How to Tell If Water Deficiency Is
Contributing to Your Anxiety Symptoms
Have you ever felt fatigued and chalked it up to anxiety? If you experience daytime fatigue, mental confusion, or an overactive fight or flight response, water deficiency could be a vital piece in solving the puzzle.
Check out these surprising facts:
Fact: Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue!
Fact: Even a 2% drop in body water can result in mental confusion and fuzzy short-term memory, such as making it difficult to focus on a computer screen or do basic math.
Fact: Lack of water activates the fight or flight response — the body’s built-in survival mechanism that creates physical symptoms such as shallow breathing, trembling, feeling trapped, numbness, rapid heartbeat, stomach upset, and dozens of other sensations that we associate with anxiety. Much of the time these sensations could be your body’s way of trying to get your attention — telling you to drink more water!
Fact: Lack of water can set you up for a habitual fight or flight response and higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. A habitual fight or flight response can lower your immune system and promote a host of stress-related and even life-threatening diseases.
Other Signs of Dehydration
Other signs of dehydration that can occur long before thirst are:
- Headache
- Mental irritation and depression
- Nausea
- Heartburn
- Stomach ache
- Chronic pain
- Low back pain
- Water retention (Ironic but true! The body retains water as a survival technique to compensate for a lack of water intake.)
Nature’s Wonder Drug
Drinking sufficient water is one of the best things you can do for overall health. In addition to helping symptoms we associate with anxiety, studies indicate that it can dramatically reduce pain for up to 80% of sufferers and is associated with a decreased risk of bladder and breast cancers.
Drink Before You're Thirsty
If you’re waiting until you’re thirsty to drink, you’ve already waited too long. Thirst doesn’t kick in until you’re already short on water. Remember, thirst is a late sign of dehydration.
How to Tell If You're Getting Enough
There are two simple ways to tell if you are drinking enough water — track your water intake, and observe your kidneys.
Many experts recommend drinking ½ to 1 ounce of water per day per pound of body weight. A 160-pound person, for example, drinking ½ ounce of water per pound would require a minimum of 80 ounces per day, which is ten 8-ounce glasses.
Of course, this is only an estimate. As the saying goes, “actual mileage will vary.” Experiment and see if that is enough for you. Remember that your water requirements will increase during hot weather, with increased activity or exercise, and if you are sick.
One Bite at a Time
If you haven’t been drinking enough water, that figure might sound like a lot. Remember the way to eat an elephant — one bite at a time. Say your goal is ten 8-ounce glasses. Break down your desired water intake into hourly quantities, for example, approximately one glass per waking hour.
Your kidneys can provide a clue as to whether you are drinking enough water or not. Notice the color of your urine. If it is almost clear or slightly yellow, chances are you’re drinking enough. If your urine is darker, say the color of apple juice, you’re not drinking enough. The reason why your urine color is a good indicator is because if your body is low on water, it tries to conserve it by concentrating it in the urine. If you have enough water (or even too much), the kidneys excrete more water in the urine.
“I Get My Water from Coffee, Alcohol, and Soda.” WRONG!
Do you think that you’re getting enough water from coffee, soda, and alcohol? Do you figure that these beverages fulfill your water quota? After all, they contain water. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
In fact, the opposite is true. Coffee, soda, and alcohol are actually DEHYDRATING fluids. They are worse than drinking nothing at all!
You read that right.
Coffee, soda, and alcohol make things worse. Not only do they cancel out any potential effects of the water contained in them, they also cause you to LOSE MORE water from your body’s reserves!
Watch out for anything containing caffeine or any type of artificial sweetener. Some bottled waters contain artificial sweeteners. To truly hydrate your body, look for water with no additives. The chemicals contained in the additives can trigger fight or flight response reactions (anxiety symptoms).
About Deanne
Deanne Repich - Founder and director of the National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, Inc., is an internationally renowned anxiety educator, teacher, author, and former sufferer who has helped tens of thousands of anxiety sufferers in more than 40 countries to reclaim their lives from anxiety, stress, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, anxiety attacks and social anxiety.
She is the creator of the Conquer Anxiety Success Program, author of more than one hundred articles, and publisher of the Anxiety-Free Living printed Newsletter for anxiety sufferers. She is a Member of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
