The Mental Health Benefits of Drinking Water

It is crucial to know why drinking water is so important – especially when it’s such a basic (and sometimes annoying) task. But, the truth is, drinking water is beneficial for reason’s besides just staying hydrated. It can be an effective tool in helping to alleviate many of the mental health issues we suffer from today. Without further ado, let’s find out why it’s important to drink water for mental health.

Before changing your diet in any way, we always recommend speaking to a doctor or healthcare physician first, but in this blog, we’ll be going over all the mental health benefits of drinking water.

At one point of your life, you’ve heard some of these phrases: “Make sure to drink enough water”, “Water is so good for you”, “How much water should you drink a day?”. There also were some misleading phases, like:

“Drink only when you’re thirsty”, “If you only drink when you’re thirsty, you’re dehydrated”, “Drink a gallon of water a day.”

Before changing your diet in any way, we always recommend speaking to a doctor or healthcare physician first, but in this blog, we’ll be going over all the benefits of drinking water for mental health.

To answer the question on how much water should you drink a day, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:

The first inevitable benefit of drinking water is a Boost in your Energy level. Water helps boost your body’s circulation, sending extra oxygen to your muscles, cells, organs, and brain! Often times, when you’re feeling tired or having mood swings, it might just be because your body needs that extra oxygen!

Drinking water comes in handy, if you’re planning to lose a couple of extra pounds or improve your lifestyle with new and improved workout routine, staying hydrated and drinking lots of water is your answer. Water will naturally help alleviate muscle weakness and keep you from feeling hunger boredom.

Try this ACAC Tip! Try adding strawberries, pineapple, and kiwi to your water for a delicious, summery change to plain water.

You may not know this, but your brain is made up of 73% water! Yes, it’s true. Because of this, it obviously needs large amounts of hydration daily to continue operating at its full potential. Drinking water also helps with circulation, delivering more oxygen to your organs which can help to eliminate brain fog or lethargy that is common when your body is dehydrated.

When your body feels dehydrated, often time the first place you’ll notice it is in your mental wellbeing. Headaches, lethargy, mood swings, depression, and anxiety are all common symptoms of dehydration and can often times clear after eating hydrating foods or drinking a glass of water.

We also want to reiterate that drinking water is not a cure all, but it is a cheap and available option that can definitely help if you’re feeling a bit off around your period or after a workout!

While this benefit isn’t strictly mental per say, it does correlate with how you feel about yourself – a big component of mental health.

When your skin is plump, clear, and hydrated, you often feel a lot better about yourself, leading to less depression, anxiety, or self-conscious thoughts. As skin is your largest organ, it’s important to keep it hydrated so it stays more healthy!

Having mentioned the mental health benefits of drinking water, we have an additional hydration tip:

Getting hydration doesn’t actually have to come from drinking water. While that is a fast delivery medium, you can also get tons of water from these delicious foods:

In this blog post, we explained the most common benefits of drinking water.

At ACAC, we already know you are the best you! We’re just here to give you the tools to show it off!

With expert-led personal training, fun and supportive fitness classes, and amazing post-workout recovery options, we’re here to provide you with everything you’ll need in one place to become the person of your dreams!

Head in to any one of our locations today and try a free 3-day trial! If you love us, Join ACAC and let’s be amazing together!