Beyond the Glass: Understanding Hydration’s Influence on Mood During Menstruation
Are you feeling cranky, irritated, or having trouble focusing lately? Your mood issues may be closely tied to your hydration status.
Over 75% of people don’t get enough fluids daily, and chronic mild dehydration can seriously drag down mood and energy levels. That’s because hydration influences hormone regulation, brain function, and energy production on a cellular level.
In this article, we’ll explore the links between hydration status and mood issues like fatigue, anxiety, and irritability. You’ll learn hydration tips for balancing hormones and bouncing back from dehydration. You can optimize energy, mood, and health by understanding fluid needs during menstruation.
Why We Get Dehydrated During Menstruation?
The hormonal fluctuations of menstruation can lead to mild dehydration in a few key ways.
First, both estrogen and progesterone levels change throughout the menstrual cycle. The drop in these hormones triggers the start of bleeding, but it also affects the body’s fluid regulation. Lower estrogen in particular seems to promote increased water loss through the kidneys.
On top of that, the body can become less responsive to thirst signals during menstruation. So you may not feel thirsty right away, even though your body needs more fluids.
The increase in water loss combined with poor thirst cues makes it easy to become even mildly dehydrated while menstruating. This temporary imbalance is likely an evolutionary adaptation, but being aware of it helps us proactively hydrate.
Dehydration’s Impact on Mood
Dehydration can negatively impact your mood in several ways during your period. Here are some of the most common mood effects:
Fatigue: When you’re dehydrated, you have less energy available for your body’s functions. You may feel more tired and sluggish as a result.
Irritability: Dehydration causes your brain to shrink slightly, which can make the nerves in your brain more sensitive. This can make you feel more impatient, cranky, or short-tempered.
Anxiety: Some research indicates dehydration may stimulate your body’s anxiety response. Feelings of unease, worry, fear, and panic can increase.
Depression: Dehydration has been linked to depressive symptoms. Being dehydrated may cause low moods, sadness, feelings of hopelessness, and lack of motivation.
Brain Fog: When dehydrated, your brain shrinks in size. This compression can make concentration difficult, impair your memory and thinking, and leave you feeling spaced out. Your reaction time may also slow down.
Why Hydration Matters for Mood?
Hydration is incredibly important for mood regulation during menstruation for a few key reasons:
Brain Function
Being dehydrated can negatively impact brain function. Your brain tissue is 85% water, and even mild dehydration of just 1-2% water loss can impair cognition and mood. Hydration is critical for proper neuronal firing in the brain, hormone regulation, and PMS symptom relief.
When dehydrated, you may experience symptoms like brain fog, trouble concentrating, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, and low motivation. Keeping the brain well-hydrated ensures optimal neurotransmitter function for a stable mood and energy.
Hormone Regulation
Fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels during the menstrual cycle influence mood and well-being. Hydration supports healthy hormone function by aiding nutrient absorption, regulating body temperature, and influencing hormone synthesis.
Chronic mild dehydration can disrupt hormonal balance. Drinking enough water improves hormone signaling and can lessen PMS mood swings, anxiety, fatigue, and more.
Premenstrual Syndrome Relief
Many women experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms like cramps, bloating, and breast tenderness. Staying hydrated can provide substantial relief by:
- Keeping you regular and alleviating constipation
- Reducing period cramps and headaches
- Minimizing bloating by flushing out excess sodium
- Providing a sense of fullness to help curb cravings
Proper hydration also dilutes prostaglandins, inflammatory compounds that cause menstrual pain and diarrhea. Overall, hydration optimizes bodily functions involved in regulating mood and minimizing discomfort during your period.
How Much to Drink?
Staying properly hydrated is crucial for regulating mood and energy levels during menstruation. The general recommendation is to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day. However, during menstruation, it’s ideal to increase fluid intake.
Drink an extra 1-2 cups of water daily during your period to make up for fluid lost through bleeding and to prevent dehydration.
Lifestyle Support
While hydration is critical, lifestyle factors like exercise, sleep, and stress management also influence mood. Getting regular exercise helps boost feel-good endorphins and manage stress. Aim for 30 minutes a day of moderate activity like walking, dancing, or yoga. Prioritize high-quality sleep by going to bed and waking up at consistent times.
Try to get 7-9 hours per night. Manage stress through relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or spending time in nature. Reducing stress hormones can improve overall mood. Support your mind and body during your period by adopting healthy lifestyle habits.
When to Seek Help?
Severe PMS symptoms that disrupt your daily life may be a sign of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a more severe form of PMS. While PMS causes physical and mood changes, PMDD causes extreme mood shifts that can be debilitating.
Signs of PMDD include:
- Feelings of hopelessness or sadness
- Extreme irritability and anger
- Anxiety that disrupts daily activities
- Changes in appetite leading to binge eating or food cravings
- Problems with focus and concentration
- Extreme fatigue
- Intense cramps
- Breast tenderness
- Joint or muscle pain
- Insomnia
- Feelings of being overwhelmed
If you are experiencing five or more of these symptoms in the week to two weeks before your period, talk to your doctor. While lifestyle tweaks like hydration, diet, exercise, and stress management can help ease PMS, they may not be enough to overcome PMDD. Your doctor may recommend specific treatment such as antidepressants or birth control pills to regulate hormones and improve symptoms.
Don’t hesitate to seek medical advice if your PMS symptoms are severe enough to significantly limit your day-to-day quality of life. With proper care and treatment, you can find relief.
Staying hydrated is crucial for maintaining a stable mood during menstruation. To summarize:
- Dehydration during menstruation is common due to hormone fluctuations, blood loss, and cravings for salty foods. This can negatively impact mood.
- Getting enough water helps regulate hormones, improves energy levels, reduces headaches, and stabilizes mood swings.
- Drink at least 2 liters of water per day, along with herbal teas and fruits/veggies with high water content. Limit caffeine and alcohol.
- Try using a water bottle or app to track intake. Infuse water with fruit for flavor. Set reminders to drink.
- Practice self-care through rest, meditation, gentle exercise, and social support. Don’t hesitate to seek medical advice if symptoms persist.
The key takeaway is that staying hydrated can make a big difference in how we feel during menstruation. Be kind to your body by drinking plenty of fluids. With some minor adjustments, you can cruise through your cycle with a stable, positive mood.
