How mild dehydration drains your energy, focus and mood

When you’re busy or running on empty, the basics are usually the first thing to go. Like drinking enough water. That’s why I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking my glasses of water standing at the kitchen sink. Not idyllic but super practical. Because when I bring the glass with me into my office, chances are I will take a few sips, lose myself in the task at hand and forget to drink the rest.

Over the years I’ve learned a lot about water, when to drink it and optimizing its quality. Today I’m sharing my best practices with you so that you can support both your long-term health as well as your short-term productivity and energy level.

Water impacts more than you think

Water is even more important than you might realize. We all know we can’t survive long without water—but are you aware how much it can impact your ability to focus or remember things?

This Cambridge study showed that mild dehydration (1-2%) lowered vigilance and working memory, and increased tension/anxiety and fatigue in young men.

Not helpful to do your best work. 😉 And it gets worse.

“In conclusion, degraded mood, increased perception of task difficulty, lower concentration, and headache symptoms resulted from 1.36% dehydration in females. Increased emphasis on optimal hydration is warranted, especially during and after moderate exercise.” The Journal of Nutrition

“A mere 2 percent drop in body water can trigger fuzzy, short term-memory trouble with basic match problems and result in difficulty focusing on the computer screen or printed page.” —Andreas Moritz

The dangers of dehydration take on new meaning when you keep this in mind. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or have trouble remembering things, that might point to more than stress or a full schedule—dehydration might be an additional factor. And luckily it’s very easy to fix!

Begin your day with water

I start with a large glass of warm water. I know this sounds dreadful to most people, but I assure you it’s great. Why warm water? Because the body more easily processes liquids at body temperature.

A morning glass of water replenishes fluids in the body lost through perspiration during the night and supports cleansing the kidneys. Then I drink a second glass of warm water with lemon and a teaspoon of honey (an Ayurvedic practice to clean the bowels).

Then I do my morning exercises, followed by breakfast.

Getting the (surprising) basics right

Many people are underhydrated. I’m often surprised how little water people consume during a day. Especially when the impact of dehydration is huge on your health and well-being—as well as your ability to function well.

It’s important to keep in mind that often our signal for thirst has weakened to the point we mistake it for hunger—so we eat something instead. Next time you reach for a snack, drink a glass of water first and see if that solves it.

Of course, the quality of the water you drink is crucial. You can find more practical tips on water quality in this article.

Hydration guidelines:

• 6-8 glasses of good quality water per day.
• Drink 30 minutes before your meal and wait 90 minutes after your meal before drinking again—so your body can focus on digesting your food.
• Gradually build up your intake of water when you drink less than 6-8 glasses daily. (If you’re severely dehydrated or have a health condition, seek support from a health professional to safely increase your water intake.)
• Double-check if you’re thirsty instead of hungry.
• Keep in mind that coffee, black tea, soda and alcohol are diuretics—which means dehydrating!

It probably goes without saying that when you’re exercising, ill or during warm weather you’ll need to drink even more than 6-8 glasses daily.

I always carry a bottle of water with me wherever I go. I won’t get into the car without filling a bottle of water first. I have a flask of hot water at my desk and I will drink sips of warm water throughout the day—as all my clients can attest. 😉

These are the basics and I hope you’ll put them into practice to support your body and mind to function well. Next week I’ll share two additional steps you can take to dramatically increase the quality of your water and its ability to properly hydrate you.

PS I’ve kept these tips practical so you can implement them right away. If you’re curious about the reasoning behind any of these tips,  please let me know and I’d be happy to elaborate!

Iris van Ooyen guides people home to themselves. As a life transformation mentor with 20+ years of experience, she offers hope with a compass—helping you find your way back to who you truly are when life’s demands have made you lose touch with yourself. She’s the author of Radiant: How to Have All the Energy You Need to Live a Life You Love. Contact Iris to come home to yourself—and love your life again. 

Follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.