Mood Disorders can be triggered by Dehydration

When it comes to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and no passion to accomplish activities that must be resolved, you need to be aware. It could be an early symptom of dehydration, namely the lack of body fluids. Mild dehydration can affect performance, cognitive ability, and mood swings.

Research conducted specialists hydration and kinesiology University of Connecticut, United States, Lawrence E Armstrong, and specialists of neurokognity from the Institute of Environmental Medicine, U.S. Army Research Center in Natick, Massachusetts, Harris R Lieberman, last year, showed mild dehydration can reduce the ability to think , concentrating, ability to remember, until stimulate the emotions that disturb a mood.

Lecturer Department of Nutritional Sciences Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia and member of the Indonesian Medical Association Physician Nutrition, Saptawati Bardosono, some time ago, revealed the impact of dehydration on cognitive performance and mood swings are more prone to women than men.

When the body fluids are reduced 1.3 percent, cognitive and mood swings disorders have occurred in women. In this condition, women became more tired, irritable, confusion, drowsiness, loss of concentration, dizziness, and difficulty in completing the task.

For men, mood disorders occur when the body hydrated to 1.5 percent. "Women are more susceptible to dehydration because it has a higher fat composition than men. The men have a higher muscle composition. In addition, the water component in women is lower and there are hormonal factors that make them more sensitive to lack of fluids, "says clinical nutrition specialist and a professor of the Department of Nutritional Sciences Faculty of medicine, Luciana B Sutanto.

The percentage dehydration rate equal to the percentage weight loss. Dehydration of 1 percent is comparable with jogging on the treadmill for 40 minutes. The dehydration of 2 percent is comparable with 2 x 40 minute jogging on the treadmill, and so on.

Decreased levels of concentration and mood disorders also appear in those who fasted for 23 hours drinking. Lack of body fluids also cause excessive anxiety and declining morale move

Signs of dehydration
Saptawati say, the most easy to recognize the signs of mild to moderate dehydration are dry mouth and sticky, dry eyes, muscle weakness, headache, and dizziness or glare when viewing rays.
It can also be seen from the number and color of urine is expelled. The less urine is issued, the higher potential for dehydration. More and intense yellow color of urine is issued, without the consumption of drugs or certain foods, and then the lack of fluid is getting worse.

Symptoms of severe dehydration is shown by severe thirst, very sleepy and confused, the body does not sweat, dry skin and its elasticity decreases. Other signs are sunken eyes, chills, low blood pressure, rapid pulse, until loss of awareness.

The greater level of dehydration, the more fatal implications, even deadly. "Worse, a third of people misinterpret 'thirst' which perceived, as hunger," said Saptawati. When you feel dizzy, people tend to look for food, not drink immediately.

The role of water
Water is a substance that is essential for the body because 70 percent of our body is water. Functions of water in the body is as a regulator of body temperature, moisten the mouth, eyes and nose, lubricating joints, and protects organs and tissues.

The presence of water helped to relieve the workload of the kidneys and liver by dissolving the residual of metabolism, prevents constipation, helps dissolve minerals and nutrients that the body can be utilized and bring nutrients and oxygen to the cells.

Lack of fluid intake implies an increased risk of various diseases, such as kidney stones and urinary tract infections, cancer of the colon and urinary tract, obesity in children and adolescents, high blood pressure (hypertension), blockage of veins, up to coronary heart disease.

Luciana said, oozing from the body can occur with the unconscious, such as through urine and feces, or unconsciously through the breath and sweat. The average amount of water released adult humans as much as 2200-2700 milliliter (ml). The largest number came from 1200-1500 ml of urine and sweat as much as 500-600 ml.

Number of water that comes out of the body is strongly influenced by age, gender, body surface area, temperature and humidity environment, physical activity or exercise, and illness. Water requirements are highest in the age group 25-55 years, reaching 35 ml per kilogram of body weight. That is someone who was 30 years old and weighs 60 kilograms, and then the water needs per day reached 2100 ml or the equivalent of 8-10 glasses of starfruit.

Their greater weight, higher than the water in the lean. For those who are younger or older than 55 years, needs less water. Water intake can be obtained through the drinks and food, especially which fibrous and watery. Actually the body's metabolism also produces water, but the amount is very small, 11-14 percent of total water demand. This deficiency should be supplied from the drinks and food.

So in conclusion, mood disorders can be triggered by an imbalance of fluids in the body. We can prevent mood disorders by taking care of our body from dehydration. And learn also how mood disorders can be triggered by deficiency of vitamin D.