DID you know that being dehydrated can increase anxiety and anxiety symptoms?
Staying 💧hydrated💧 is very important for our health🚶♀️ Many people find it difficult to drink water due to remembering to do it – if they are not used to drinking water. 💧
There are links between hydration and mood – the amount of water consumed can influence some aspects of your mood, not just anxiety but also fatigue, confusion, depression and sleep. Some research found that dehydration in adults had an association with less sleep.
Tension, depression and confusion increases with dehydration.
Mood improves with more water intake. Another study found that people who usually drink lots of water, when this amount decreased, experienced less calm, less content and were more tense. And another study found a lower lower risk of depression and anxiety in people who drank more water,
You may be experiencing increased anxiety from being dehydrated! here are some ways to tell…
- Dry mouth
- thirst
- dry skin, red skin, loss of elasticity of your skin
- urine that is very dark yellow
- fast heart rate
- constipation
- high blood pressure
- fatigue or sleepiness
- nausea or headaches
Here are some water drinking tips
Always have a bottle of water with you.
– Have one next to you at work or at home 🏡
– Take it with you if you go shopping or out, or at meetings
– Take a bottle with you when traveling or driving 🚗
Track your water intake.
– Water tracking apps are free
– Write it in your diary, on a post it note, or note it in your phone 📱
Create reminders⏰
– Regular alarms on your phone
– Regular calendar notifications on your phone 🗓
– Post it notes next to where you normally are 🗒
Don’t like the taste of water? infuse it!
– Add a piece of citrus fruit like lemon, lime or orange to your bottle🍋
– Add some fresh herbs like mint, rosemary or dill 🌿
– Add some cucumber pieces 🥒
– Other fruits that you like such as apple, kiwi, watermelon 🍊🥝
– Berries like blue berries, strawberries, raspberries🍓
– any other fruits of vegetables to improve taste
To help create this new habit, include it with one of your existing regular habits and routines.
– drink a glass of water before answering an email
– Drink a glass of water when you wake up in the morning💧
– Drink a glass of water before you have your coffee ☕
How much water should we all be drinking?
-Generally you would want to aim for about 2 liters per day (8 cups).
Finding something that works for you is the most important thing to help you remember to drink more water.