can have an even more negative effect due to high sugar and caffeine content. Unfortunately, these other fluids are not received by the body as efficiently as plain water.
Plain water is absorbed straight through the stomach lining and is more rapidly absorbed. Anything other than plain water has to travel through the intestinal tract and takes longer to be absorbed. Anything other than plain water is regarded by the body as soup and is treated as such. Even water with a dash of lemon or lime is absorbed as soup, although this alongside diluted apple juice is a better alternative to water than most.
60% of the water in our physical body is ingested through drinking fluid, 30% comes from the food we eat and 10% is made by our cells.
60% of water is released via our kidneys, 30% by exhaling when we breath and 10% via sweat and faecal matter.
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How Drinking Water Can Soothe Your Childs Anxiety
By Sandi Schwartz at VeryWellFamily.com#healthychild#Hydrateyourchild#HappyFamily#MondayMorningMoms#Childcare
It is hard to believe that something as simple as drinking enough water can help manage anxiety. Water plays such an important role in how our body functions. All of our organs, including our brain, need water to work properly. If we are dehydrated, our body is strained and we can become overly stressed and edgy.OverviewAccording to Barry Joe McDonagh, creator of the anxiety treatment program Panic Away and author of the book DARE, dehydration can contribute to anxiety and nervousness.He explains, Nearly every function of the body is monitored and pegged to the efficient flow of water through our system. Water transports hormones, chemical messengers, and nutrients to vital organs of the body. When we dont keep our bodies well hydrated, they may react with a variety of signals some of which are symptoms, of anxiety.
Dehydration has been linked to a rise in cortisol levels, hormones that increase stress.
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Lack of urine or wet diapers for six to eight hours in an infant
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Lack of urine for 12 hours in an older child
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Dark urine that has a pungent smell
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Dry or sticky mouth
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Few or no tears when crying
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Eyes that look sunken into the head
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Lethargy or irritability
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Fatigue or dizziness in an older child
Creative SolutionsIt is not always easy to convince your child to drink plain old water. Here are some tips to increase their water intake on a daily basis:
Why Kids Become Dehydrated
Children are particularly vulnerable to dehydration due to their high activity level and high ratio of body surface area to mass . Also, young children often rely on adults to monitor their intake and provide a drink when needed.
Research shows that kids tend to underestimate how much and how often they need to drink. Even in situations where water is readily available, children may not realize they should be drinking throughout the day, or they may forget to do so.
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Anxiety Symptoms: 8 Surprising Triggers
You might be surprised at some of your daily habits and lifestyle choices that could make you experience temporary symptoms that feel like anxiety.
Skipping meals: Waiting too long to eat or missing out on breakfast may lead to unsteady blood sugar levels, which can cause anxiety-like sensations, including shakiness, dizziness, confusion, and difficulty speaking. Prevent these blood sugar swings by eating frequent small meals and keeping snacks on hand.
Being dehydrated: Dehydration can cause more than just thirst and dry lips. It can also set the heart racing and make you feel light-headed and dizzy, all sensations that are common during anxiety attacks. Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stave off any “thirsty” mood swings.
Consuming caffeine: Many people depend on their morning coffee for a jolt of energy and to kick-start their powers of focus and attention. But since it is a stimulant, caffeine can also kick-start feelings of anxiety. The jitters, shakes, and irregular heart rhythm you might get after a dose of caffeine can feel an awful lot like a panic attack, especially if you are already susceptible. Caffeine is also a diuretic, meaning it makes you urinate more and can lead to dehydration .
How Long Can Anxiety Last
Anxiety is a feeling that lasts for more than six months. When you are depressed, you feel sad or hopeless, but when you are anxious, you are constantly preoccupied with your fears and worries, which could last for days or even months. Worries are sometimes based on something specific, but they are often about nothing in particular. For example, you might be constantly thinking about an upcoming test or an argument with your spouse. You find it difficult to concentrate on anything else, and you are always worrying about the same thing..
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What Drinks Help With Anxiety
The caffeine in coffee helps to increase the absorption of some B vitamins, including B6. B6 helps to decrease the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which is part of the reason why drinking coffee before trying to fall asleep can help you to relax. For best results, consume coffee between noon and 3 pm, as thats when cortisol levels are typically at their lowest. Something else that coffee has that can help people with anxiety is theobromine. Theobromine is almost identical to caffeine. But whats more is that theobromine stimulates the brains pleasure centers, which can reduce anxiety..
Water And Stress Reduction: Sipping Stress Away
What’s the link between water and stress reduction?
If youâre looking for a simple way to unwind from your stress-filled life, try this: drink a glass of water.
Sound too easy? The link between water and stress reduction is well documented. All of our organs, including our brains, need water to function properly. If youâre dehydrated, your body isnât running well — and that can lead to stress.
âStudies have shown that being just half a liter dehydrated can increase your cortisol levels,â says Amanda Carlson, RD, director of performance nutrition at Athletesâ Performance, a trainer of world-class athletes.
âCortisol is one of those stress hormones. Staying in a good hydrated status can keep your stress levels down. When you donât give your body the fluids it needs, youâre putting stress on it, and itâs going to respond to that,â Carlson tells WebMD.
That doesnât mean that drinking plenty of water throughout the day will magically cause your money problems, your kidsâ troubles at school, and your deadlines at work to disappear. But if youâre already stressed by coping with all of these things, you donât need the additional stress of dehydration to add to your burden.
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When To Get Help With Your Drinking
Because of the immediate relaxing effects of alcohol, many people with anxiety and other mental health issues are drawn to alcohol as a way to self-medicate. And while it may offer some short-term relief, alcohol is not an effective long-term strategy for anxiety, depression, trauma, or other mental health issues. In fact, it can worsen all of these conditions.
Using alcohol to self-medicate is risky. Over time, your tolerance to alcohol increases, which means you need more and more of it to get the experience of ease and relief. Many people with anxiety are also prone to alcohol use disorder .
No matter how much alcohol you consume, if your drinking feels out of control, worries you, or worries those close to you, thats a good enough reason to seek help.
No matter what your circumstances, its never too lateor too earlyto reach out for assistance. There are many different ways to get help with your drinking, which means theres probably at least one thatll work for you. Learn more about alcohol treatment options.
Stay Hydrated And Feel Happier With Optimum
If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of depression due to dehydration, Optimum is here to help. Our staff is passionate about keeping our clients and their loved ones hydrated through the use of our bottleless water coolers.
You cant hydrate if you dont have safe drinking water easily accessible! Our water coolers utilize a five-step filtration process that produces the cleanest, safest drinking water, helping you to combat depression and other ailments caused by dehydration. To browse our selection of bottleless water coolers, visit our website today!
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