The Benefits of Drinking Water for Anxiety, Mood, and More

Your body is mostly water. If you don't get enough water, you don't feel as good as you could physically or mentally. 

I spent 4 years researching and writing a book about the impact of diet on anxiety and specific anti-anxiety foods and supplements. The number one recommendation on my list of anti-anxiety foods is . . . water. 

There are lots of other foods to add to your diet, or subtract from your diet, to help you be more stress resilient and reduce anxiety, but getting enough water is a simple place to start. 

What's in This Post

Disclaimer: This post is NOT intended as medical advice. It is always advised to seek input from personal medical professionals. 

Why is Water Necessary to Your Body?

“60 percent of our bodies is composed of water, 75 percent in our muscles, 85 percent in our brains, it’s like oil to a machine.” -- Dr. Roberta Lee.

All your organs and glands need water.

Water transports biochemicals throughout your body. It moves nutrients to the spots they are needed and moves toxins and reaction leftovers out of your body.

The Benefits of Drinking Water

Water benefits your health, mood, ability to deal with both physical and mental stress, and your longevity. 

Research has shown that even mild dehydration can cause:

1. gastro-intestinal problems,
2. headaches,
3. blood glucose issues, 
4. blood pressure and heart issues, 
5. depression,
6. anxiety,
7. decreased ability to deal with stress,
8. decreased mental alertness and concentration,
9. memory problems, 
10. reduced endurance, 
11. reduced motivation, 
12. fatigue, 
13. impaired sleep, and
14. general ill health. 

Dehydration and Anxiety

If you don’t take in enough water throughout the day, you hamper cellular function and stifle your body’s ability to create neurotransmitters and hormones required to deal with stress.

Dehydration also stresses out your body. That adds to your stressor load and can lead to anxiety symptoms.

Foods Rich in Water

You get about 20% of your water requirement from food. That percentage goes up if you consume more fruits and vegetables. The rest comes more directly from liquids.

Beverages that contain caffeine don’t count towards your water intake because caffeine is a diuretic (it pulls water out through your kidneys).

Soda definitely doesn't count. It's full of negatives. 

Broths in soups and non-diuretic herbal teas do count.

How much water is enough?

The answer to the how much water is enough question varies with your activity level, heat exposure, and body size. A common guideline is the number of ounces that equals half your body weight measured in pounds.

Body weight in pounds divided by 2 = number of ounces water

For example: 150 lbs divided by 2 = 75 oz.

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