National Stress Month: How to Use Water to Unwind

What Effect Does Water Have on Stress?

It’s national stress month, and we’re here to tell you exactly how water can have a positive impact on stress.

We all know that hydration is essential to brain function – productivity cannot happen when one is dehydrated or tired. Lack of water can lead to fatigue, headaches and nausea, none of which help when somebody is suffering from stress.

To ensure your body is functioning as best as it can, make sure you’re drinking a recommended 5-8 glasses of water a day. That can be still water, sparkling water, or even boiling water in a herbal or fruit tea. As long as you’re getting your fluids, you’ll help keep dehydration at bay. And, with the help of your Billi tap, it couldn’t be easier.

Ensuring you stay hydrated is absolutely essential to ward off stress. Dehydration leads to spiked cortisol levels – the stress response hormone, and can wear you out quickly leading to a tired, stressed and anxious individual.

The role of work on stress

If you’re suffering from stress, it’s likely that your work life will play a part in that. After all, people spend around roughly 8 hours a day in the workplace.

If you’re responsible for a team of employees, you need to make sure that your workplace is not a stress-inducing environment. By putting your employees’ needs at the forefront of your office design, you can ensure that they stay hydrated, have regular breaks and have easy access to open spaces, fresh water, and maybe even an exercise class or free fruit!

According to forthwithlife, ‘over a third (37%) of British residents feel stressed for at least one full day per week’. This much stress can have a real negative effect on the body. Fatigue, heart problems, and even mental health problems can arise as a result of continual and regular stress. So, what can be done to stop it?

What can water do?

For starters, making sure you’re adequately hydrated is the number one way to help prevent stress, or manage it. As mentioned earlier, dehydration has physical effects which can ultimately create more stress or feelings of illness meaning work and being productive is the last thing on anybody’s mind.

If you’re drinking enough water, great. Let’s think of another way water can help alleviate stress… If you’re already drinking enough of it, why not try swimming in it!

Bupa UK, a leading private healthcare provider, state that swimming boasts a whole host of benefits when it comes to mental health and stress. Swimming is well known for being therapeutic, helping swimmers feel calm, and relaxed when in water.

Supposedly, swimming can help relieve stress more so than any other sport. This is due to the calming feeling of the water, and also the fact that exercise – like swimming, releases endorphins, helping you feel better.

The colour blue has also been suggested to help relieve stress and enhance mental wellbeing. A reason why dentists and doctors sometimes choose blue tones or have fish tanks in their waiting rooms!