Watering Our Mental Health

Our brain signals thirst to our consciousness many times a day. Many of us reach for coffee, soda, tea, and juice as the first defense to quench this thirst. But how many times do we and should we reach for water and how does this affect our cognition? Comprehensive studies on dehydration have shown that even low to mild dehydration can impair our memory, lower our ability to sustain attention, and alter our mood (e.g., confusion, fatigue, and anger). Our brains are made up of about 60% water and as such, our brain needs water to function properly and dehydration could cause a deficiency in this functioning of cognition.

     We all know that we need water and the old adage of 8-10 8-ounce glasses per day is actually still an accurate amount to consume. This being said, many of us don’t drink enough water because we simply don’t like it. There are many products that can help encourage the drinking of water. There are water bottles that infuse fresh fruit and herbs, machines that turn your flat water into a carbonated beverage, and even water bottles that sync with an app on your phone.

Another way to add extra water during the day is to choose foods that are high in water. Some of these include: watermelon, strawberries, zucchini, bell peppers, broth soups, cabbage, grapefruit, and cottage cheese.

Remember that a hydrated brain is an important part of keeping our moods stable and our minds healthy. A gr

Our brain signals thirst to our consciousness many times a day. Many of us reach for coffee, soda, tea, and juice as the first defense to quench this thirst. But how many times do we and should we reach for water and how does this affect our cognition? Comprehensive studies on dehydration have shown that even low to mild dehydration can impair our memory, lower our ability to sustain attention, and alter our mood (e.g., confusion, fatigue, and anger). Our brains are made up of about 60% water and as such, our brain needs water to function properly and dehydration could cause a deficiency in this functioning of cognition.

We all know that we need water and the old adage of 8-10 8-ounce glasses per day is actually still an accurate amount to consume. This being said, many of us don’t drink enough water because we simply don’t like it. There are many products that can help encourage the drinking of water. There are water bottles that infuse fresh fruit and herbs, machines that turn your flat water into a carbonated beverage, and even water bottles that sync with an app on your phone.

Another way to add extra water during the day is to choose foods that are high in water. Some of these include: watermelon, strawberries, zucchini, bell peppers, broth soups, cabbage, grapefruit, and cottage cheese.

Remember that a hydrated brain is an important part of keeping our moods stable and our minds healthy. A great way to start the day is with a large cold glass of water to help wake us up and start our day of health.

For water infused recipes check out https://dailyburn.com/life/recipes/fruit-infused-water-recipes/

Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/

eat way to start the day is with a large cold glass of water to help wake us up and start o

Our brain signals thirst to our consciousness many times a day. Many of us reach for coffee, soda, tea, and juice as the first defense to quench this thirst. But how many times do we and should we reach for water and how does this affect our cognition? Comprehensive studies on dehydration have shown that even low to mild dehydration can impair our memory, lower our ability to sustain attention, and alter our mood (e.g., confusion, fatigue, and anger). Our brains are made up of about 60% water and as such, our brain needs water to function properly and dehydration could cause a deficiency in this functioning of cognition.

We all know that we need water and the old adage of 8-10 8-ounce glasses per day is actually still an accurate amount to consume. This being said, many of us don’t drink enough water because we simply don’t like it. There are many products that can help encourage the drinking of water. There are water bottles that infuse fresh fruit and herbs, machines that turn your flat water into a carbonated beverage, and even water bottles that sync with an app on your phone.

Another way to add extra water during the day is to choose foods that are high in water. Some of these include: watermelon, strawberries, zucchini, bell peppers, broth soups, cabbage, grapefruit, and cottage cheese.

Remember that a hydrated brain is an important part of keeping our moods stable and our minds healthy. A great way to start the day is with a large cold glass of water to help wake us up and start our day of health.

For water infused recipes check out https://dailyburn.com/life/recipes/fruit-infused-water-recipes/

Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/

ur day of health.

For water infused recipes check out https://dailyburn.com/life/recipes/fruit-infused-water-recipes/

 

Written By: Kathryn Chambers

Intern, Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc.

Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/

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