Hydration is important to many bodily functions, but did you know it can affect your mood, too?
| MAR. 23, 2023 | 3 MINUTE READ |
Water plays an important role in many bodily functions, such as protecting your organs, regulating your body temperature and maintaining cellular electrolyte balance. The role that hydration plays in everyday life and athletic performance is well understood, but did you know that hydration and mental health are linked, too?
Learn about the benefits of drinking water for mental health, including mood and cognitive function.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the umbrella term "mental health" encompasses emotional, psychological and social well-being. It factors into how a person thinks, feels, acts, handles stress and interacts with others. A variety of factors, including life experiences and lifestyle, can affect mental health. As a result, it can fluctuate over time.
Mental health is an essential element of overall health. For example, depression and chronic stress can lead to behaviors (e.g., sedentary activity, smoking or overeating) that may increase the risk of developing health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Likewise, chronic illness can heighten the likelihood of depression.
Research has linked hydration status with several mental conditions and functions, such as depression, anxiety, mental acuity (also known as mental "sharpness"), memory and attention. For instance, a study of more than 3,000 Iranian adults observed the association between drinking water and depression. Researchers found that men and women who drank the least amount of water (less than two glasses per day) were at significantly higher risk for depression than those who drank five glasses or more per day. In addition, those with the greatest water intake had lower incidences of depression.
Another study involving U.S. children ages 9 to 11 looked at the effects of drinking low, high or ad libitum (as desired) amounts of water on mental flexibility, or the ability to shift attention. Those who drank high amounts of water (around 10.5 cups per day) had greater mental flexibility. In addition, researchers found that the group instructed to drink ad libitum had similar results to those who drank low amounts of water (around two cups per day), suggesting that children habitually underhydrate.
Lastly, in a small study of college-aged males in China, participants were instructed to abstain from drinking water for 36 hours followed by a rehydration period. The study found that dehydration had negative effects on energy, self-esteem, short-term memory and attention. After rehydration with water, the participants reported improvements in mood, short-term memory, attention and reaction time.
This area of research is still relatively new. The number of studies is limited, but the results suggest that there's an association between hydration status and mental health, including mood and cognitive performance.
The amount of water you should drink each day can vary widely depending on your activity level, exposure to heat and humidity, sex and body size. The bottom line is to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. However, many people find it challenging to remember to hydrate consistently.
To help you take in enough water throughout the day, here are some tips from Jennifer Williams, MPH, a nutrition scientist at Abbott specializing in hydration:
There are several key benefits of drinking water for mental health — not to mention physical health. Making sure you get plenty of fluids every day is one of the best gifts that you can give yourself to support overall health and well-being.
We all know how it feels not to be properly hydrated. From experiencing thirst to feeling sluggish to noticing that you don't need to urinate as frequently as usual, it's clear that being dehydrated can negatively affect how we feel and move through the day.
While drinking enough fluid is key to helping us feel our best, less of a focus is placed on the importance of cellular hydration, or having enough fluid in the cells to allow them to do their job. But what is hydration when it comes to cells, and why is hydration important on a cellular level?
When struggling to stay alert, a cup of coffee, energy drink or candy bar may seem like quick-fix, energy-boosting foods, but there's a little more to it.
Let's start with what energy actually means. Energy refers to both a sense of energetic alertness and the physical energy stored in calories.
NUTRITION IS THE FOUNDATION FOR LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE. THAT’S WHY WE WORK HARD TO ADVANCE AND SHARE THE LATEST SCIENCE AND CREATE BETTER WAYS TO NOURISH YOUR BODY AT EVERY STAGE OF LIFE.
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