A Note From Deanne
A few weeks ago you received your Anxiety Tips article on water deficiency.
A big thank you to one of our readers named Bonnie who started me on the path to researching this topic further after the article was published. As a result of my additional research the main ideas of the article are unchanged -- that many of us do not drink enough water and that water deficiency can trigger physical anxiety symptoms (called fight or flight symptoms).
In today's article I'll share information from the Mayo Clinic to help clarify a few of the ideas about water intake and to help you figure out how much water intake is right for YOU.
Correction: Also, the end of this article includes a correction about caffeinated beverages and how they DO contribute partially toward your water intake. Enjoy!
Dedicated to your success,
Anxiety Tip
Clarifications PLUS New Information
on Water Deficiency
As we talked about a few weeks ago, drinking adequate amounts of water to replenish you is important. Water helps to transport nutrients, flush out toxins, and more. Lack of water can lead to dehydration. Even mild dehydration can trigger a long list of fight or flight reactions that we call anxiety symptoms, such as lack of energy, headaches, and much more.
While it's important to replace the water that we lose, no single formula fits everyone.
How much water is right for you?
Here are two simple ways to help you know:
1) Drink before you feel thirsty. Thirst can be a signal that you are starting to experience mild dehydration, so drink before you feel thirsty.
Keep in mind that as we age our bodies become less able to recognize when we are dehydrated and to send out thirst signals. Drink before you're thirsty to replenish your body.
2) Watch to make sure that your urine is light yellow or almost colorless and that you are urinating about six cups a day.
How Do We Lose Water In Our Bodies, and How Much Do We Lose?
We lose water every day through breathing, sweating, urine, and bowel movements. The goal is to replace that amount by consuming foods and beverages that contain water. On average an adult urinates about 6.3 cups a day, plus almost an additional 4.2 cups are lost through breathing, sweating, and bowel movements.
That equals an average of 10.5 cups a day of water that is lost.
How Do We Get Water Into Our Bodies, and How Much on Average Is Helpful?
That doesn't mean that everyone needs to drink a full 10.5 cups a day though. Why? The food we eat contains water and supplies on average 20% of our fluid intake.
With that in mind, drinking a little more than eight glasses (one glass equals one cup of fluid) is enough for most people following a normal diet.
Of course, you'll want to keep in mind that mileage varies depending on several factors that can affect your water needs. For example, if you exercise a lot; live in a warm climate; or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you'll want to drink more water than average. It is also possible, although rare, to drink too much water.
Beverages Beyond Water DO Count
Milk and juice are made up mostly of water and count toward your total water consumption.
Correction: In the previous newsletter I stated that because of the diuretic effect of caffeinated beverages, they did not count toward your total water intake. Upon further investigation (thanks, Bonnie) several research studies show that water from coffee, tea, and caffeinated soda DOES count partially toward our water intake even though it's not a good idea for caffeinated beverages to be a major part of what you consume on a daily basis.
Some experts estimate that we retain half to two-thirds of the water content from caffeinated beverages. However, I would still recommend moderation or that you consider avoiding caffeinated beverages altogether because caffeine can trigger fight or flight symptoms in anxiety sufferers.
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.
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