Effects of Changes in Water Intake on Mood of High and Low Drinkers

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of a change in water intake on mood and sensation in 22 habitual high-volume (HIGH; 2-4 L/d) and 30 low-volume (LOW; <1.2 L/d) drinkers who were asked to respectively decrease and increase their daily water intake.MethodDuring baseline HIGH consumed 2.5 L and LOW 1 L of water/day. During 3 controlled intervention days HIGH's water intake was restricted to 1 L/day whereas LOW's was increased to 2.5 L water/day. Several mood scales (Bond & Lader Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Profile of Mood States, Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Thirst & Emotional VAS) were administered at different time points during the study. ANOVA including intervention, time point and intervention by time point as fixed effects on mean values (i.e.; baseline data vs. mean of 3 intervention days) for each mood scale was performed.ResultsAt baseline HIGH and LOW were comparable in mood state, except for thirst scores (estimate = 17.16, p<0.001) and POMS depression-dejection scores (estimate = 0.55, p<0.05) which were both higher in the HIGH vs. LOW. In HIGH the restricted water intake resulted in a significant increase in thirst (p<0.001) and a decrease in contentedness (p<0.05), calmness (p<0.01), positive emotions (p<0.05) and vigor/activity (p<0.001). In LOW, increased water consumption resulted in a significant decrease in fatigue/inertia (p<0.001), confusion/bewilderment (p = 0.05) and thirst (p<0.001) and a trend to lower sleepiness (p = 0.07) compared to baseline.ConclusionIncreasing water intake has beneficial effects in LOW, especially sleep/wake feelings, whereas decreasing water intake has detrimental effects on HIGH's mood. These deleterious effects in HIGH were observed in some sleep/wake moods as well as calmness, satisfaction and positive emotions.

Association Between Amount of Water Intake and Quality of Sleep in Adults - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“…Increased water intake may result in decreased sleep during the day; which in turn lead to better sleep at night. This finding is supported by previous studies that showed a positive effect of water consumption on alertness (42,65,66).…”

“…More active adults living in a warm environment have daily water needs of about 6 L (36). Mild dehydration was reported to increase fatigue, decreased activity, and was associated with sleepiness (37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42).…”

Habitual total water intake and dimensions of mood in healthy young women

“…Interestingly, two previous investigations found no influence of water intake on mood state (Edmonds, Crombie, Ballieux, et al, 2013;; these findings might have resulted due to the small bolus (165 mL; Edmonds, Crombie, Ballieux, et al, 2013) and large range of consumed water volumes (125-2500 mL ;, or due to the sensitivity of the Visual Analog Scale used to evaluate mood. One publication to our knowledge investigated habitual TWI followed by controlled TWI manipulation on mood state (Pross et al, 2014). Contrary to our findings, these authors noted HIGH expressed greater Depression than LOW at baseline; however, these results might be influenced by (1) the six day inpatient experience where activities were restricted, and (2) differential impacts of water intake on mood between males and females, as HIGH included only females in the present study.…”

Effects of Dehydration on Brain Functioning: A Life-Span Perspective

“…This conclusion led to a more realistic experimental design in which subtle changes of hydration status were induced. In this study, habitual high-volume ( ≥ 2 L/day) and low-volume (<1.2 L/day) drinkers were asked to respectively decrease (i.e., to 1 L per day) and increase (i.e., to 2.5 L per day) their daily water intake during 3 controlled intervention days [15] . The effects of these changes in habitual water intake were measured on mood and sensations at several time points during the day.…”