Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDehydration and AnxietyDehydration and MoodSymptomsTreatmentHow Much to DrinkBoosting Water IntakePreventing Anxiety
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Dehydration and Anxiety
Dehydration and Mood
Symptoms
Treatment
How Much to Drink
Boosting Water Intake
Preventing Anxiety
Dehydration occurs when you haven’t consumed enough fluids to make up for fluid loss.Symptoms commonly include feeling thirsty and light-headed, having a dry mouth, and urinating less. A lesser-known side effect is that dehydration can lead to anxiety.
Drinking water is beneficial for physical and mental health in many ways, such as aiding digestion, easing joint movement, and even regulating blood pressure and temperature. It also affects mood.
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The Link Between Dehydration and Anxiety
Dehydrationcan causeanxiety, although this tends to be a mild effect that can be resolved with rehydration (restoring fluid). Multiple studies have found that people who are dehydrated experience increased anxiety and tension.
In a study of 188 men, the dehydrated group had a significantly higher anxiety level than the adequately hydrated group.
In an experimental study in which participants were purposefully dehydrated, the dehydrated group had significantly more anxiety than a hydrated control group.
Based on their other results, the researchers theorized that dehydration increases anxiety due to its effects onautonomicadaptation, particularly a reducedheart rate variability(HRV) that occurs during dehydration.
Autonomic adaptation refers to the body’s unconscious processes (like breathing, heart rate, or digestion) and their ability to respond to environmental challenges. HRV is the variation in time between heartbeats and is a signal of cardiovascular fitness and stress levels.
Other Ways Dehydration Can Affect Mood
Dehydration can affect your mood in a variety of ways. This makes sense; 75% of our brain mass is water.
Dehydration can make you feel confused and fatigued.It can also affect your short-term memory and attention.Symptoms, like headaches or dizziness, can also make you feel irritable and have a shorter-than-normal temper.
Signs of Dehydration
Some commonsigns of dehydrationinclude:
If dehydration is more severe, symptoms may include:
Babies and young children who are dehydrated may develop a sunken soft spot on the top of their heads.You may also notice them not crying tears and not wetting their diapers as frequently.
How to Deal With Dehydration and Anxiety
If you think that your anxiety is stemming from dehydration, the best thing to do is rehydrate yourself. Sip fluids slowly, and try to get out of the sun if that’s relevant.
If this is a regular occurrence, use the tips below to boost your water intake.
The amount of time it takes to recover from dehydration depends on how much fluid you lost. Mild to moderate dehydration could take a few hours or up to a day to recover from fully.Severe dehydration may require a hospital visit for intravenous fluids and take up to three days to recover from.
How Much Water Should I Drink Per Day?
According to the Institute of Medicine guidelines, adult males should aim to drink 13 cups daily, and adult females should drink 9 cups daily.Foods provide additional fluids, making the total daily water intake 15.5 cups for men and 11.6 cups for women.
You may need to drink more water if the weather is hot or you’re sweating and physically active. Being sick, particularly running a fever, having diarrhea, or vomiting, can also dehydrate you. It’s important to drink plenty of fluids in those circumstances.
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Tips to Boost Water Intake
Drinking enough water every dayis so important for mood and health, but some people can find it tricky to meet the daily recommendations.
Remember that fluids besides plain water andliquids from your foodcan help keep you hydrated.
Some ways to get yourself to drink more water include:
Tips to Prevent Anxiety
Preventing anxiety is not as simple as drinking enough water, although this will help. Limiting caffeinated and alcoholic drinks and focusing on plain water can be beneficial.
Some ways to prevent or manage anxiety include:
You may also benefit from practicing the 3-3-3 rule for anxiety. This entails identifying three things that you can see, three things you can hear, and three ways to move your body in the moment. Doing this can help bring you back to the present moment and release worries.
