Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Dehydration Affects Women's Moods

    Scientific American – Sat, Feb 25, 2012

    Mild dehydration is defined as a 1.5 percent loss in normal water volume in the body. And two recent studies with men and women find that, beyond affecting your body, mild dehydration can impact your mood.

    Researchers evaluated 51 healthy men and women three times in three months. All the subjects walked on a treadmill to induce dehydration. The researchers then tested the subjects' alertness, concentration, reaction time, learning, memory, reasoning and mood level.

    They found that dehydration in men caused difficulty in memory and alertness. In women dehydration caused little reduction in cognitive ability, but did cause significant fatigue, tension and anxiety. Such changes in mood occurred regardless if the subject was exercising or at rest.

    The results of the study with male participants were published in the and the women's results were in the , an American publication.

    So you don't need to be performing in a triathlon.  Even if you're deskbound--and especially if you're a woman--your body and your brain might need a shot of H2O.

    --Christie Nicholson

    [The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

    Follow on Twitter and . Visit for the latest in science, health and technology news. © 2012 . All rights reserved.

     

    27 comments

    • SHELT
      SHELT  •  3 mths ago
      Oh is that the reason I smacked my old man in the head with my knitting needle. I gotta go apologize and drink another glass of wine aah I mean water
    • Kathryn
      Kathryn  •  3 mths ago
      I like how they downplay the finding that dehydration in men caused "difficulty in memory and alertness" while in women it caused "little reduction in cognitive ability." In other words, women remain functioning BETTER than men in this situation, where keeping one's wits could be critical for survival in an actual scenario where there was a lack of drinking water.

      So all they had to say about it was oh, dear, those women, they just get moody so easily. Maybe they are fatigued, tense, and anxious because they are forcing themselves to function under physical stress...ya think?
      • Younger Grandma
        Younger Grandma 3 mths ago
        Women have to do alot of multi-tasking at once.. errr.. taking care of home and children at the same time one MUST stay alert. Also, we've always had to be able to solve children's woes most of the time. A woman MUST be able to still be on par with cognitive abilities.

        Also, 'Such changes in mood occurred regardless if the subject was exercising or at rest.' So physically it didn't matter if busy or not, the results were the same.
    • *
      *  •  3 mths ago
      Who would have thought that hydrating with water would make such a difference in moods, fatigue, tension, anxiety, memory and alertness. I am going to have a glass right now.
    • Woe
      Woe  •  Tampa, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      Stone age science: the mood of every living thing in the universe is altered by a lack of hydration! How dare call this newssss?!?!
    • Anne Louise
      Anne Louise  •  3 mths ago
      this is why I always keep a thermos of Chocolate Martinis next to my desk, in my back pack, locker, you know, just to help with these darn mood swings.
    • Aphid
      Aphid  •  3 mths ago
      Wow. Interesting and very useful information.
    • Dave
      Dave  •  Rockwood, Michigan  •  2 mths ago
      Ya men too genius.
    • brooke
      brooke  •  Ferndale, Washington  •  3 mths ago
      Now I know why men can't find things that are right in front of them. They need a glass of water. (Just as stupid as explaining mood swings in women by this, but hey THAT got the article, not the difficulty in memory in men) So tired of being marginalized because I have ovaries.
      • Younger Grandma
        Younger Grandma 3 mths ago
        LOL.. you're right when it comes to them.

        But yes, whether mood declines are caused by dehydration or our ovaries/hormones, for every one article about women, there's the men thinking they're being 'funny' about our biological functions. Then they turn around and hate male bashing, but hey, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. They don't like male bashing, then they should stop being so misogynists and woman-bashing themselves. In fact, for them, they really female bash.. they bash teenage girls on their biological functions, also.
      • E
        E 2 mths ago
        Wow. I think some one needs to drink more water.....
    • Younger Grandma
      Younger Grandma  •  3 mths ago
      So another thing they're saying is to make sure your husband or boyfriend drinks water while on a trip. Otherwise who knows where you'll end up!! (That can be bad enough when hydrated ;) )
      • Jen
        Jen 2 mths ago
        You are a wise woman.
      • Younger Grandma
        Younger Grandma 2 mths ago
        Thanks.. comes from personal experience while on trips while my husband is the driver!! ERRRR!!! LOL
    • Younger Grandma
      Younger Grandma  •  3 mths ago
      Oh.. and signs of deydration for anyone are headaches and bone aches. By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated some.
    • Dave
      Dave  •  3 mths ago
      duh, dehydration affects everyones mood.
    • SunshinePerson
      SunshinePerson  •  3 mths ago
      Now I know why I'm moody when I exercise.
    • Jen
      Jen  •  2 mths ago
      OK now I know that there is a very good reason to stay hydrated. I do not like being in a bad mood. Like a lot of old people, I take a diuretic for high blood pressure, so I get dehydrated easier. Bring on the water.
    • Um...riddlemedis!
      Um...riddlemedis!  •  2 mths ago
      It's in the water...
    • Tom J.
      Tom J.  •  2 mths ago
      I see a lot of people walking around parking lots hunting where they parked their car and most are carrying a half full botttle of water. They don't look energized , calm, or happy.The writer forgot to tell ya' to put a shot of bourbon in it for DOUBLE the benefit.
    • richard
      richard  •  3 mths ago
      And I guess, bleeding like a stuck pig for 5 days doesn't matter.
    • Younger Grandma
      Younger Grandma  •  3 mths ago
      I believe it. When I'm cleaning house and I start to feel fatigued, I'm also very thirsty!! What a difference a good glass of water does within minutes!! And yes, it's only my body feeling fatigued. Mentally I'm very much there!!

      Men have less water volume/blood volume but have more red blood cells. So that's probably why they don't feel other physical affects quite the same since they'll still have plenty of red blood cells that provide energy.

      Also, in women, we also use water to help build up our menstrual blood.
    • dw
      dw  •  2 mths ago
      I thought merely breathing affects a woman's mood swings.
    • Local Crank
      Local Crank  •  Petaluma, California  •  2 mths ago
      What doesn't?
    • CALIFORNIAN
      CALIFORNIAN  •  San Francisco, California  •  3 mths ago
      Rx Beer X 1 can X 24
      Refill 365
      Take 1 can hourly if moody .
      • Younger Grandma
        Younger Grandma 3 mths ago
        One could certainly tell you're male even if your profile pic/sex didn't indicate it. You're dehydrated and have a DEEP loss of cognitive ability.
      • Lauren
        Lauren 2 mths ago
        I'll take the water, thank you.
        Beer is gross, tastes terrible and smells like urine, and causes people to do bad things. Water is much better for one, and I have never heard of someone doing really bad things because they drank too much water; although I have heard many stories of people who drink too much beer, wine, etc.
        I have never heard of anyone in bondage to drinking water, but rehab is full of people in bondage to alcohol. That drink they took to relax them turned into a habit that they were unable to break, yet they needed to break it. It has destroyed countless families and lives. Alcohol is NO solution to what ails one.
        The Lord Jesus Christ is my solution to what ails one. I would suggest Him to anyone.
        So I will drink the water, thank you. No beer or any other form of alcohol for me today or any other day. Period.
     Post a comment
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    News For You

    Loading...