A natural and simple way of reducing stress
Stress has become an integral part of our everyday lives, and dealing with all the responsibilities and deadlines we have to face is no easy task. Stress is affecting our psychophysical condition, relations with other people, and it deteriorates the overall quality of life. One of the ways of reducing stress and helping yourself feel better in the moment is by – drinking a glass of water.
Of course, water cannot solve all your problems, but it can help you to stop for a moment and take some time to yourself, thus preventing additional stress building up in your body due to dehydration. When you are stressed out, it’s easy to forget about sufficient water intake, and it turns out that insufficient amounts of water increase the levels of stress hormones in our bodies. And so you quickly find yourself in a vicious circle, which can fortunately be easily broken by drinking a glass of water.
The brain cannot function normally if the body is not adequately hydrated, because water contributes to normal cognitive function which includes concentration, perception, judgement and inference. There is also the link between adequate water intake and mood… the adequate daily water intake for a healthy adult person with a sedentary lifestyle living in moderate ambient temperature conditions should range from approximately 1.6 to 2 litres (8–10 200 ml glasses) of water. With increased physical activities and higher ambient temperatures these needs are further increased.
A practical tool that you can use to test if you are hydrated enough is the colour of your urine. When you’re adequately hydrated its colour is light yellow (if it’s completely clear it may indicate you are exaggerating with water intake, which means you’re also “flushing” the minerals out of your body), while darker shades of urine indicate the need for greater water intake. Keep in mind that by drinking mineral-rich natural mineral water you provide your body with both water and naturally dissolved minerals.
In any event, be mindful of the adequate daily water intake, and give your body a good basis for overcoming stressful situations.