Dehydration Could Make Your Mood Worse, Study Shows

Jennifer Aniston made a comment last year that she "gets cranky" when she doesn't drink enough water, the Arizona Republic reported. And now a new study shows that there may be some science behind it.

A new, small study of 25 women suggests that being dehydrated can take a toll on women's mood and cognitive function.

In the study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that dehydration was a key factor in causing headaches, loss of focus, fatigue and low mood while exercising and resting, TIME reported.

TIME also pointed out that the women in the study weren't severely dehydrated -- just about 1 percent lower than their optimal hydration levels.

In 2009, a study conducted by Tufts University researchers showed that dehydration leads to fatigue, confusion and a negative mood among young female athletes.

The U.S. Agricultural Research Service, which helped to support that study, explained in a release:

The level of mild dehydration (losses of between 1 percent and 2 percent) experienced among participants in the study could be compared to the mild dehydration some people experience in their daily lives from drinking insufficient amounts of water, according to authors.

The research just adds to the evidence that drinking enough water is good for our bodies. Being properly hydrated keeps our body temps regulated and our tissues moist, aids in digestion and helps to remove waste, Everyday Health reported.

Comments

[LuanneCrawford]

10:33 PM on 06/20/2012

Its amazing how just slight dehydration can cause lethargy, interfere with mood and mental clarity. So glad to find this research. Thank you!

[jf12]

11:44 AM on 01/24/2012

Voluntary dehydration is still poorly understood today, about a century after the first government sponsored research.

[sandracknox]

11:08 PM on 01/23/2012

I've been saying this forever. I often tell my friends, kids and acquaintances that H2O is the best anti-depressant in the world. Tap water works better and faster than bottled water. Even if you drink bottled water most of the time, try to drink at least 8-12 ounces of tap water, at room temperature, before you go to bed. If only I'd known that someone was getting paid to conduct a "study" on this common sense practice!!

[Charles Malone]

10:49 PM on 01/23/2012

i know people that refuse to drink water and they think they are doing the right thing

[tonihoustn]

08:48 AM on 01/23/2012

I know I get migraines when I get dehydrated. 64 oz is not a magic number, but it seems to be a no brainer - if you only drink a little a day ( and not just water, but maybe just coffe and juice in the morning, a soda at lunch, and ? at dinner), try drinking more and see if you notice a difference. Maybe every trip to the bathroom - add a cup of water - input - output. If you are only slightly dehydrated, you relly might not know it, and think that how you feel is "normal" . Tap water is free, and a little bit more certainly won't hurt you.

[beth24]

02:29 AM on 01/23/2012

yes but now because women dont demand birth control and contraception and sterilization after one or two childbirths there is now 7 billion on the planet and there is not enough fresh clean water for any of us..gee thanks women (and men) for creating this global disaster

[Dubagee]

11:34 PM on 01/22/2012

Well give me a glass of water! :P

www.gigieatscelebrities.com

[mrlecher]

04:38 PM on 01/22/2012

As I have always been told... Drink until you pee clear.

[Agnes Pillsbury]

01:29 PM on 01/22/2012

This article ponsored by Depends!

[Agnes Pillsbury]

01:31 PM on 01/22/2012

sponsored, even

[arewethereyet50]

10:14 AM on 01/22/2012

I believe this!

I was having serious issues with focus and memory. After reading an article such as this, I decided to do an experiment. At the time I was working at a job where you had to look at an estimate, then issue a check for that amount of money. Sometimes with a deductible, so that was another set of numbers to remember.

The first week I made no changes. I would have to write down the number, then read it while typing it into the check. No matter what tricks I did, I could not remember those numbers.

The second week I put out 4 16 oz bottles of water. At first I had to gag it down, but I was set to do this experiment hell or high water (pun intended) After just 3 days I did not have to write the number down on most of the claims. I never had to recheck the deductible-but those are easy..500.00 instead of 541.12.

The only change to my lifestyle was drinking water. Period.

I am completely convinced it helps with memory, focus and attention. It makes sense that mood would come into play also.

AWTY

[Becbinky]

11:40 PM on 01/21/2012

I didn't need a study to tell me this! LOL I have noticed for years that kids get very cranky when they need water. Adults are no different. Once I give my kids water if they are cranky or fussy they settle down within minutes.

[invertedarcher]

10:13 PM on 01/21/2012

LOL...
I'm ALWAYS dehydrated -- I drink about 8 ounces of water per day, always -- and I never have headaches, and I never get sick.
Go figure.

[tlpfliger]

12:31 PM on 01/22/2012

...8 ozs???? don't drown yourself...you're definitely living on the edge!

[michaelc2b]

10:12 PM on 01/21/2012

I have been trying to drink more water because I know how important it is. It is very hard for me because I just don't like water that much. I have tried the flavored and all kinds of different kinds, but I ended up settling for the water that is treated by distillation and reverse osmosis with minerals added back for taste. It's funny - if you read the fine print on some of the bottles of expensive water you might read something like "____ County Water Supply". In other words, you are paying lots of money for tap water from another city than your own! For me, tap water from anywhere is out of the question. Anyway, I am trying, but water just seems to sit on my stomach like a cold rock. Only time it tastes good is if I have been outside sweating and am very hot. Will keep trying though.

[beth24]

02:30 AM on 01/23/2012

feel the same way but i believe i am paying for my dehydration..

[mem60]

09:25 PM on 01/23/2012

I was really getting into those flavor enhancing drops like MIO that were so handy and really encouraged me to like water again. For me, it was OK for a while until a developed a nasty side-effect of the two main sweetners--one being the same as in Splenda. I stopped using them and within a week the side-effect stopped, but, found that making a cocktail of any kind of juice and 1/3 ~ 1/2 water in a tall glass was the best way to indulge my craving for juices and enjoy water again. I buy those big 2.5gl bottles with a spout and love keeping it cold and fresh in the fridge.
It took me eons to once again actually like water.

[Scholastica8]

02:03 PM on 01/21/2012

Hint:

Drink water when you first feel thirsty or hungry. It's that simple. there are no 8 glasses a day or 64 oz a day rule. Hunger is sometimes a symptom of actually needing water. Also, if you have a little dizziness.... drink.

Have sense... if you are working hard or exercising hard, drink more.

It's not rocket science.

Not complicated.

[Becbinky]

11:42 PM on 01/21/2012

You and I are on the same page!! LOl

[tlpfliger]

12:33 PM on 01/22/2012

you, him and me are from the same book!

[rosielaf]

01:07 AM on 01/21/2012

Interesting. I've read much about the effects of dehydration in 'You're not sick, You are Thirsty.' It made me revise my water intake.