This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Ever feel like everyone and everything is the absolute worst? It’s not your fault. Just this once, we’re letting your spouse, your boss, your kids, and that complete idiot in the Target parking lot off the hook. Your bad mood, racing thoughts, or out-of-the-blue exhaustion could be your brain’s thirsty cry for help. Luckily, you can part the mental clouds and boost your sunny mood by drinking a glass of water.
Studies show that even slight dehydration can leave healthy women feeling aggressive and depressed. Long story short, not drinking enough water really messes with your hormones. It pumps up the stress hormone cortisol and dampens the serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine that help you chill. So is it a surprise that the little fight-or-flight voice in your head is telling you to start a street brawl with the Amazon delivery driver?
Grab a Blueberry Hibiscus Topo Chico and huddle up: Drinking enough water keeps you from accidentally starring on one of those true crime documentaries about a woman who went ham on her family. She was “such a great mom” and “always made these amazing brownies for the bake sale” — until she forgot to fill up her Stanley before school pick-up and lost her freakin’ mind.
“When we lose fluid through sweat, we breathe, we do everyday activities, if those fluids aren’t replaced … that can lead to mood changes. We can be irritable, stressed, and kind of feel fatigued,” registered dietitian for Blue Cross Blue Shield Shanthi Apello said.
You heard that right. Everything we do taps into our body’s 60% water supply. But it’s gonna be okay, She-Hulk. Water may be a $540 billion global industry, but it’s also basically free from the tap.
Back when a historical drought was trending in Los Angeles, I spent a little time researching what I could do to help, other than not starting an almond farm where a single nut allegedly needs a gallon of water to grow. Sorting through a bunch of stories about celebrities limiting themselves to four-minute cold showers for the cause (yeah, right), I stumbled across a water bottle that featured an alarm that lets you know when to drink more water. Neat.
The first review, though: “SHOOK UR TELLING PEOPLE TO DRINK MORE WATER WHEN WE’RE IN A DROUGHT!!!” Maybe she didn’t get the “you need water to survive” memo.
I imagined this one-star reviewer bravely lasting a whole week without water and then rage-posting about it as a bunch of California almonds sipped on industrial irrigation like they were “sliving” like Paris Hilton on an inflatable swan at a swim club. No wonder she was making no sense and was irrationally mad at the world. She needed more water!
So, how much water should you really drink? The eight-glasses-a-day rule was good while it lasted, but it doesn’t work for everyone. General guidelines suggest somewhere between six to 15 cups (or 120 ounces) a day, but it all comes down to your body and your lifestyle. Even your local weather forecast plays into it.
As a rule of thumb, well-hydrated pee should look pale yellow (more like lemonade, not Michelob Ultra). Men commonly need more water than women, active people require more hydration than the sedentary set, and anyone living in a hot climate should probably be hitting the LaCroix harder than those in cooler places. But a hydration calculator can give you the most personal results.
If you’re still questioning the transformative powers of hydration, the 1980s water fountain scene in “The Secret of My Success” proves that even a little sip turns anyone into Princess Diana. Or something. (I didn’t see the rest of the movie.)
Tragically, sitting in a hot tub does nothing to hydrate you. Your skin might feel more lubricated, but your body’s largest organ is actually designed to keep moisture in and external liquids out. In fact, long showers and pool days actually cause your body temperature to dysregulate and your body to sweat and lose even more water. To get the maximum benefit, water’s gotta get into your bloodstream. And that means you have to drink it.
As far as the best water goes, it’s all fair game. Standard water has proven to lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety on the daily. And electrolyte-boosted water, such as unsweetened coconut water, can help replace sodium lost through prolonged sweating, workouts, or illness. That Chlorophyll Water blowing up TikTok Shop for its antioxidant properties might not yet be a verified cure for cancer, but it’s fire for hydration. And, yes, you can make your own natural flavored water by infusing a jug with lemongrass and ginger, strawberries and mint, or pomegranate seeds.
If part of your soul just died thinking about staring down a bottomless glass of Fiji Water all day, you can get your daily H2O from food, too. Veggies such as cucumbers, celery, zucchini, and asparagus all contain at least 92% water, and kombucha, tea, and coffee count, too.
Of course, any water tastes better in a reusable bottle. Once you find the right one, sneak your water past airport security by freezing it prior to boarding. Be it reverse osmosis water from home or a $1,000 bottle of Fillico Jewelry Water, as long as it’s a solid block of ice, you can join the mile highdrated club at 35,000 feet and stick the landing while enjoying your happiest mood ever.
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