So, it’s a hot day and you’ve forgotten to take a bottle of water with you. Clearly, you’re going to get thirsty. If you go too long without rehydrating, you’ll probably end up with a headache to say the least. But do you realize that’s not the only way dehydration affects your brain?
There’s a substantive body of evidence to suggest that our fluid intake has a profound effect on our mood and cognition. People who drink more water are less likely to experience depression and anxiety (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6147771/). People who don’t drink enough water may be fatigued, unable to think clearly, and more at risk of low moods.
This seems to be true even if the dehydration is mild. If you wait until you’re thirsty to have a drink of water, you’re already starting to feel the effects of dehydration. You should be thinking ahead, pouring yourself a glass regularly regardless of your thirst level, just so you can stay at your best.
It’s not just about how it directly affects your mood. If you’re tired and finding it difficult to concentrate, which are other symptoms of dehydration, it’s going to be harder to focus on the tasks you need to complete. That’s likely to aggravate any depressive symptoms, which in turn can make it even harder to do the things you need to do.
Once your motivation slips, it becomes harder and harder to get it back. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle, where lower mood leads to less achievement, which leads to even lower mood. Other vital activities, such as exercise or preparing healthy and balanced meals, can also fall by the wayside because of the combination of dehydration and depression. That will make your health even worse.
Attention to fluid intake becomes even more important with high-risk groups, like the elderly or the very young. They’re more susceptible to dehydration and less likely to remember to drink regularly. Anyone can underestimate their water needs, however, so everyone needs to pay attention to how much they drink.
Getting enough water isn’t just about your physical health. It has a vital impact on your mental wellbeing, including cognition and mood. It’s not only on hot days or after exercise that you need to think about this; every day, you need to be stopping to make sure you’re drinking enough to stay sharp.
