Series: Stress – Water: A Serious look at how much you should be drinking…
You may be wondering what water has to do with stress. Well, it turns out that multiple studies have shown that dehydration leads to increased cortisol levels. Cortisol is your “fight-or-flight” hormone and plays an important role in your metabolism, your body’s immune response, and your body’s response to stress.
Additionally, mild dehydration can cause negative side effects, such as decreased physical and mental performance. Symptoms include fatigue, and reduced attention, focus, reaction speed and short-term memory. This is because dehydration literally stresses out your body, and then when you add extra stress from work and life responsibilities, it dehydrates your body even more. It’s a vicious cycle to get stuck in!
The most common recommendation from health experts is to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. This equates to about 2 liters or a half a gallon. However, it is not recommended to chug all of your water at one time—it’s best to drink water continuously throughout the day. And again, this is a general recommendation, as is eating 2,000 calories in a day. Some adults need more and some need less.
When it comes to water, both your lifestyle and the climate you live in have significant impact on how much you really need. Consider the following factors when determining your water intake:
- Your location. If you live in hot, humid, dry, or high-altitude areas, you will need to drink more water. This may change depending on the season and if you spend your time outside or inside.
- Your diet. If you consume a lot of coffee or other caffeinated beverages, or eat a lot of salty, spicy or sugary foods, you will need to drink more water. However, if your diet is made up of mostly fruits and vegetables, then you may be able to drink less water throughout the day.
- Your activity-level. Those who exercise, walk or stand a lot during the day will need more water than someone who sits at a desk.
- Your health. When you are sick, have a health condition like diabetes, or take medications that cause you to lose water, you will need to drink more water to replace what you lose. Additionally, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you will need to drink more to stay hydrated.
If you struggle to consume enough water throughout the day, try out the following tips:
- Keep a glass of water on your nightstand. Most of us wake up dehydrated. Start your day off right with a glass of water.
- Carry water with you at all times. Many people like to keep an insulated sports bottle that they can refill throughout the day. Others carry around labeled jugs with timed water consumption goals on them.
- Sip your stress away. If there are certain parts of your day that feel extra stressful, such as at work or in traffic, make sure you have water with you and make a conscious effort to drink it.
So, the next time you need to recover from a stressful day, sit back, relax, and sip on a glass of water!