Water Quality: The Impact of Drinking Water On Mental Health

Water is a necessity. You use it for personal hygiene and daily household chores. But the essential purpose of water is to keep your body in good condition. On average, your body is made up of 70% water. Hence, maintaining this fundamental element is crucial to your health.

Drinking water is mostly associated with physical health. However, it also has a significant effect on mental health. If you are experiencing an atypical change in your mood or any emotional breakdown, drinking water is one of the factors you can look into.

This article highlights the importance of drinking water and how it can affect your mind.

Relationship Between Water and Mental Health

Dehydration is linked to mental health conditions. Those with mental health problems easily become dehydrated without realizing it.

People with mental health issues may report increased appetites. While it is one of the symptoms of mental illnesses, increased appetite is also an indicator of dehydration. In other words, water plays a significant role in your mental state.

According to one study published in the World Journal of Psychiatry, drinking five or more glasses of water daily was associated with a lower risk of depression. In another study, they found out that people who drank 2.4 liters a day or more tend to be happier and more positive.

Therefore, you need water to keep yourself hydrated and sound. But how does it specifically affect your mental health?

Three Ways Water Impacts Mental Health

Water can affect your mental health in three significant ways. It can affect your circulation, mood, and cognition.

Your body becomes dehydrated when you do not intake water as rapidly as you release it. The neurons of your brain have already detected dehydration prior to physical symptoms causing slow circulation. It means less oxygen is traveling in your brain and other parts of your body.

Slow circulation influences your energy level and, in turn, affects your mood. When you are dehydrated, your body starts to trigger specific areas of your brain. They can heighten certain emotions, such as making you feel more anxious or nervous.

Because a lack of water can lower your energy to the point of fatigue, it also has an immediate impact on your cognitive functions. Dehydration can focus your brain’s attention to its adverse effects. Thus, you will struggle to concentrate on other things, which can decrease your ability to remember and think critically.

Dehydration can impair your mental health without you realizing it. When you don’t have enough water in your body, the chemical processes in your brain will be disrupted. The production of your brain chemicals, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid), may either increase or decrease. These chemicals are significant in your overall mental and emotional wellbeing.

But keep in mind that staying hydrated is just one of the many healthy habits you can apply in your daily life. Combining it with exercise, a healthy diet, and other helpful practices may help you achieve better mental health.

Water Quality Also Matters

It is not only the number of glasses that counts. The quality of your water is essential as well. Proper hydration also includes the kind of water you drink.

What is the content of your water? Basic chemistry taught you that water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen. But other than that, water contains critical elements that may affect your body and health.

All potential sources of water carry some level of contamination. Contaminants such as chlorine, pesticides, bacteria, and arsenic can be present in your drinking water. They may not cause immediate sickness but are more likely to cause chronic health effects. These effects may occur long after repeated exposure to little amounts of contaminants.

Chowdhury and colleagues investigated how drinking arsenic-contaminated water affects mental health. They found out that suffering from an arsenicosis symptom is strongly negatively related to mental health. Drinking arsenic-contaminated water affects certain brain functions and directly increases the likelihood of depression. Aside from that, individuals may start worrying about their health, future, or family.

To prevent the adverse effects of drinking water in your body, keeping your water clean and safe is necessary. House water filter is one solution to ensure the cleanliness of your drinking water. If you want to assure the quality of your water, you can try any product of zero water filter. Visit their website to learn more about their products.

Takeaway

People often take their mental health for granted without realizing its effects on their overall wellbeing. It is vital to protect it the same way you take good care of your physical health. Increasing enough water intake is just one of the many ways you can improve your mental health.