Are you feeling anxious? Then a glass of water is all you need to naturally settle down and ease anxiety. Many people experience overwhelming sensations of tension, uneasiness, and panic at some point in their lives. An estimated 3.2 million Australians suffer from anxiety-related disorders, with the most recent increases seen in those aged 15 to 24.
The expanding area of nutritional psychiatry investigates the effects of meals and beverages on human mental health. Despite making up 60-80% of the human body, water is frequently overlooked as an important nutrient. A recent tweet from federal health officials suggesting that water could help reduce anxiety was met with some scepticism online. In fact, data suggests that water and hydration can help avoid and manage anxiety symptoms.
What Does The Research Say?
On a hot summer day, we all appreciate the refreshing sensation that a cold drink of water brings. Our bodies are expertly engineered to notify us when it is time to rehydrate. We may also be fueling our brains. Several years ago, a group of researchers conducted a review of the various ways hydration affects health. The results were encouraging. Dehydration was found to increase negative emotions such as rage, aggressiveness, bewilderment, tension, as well as weariness. One study indicated that mild dehydration enhanced participants' perceptions of tension, anxiety, and weariness.
Researchers discovered that those who drink a lot of water feel less tranquil. When people who normally drink a lot of water drink less, they feel less peaceful, less satisfied, and more stressed. People in the study felt happier when researchers boosted their water intake, regardless of how much water they regularly drank.
Another major study discovered that persons who drank five glasses of water or more per day had a lower incidence of depression and anxiety. On the other hand, consuming less than two cups daily doubles the risk. Researchers have discovered that water with electrolytes may reduce anxiety better than plain water, but because trial participants knew when they were given the electrolyte drink, it was emphasised that the placebo effect might explain this connection. Dehydration and anxiety are linked in youngsters, who are at increased risk of dehydration. Dehydration may also have an impact on how well we sleep. Anxiety can become worse if you don't get enough sleep.
Why Water Is Important For The Brain?
Water is essential to almost every bodily function. Dehydration lowers energy generation in the brain and can modify brain structure, causing the brain to slow down and not operate properly because 75% of brain tissue contains water. At the molecular level, if our water levels are too low, our brain cells cannot function properly, resulting in the brain working harder to execute tasks.
Our cells perceive dehydration as a threat to their life, resulting in anxiety. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger between brain cells) that regulates our emotions and stabilises our moods. We struggle to get the molecules needed to create serotonin into our brains when we are dehydrated. Just half a litre of dehydration may boost the stress hormone cortisol, which has been linked to a variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety.
So, based on current and forthcoming evidence, the government health communication provides some sound guidance. Addressing lifestyle aspects such as water consumption in the context of your total diet, physical activity levels, and sleep are critical foundations that can enhance a person's mental health. And there is evidence that dehydration can have an effect on our mood.
However, it is crucial to recognise that a variety of factors influence an individual's level of anxiety. No single thing is likely to be entirely responsible for relieving such feelings. This is especially true for persons who are feeling substantial anxiety, where merely drinking extra water is unlikely to assist.