Dehydration may lead to increased feelings of anxiety and depression, as well as other symptoms. Monitoring your water intake and other tips may help you stay hydrated.
Drinking lots of water improves your physical health in all sorts of ways.
A steady supply of water keeps your circulation flowing smoothly, aids with digestion and weight loss, eases joint movement, and helps your body absorb the nutrients in your food, just to name a few benefits.
Read on to learn more about dehydration’s connection to anxiety, symptoms of dehydration, and hydration strategies to help boost your water intake.
In many studies, the effect of dehydration on anxiety levels was mild but significant. But more research is needed to better understand the effects of hydration on mood, mental health, and thinking abilities.
Lower risk of anxiety and depression
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Though the connection between dehydration and depression was stronger, researchers found that anxiety was higher in those who didn’t drink enough water.
Mood improves with more water intake
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They found that people who usually drink lots of water felt less calm, less content, and more tense when their water intake dropped.
When researchers increased the participants’ water intake, people in the study felt happier, no matter how much water they normally drank.
Tension and disease increase with dehydration
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A 2020 review of studies states that there are significant links between not drinking enough water and an increased risk of developing diabetes, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, abdominal obesity, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death, hypertension, and kidney disease.
That same review notes that there are five ways that people can help prevent these diseases and conditions:
- Eat foods with high water content.
- Make a conscious effort to drink more water and beverages.
- Self-assess hydration status throughout the day.
- Reduce dietary osmolar load (e.g., too much protein and sodium can lead to a higher osmolar load).
- Avoid overdrinking.
What about adding electrolytes?
If dehydration is affecting your mood, should you opt for plain water or water enhanced with electrolytes to regain a sense of calm?
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The results? Water with electrolytes may prevent anxiety at best, but researchers noted that the placebo effect may explain this connection.
Yes. The amount of water you drink can influence other aspects of your mood besides anxiety. Multiple studies have found a link between drinking water and these mental health states:
- depression
- confusion
- fatigue
It’s also possible that your water intake could influence your sleep. Research on this subject is mixed, but at least
Got test anxiety?
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Researchers have noted that water has the same positive visual attention effect on children.
Increased anxiety is one of many indications you’re not getting enough water. Here are some ways to tell if you’re dehydrated:
- thirst
- dry mouth
- skin changes, including dryness, redness, or loss of elasticity
- dark yellow urine
- constipation
- higher blood pressure
- fast heart rate
- sleepiness or fatigue
- headache or nausea
Signs of dehydration in children
When it comes to children, there are a few indications that dehydration may be severe. If you notice these symptoms in a child in your care, seek medical attention right away:
- fussiness
- lethargy
- dry diapers
- crying without tears
It’s a common recommendation to drink 8 glasses of water daily, but there’s little evidence to support this. Some recent recommendations suggest 13 cups of water per day for men and 9 for women.
However, the amount varies depending on your age, activity levels, climate, and how much water you normally consume through foods like fruits and vegetables.
- Keep water close: Taking your own water bottle with you to work, to the gym, or on errands is a steady reminder to drink up.
- Set alarms: Using apps and alarms to remind yourself to drink water is an easy way to keep up with daily intake, especially if you’re working to develop the habit.
- Monitor your intake: Check your hydration benchmarks at key points throughout the day — maybe just before mealtimes. Waiting until the end of the day to evaluate your intake may not leave enough time to correct a water imbalance.
- Eat water-rich fruits and vegetables: Up to 20% of your daily water consumption could come through the foods you eat, so including fruits and vegetables that are high in water content could help keep you hydrated.
- Aim to finish early: To avoid sleep-depriving bathroom trips, make sure you’ve met your water goals well before it’s time to turn in.
Keeping yourself hydrated may be one simple way to reduce anxiety in your life. Researchers have found a connection between anxiety and dehydration, though more research needs to be done to understand the relationship between the two.
Calculate how much water you should be drinking and keep track of how much you actually drink to ensure you’re hydrated enough to prevent a decline in your mood.
You can take water with you as you move through your day to make it easier to build that hydration habit.
Drinking plenty of water will help keep you in good physical and mental shape, so it’s important to make hydration part of your overall self-care commitment.