Summary
Drinking enough water per day is important for overall physical and mental health.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Health Service.Dehydration.Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390%2Fnu11010070Carretero-Krug A, Úbeda N, Velasco C, et al.Hydration status, body composition, and anxiety status in aeronautical military personnel from Spain: a cross-sectional study.Military Med Res. 2021;8(1):35. doi:10.1186/s40779-021-00327-2Young HA, Cousins A, Johnston S, Fletcher JM, Benton D.Autonomic adaptations mediate the effect of hydration on brain functioning and mood: evidence from two randomized controlled trials.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):16412. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-52775-5Zhang N, Du SM, Zhang JF, Ma GS.Effects of dehydration and rehydration on cognitive performance and mood among male college students in Cangzhou, China: a self-controlled trial.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(11):1891. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph16111891Harvard Medical School.Symptoms of dehydration: what they are and what to do if you experience them.Cleveland Clinic.Dehydration.U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.Dietary reference intakes for electrolytes and water.Seal AD, Colburn AT, Johnson EC, et al.Total water intake guidelines are sufficient for optimal hydration in United States adults.Eur J Nutr. 2023;62(1):221-226. doi: 10.1007/s00394-022-02972-2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About water and healthier drinks.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips and strategies to manage anxiety and stress.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Health Service.Dehydration.Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390%2Fnu11010070Carretero-Krug A, Úbeda N, Velasco C, et al.Hydration status, body composition, and anxiety status in aeronautical military personnel from Spain: a cross-sectional study.Military Med Res. 2021;8(1):35. doi:10.1186/s40779-021-00327-2Young HA, Cousins A, Johnston S, Fletcher JM, Benton D.Autonomic adaptations mediate the effect of hydration on brain functioning and mood: evidence from two randomized controlled trials.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):16412. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-52775-5Zhang N, Du SM, Zhang JF, Ma GS.Effects of dehydration and rehydration on cognitive performance and mood among male college students in Cangzhou, China: a self-controlled trial.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(11):1891. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph16111891Harvard Medical School.Symptoms of dehydration: what they are and what to do if you experience them.Cleveland Clinic.Dehydration.U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.Dietary reference intakes for electrolytes and water.Seal AD, Colburn AT, Johnson EC, et al.Total water intake guidelines are sufficient for optimal hydration in United States adults.Eur J Nutr. 2023;62(1):221-226. doi: 10.1007/s00394-022-02972-2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About water and healthier drinks.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips and strategies to manage anxiety and stress.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Health Service.Dehydration.Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390%2Fnu11010070Carretero-Krug A, Úbeda N, Velasco C, et al.Hydration status, body composition, and anxiety status in aeronautical military personnel from Spain: a cross-sectional study.Military Med Res. 2021;8(1):35. doi:10.1186/s40779-021-00327-2Young HA, Cousins A, Johnston S, Fletcher JM, Benton D.Autonomic adaptations mediate the effect of hydration on brain functioning and mood: evidence from two randomized controlled trials.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):16412. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-52775-5Zhang N, Du SM, Zhang JF, Ma GS.Effects of dehydration and rehydration on cognitive performance and mood among male college students in Cangzhou, China: a self-controlled trial.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(11):1891. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph16111891Harvard Medical School.Symptoms of dehydration: what they are and what to do if you experience them.Cleveland Clinic.Dehydration.U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.Dietary reference intakes for electrolytes and water.Seal AD, Colburn AT, Johnson EC, et al.Total water intake guidelines are sufficient for optimal hydration in United States adults.Eur J Nutr. 2023;62(1):221-226. doi: 10.1007/s00394-022-02972-2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About water and healthier drinks.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips and strategies to manage anxiety and stress.
National Health Service.Dehydration.
Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390%2Fnu11010070
Carretero-Krug A, Úbeda N, Velasco C, et al.Hydration status, body composition, and anxiety status in aeronautical military personnel from Spain: a cross-sectional study.Military Med Res. 2021;8(1):35. doi:10.1186/s40779-021-00327-2
Young HA, Cousins A, Johnston S, Fletcher JM, Benton D.Autonomic adaptations mediate the effect of hydration on brain functioning and mood: evidence from two randomized controlled trials.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):16412. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-52775-5
Zhang N, Du SM, Zhang JF, Ma GS.Effects of dehydration and rehydration on cognitive performance and mood among male college students in Cangzhou, China: a self-controlled trial.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(11):1891. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph16111891
Harvard Medical School.Symptoms of dehydration: what they are and what to do if you experience them.
Cleveland Clinic.Dehydration.
U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.Dietary reference intakes for electrolytes and water.
Seal AD, Colburn AT, Johnson EC, et al.Total water intake guidelines are sufficient for optimal hydration in United States adults.Eur J Nutr. 2023;62(1):221-226. doi: 10.1007/s00394-022-02972-2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About water and healthier drinks.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips and strategies to manage anxiety and stress.
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