This Simple Daily Habit Could Help Reduce Stress (And Boost Energy, Focus & Mood)

Researchers split participants into two groups: people who drank around 2L a day, and another who drank less than 1.5L. Both groups took part in a simulated 'stress test' (like a job interview).

All participants felt some nerves and had an increased heart rate during the test, but only the under-hydrated group had a major spike in cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone.

In other words, their bodies went into 'fight or flight' mode... just because they were a bit dehydrated.

Dr. Kashi explains that when your body senses even mild dehydration, it releases a hormone called vasopressin which helps your body hold on to water.

But it also signals your brain’s stress centre (the hypothalamus) to release more cortisol.

"Anxiety often presents with a sensation of the heart racing and sometimes feeling weak or light headed," Sharon Green, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center says.

"Dehydration causes the heart to beat faster to pump the blood through the body because the volume of blood is decreased. The brain can perceive this rapid heart rate as an 'anxious' signal."

When this happens, “the brain is recognising dehydration as a threat,” says Hillary Ammon, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety & Women’s Emotional Wellness.

In short, dehydration tricks your body into thinking it’s under threat; and that raises stress levels, heart rate, and fatigue even on calm days.