We’ve all heard that we need to stay hydrated to keep our bodies functioning properly and that not drinking enough water can have some negative side effects. But it turns out, skimping on your water intake can actually mess with our moods, too, and not in a good way.
According to a study from PLOS One, drinking water is linked to helping us feel awake, alert and even keeping our spirits lifted. Researchers found mood is “significantly affected” based on water intake. They split participants into two groups and after three days, the ones who drank less reported feeling less content, less calm and had “fewer positive emotions,” while the group who downed more water reported feeling the opposite – less tired, better able to concentrate and more positive emotions.
So how much water should we be drinking to help boost our moods? In the study, the group that drank more downed 2.5-liters a day which is about 10.5 cups, and the group that didn’t feel as good only drank one liter a day, or about four cups. Every single body is different and the amount of water we need may not be the same as others, but one calculation offers a guideline. Just divide your body weight in half and drink that number of ounces of water. So if you’re 160 pounds, that would be 80 ounces of water a day, which is about 10 cups.
Source: Eat This, Not That
