How Hydration Helps to Relieve Depression and Anxiety

     Do you know that depression is a common illness affecting about 300 million people globally? Also, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), studies have shown that 1 in 13 people suffer from an anxiety disorder. 

Depression can occur at any point in the life of an individual but on the average, it appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Studies have shown that depression affects 1 in 15 adults annually. 

Depression and anxiety disorder are two different health conditions but can strike an individual at the same point in time. Various scientific studies have shown that dehydration is closely related to mood swings and depression. This is because when the body is dehydrated, it tends to source for water from some major organs of the body which includes the brain (which is made up of about 85% of water). Dehydration of the brain leads to a reduction in the rate by which body activities are carried out. This hence leads to a state of depression and anxiety.

 They both are treatable in various ways but before looking at their treatments, it is important to understand at a basic level the meaning of depression and anxiety.

* DEPRESSION: This is a medical 
health disorder that is characterized by continuously low mood, sadness and loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed lasting on an average of 6-8 months. It can also be explained as the medical Illness that affects how an individual feels, the way they reason and the way they act.
In essence, depression deals with physical and emotional problems of a person that prevents them from enjoying and engaging in their daily activities like they used to do. 

Symptoms of Depression include
- Feeling Sad
- Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
- Restlessness
- Change in appetite
- Fatigue
- Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
- Difficulty in concentration and thinking
- Suicidal thoughts.

* ANXIETY: This is an intense, 
excessive and continuous worry and fear about everyday situations. Anxiety may be as a result of stress. Unlike depression, anxiety is a normal emotion felt. It occurs when we have a big test to write or even when we have a speech to deliver. It is an emotion characterized by the feeling of tension, worries and physical changes like increased blood pressure. It only becomes a medical disorder when the level goes out of line. This disorder is known as an Anxiety disorder.

Symptoms of anxiety include
- Restlessness
- Difficulty in concentration
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Fears and worries

    Depression and anxiety may be two different health conditions but they have similar symptoms and similar factors affecting them.
    The following are factors affecting Depression and Anxiety.
* Biochemical factors: This deals with the activities if certain chemicals in the brain. Depression and Anxiety may be as a result of an imbalance in the level of these chemicals.
* Genetic factors: They may be hereditary. An individual with one family member with these disorders has a greater chance of experiencing them than someone with no one with the disorder in his family.
* Medical factor: This may be due to a symptom of another ailment or the side effects of a particular medication.
* Environmental Factors: Individuals exposed to abuse and violence is more likely to be affected by these disorders. Also, individuals with family problems and difficulties may also end up being struck with the disorders.

* Treatment
Depression and Anxiety can be treated in various ways. They can be treated through Medications and Therapies.

While a standard way of treating Anxiety is through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an effective way of treating Depression is through the use of antidepressants.
It is important to note that depression can also be treated through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Anxiety disorder can be treated with Antidepressants. Hence, the two health conditions are interrelated.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)  is a talk therapy that is aimed at changing the negative thoughts and behaviours associated with psychological distress. 
Antidepressants are medications that treat depression and anxiety. They help to improve the way your brain uses certain chemicals to control stress or your mood. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters. 
Other methods of managing these disorders include
Psychotherapy: This focuses on the treatment of disorders in the behaviour of a patient using dialogue and a variety of psychological techniques. It is similar to (CBT)

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): This is a treatment for those whose symptoms do not get better with medicines. It is an electric shock therapy process which involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.

Water therapy (Hydrotherapy)

    This is the safest, simplest and best of the ways of treating depression and anxiety. It involves internal or external use of water to treat health conditions. 
Hydrotherapy works as a natural depression treatment since one of the major signs of depression is chronic dehydration.
Hydrotherapy may be administered in a number of ways which include
Water intake
Cold Water  shower
Swimming

Water intake involves the drinking of water. The amount of water required for drinking per day for each individual can be determined. An individual should take the water of about half of their body weight in 24 hours. 
For instance, a person weighing 120-ounce should take the water of about 12 oz 5 times daily or 10 oz 6 times daily. This makes up half of the body weight. 
It is necessary to note that it is not advisable to take more than 32 oz of water within a 3-hour period.

Cold Water Shower and Swimming perform a similar function since both processes involve the contact of water with the body for a specified period of time.
When the body is immersed in cold water, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate will increase. This is due to the shock experienced when the body comes in contact with cold water. This shock leads to the activation of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline in the brain. Noradrenaline is a constituent of most antidepressants. It is naturally released during swimming or cold water shower into the body system without side effects.
Also, the shock experienced is similar to the electric shock treatment in such a way that the impulses travel in large quantities from nerve endings of the skin to the brain.
Studies have also shown that cold water shower reduces the cortisol hormone. This helps to take control of the body in a State of anxiety.

The doctor who gave up on drugs is a series on BBC One. In 2016, the case of a patient Sarah, a 24-year-old who had been taking antidepressant since she was 17 was discussed. Her symptoms started in her early teens. She met Dr Chris Von Tulleken and told him how desperate she was to stop taking antidepressants. She referred to the antidepressants as “chemical fogs”. But fortunately, she loved swimming. Dr Chris then met some other doctors to see if there was any scientific base for trying out cold water swimming on Sarah.
 It was discovered that Outdoor exercises and the fellowship of other swimmers can help to relieve depression and anxiety. When the body is immersed in cold water, a condition called “cross-adaptation” is said to occur. This is a situation whereby a form of stress adapts the body for another.
Through cross-adaptation, cold water may help to reduce anxiety and stress.
More than two years after, Sarah has still been swimming and she has stopped using medications.
She said, “Life is Good, I still have counselling but swimming is something I'll never turn my back on. It helped me so much in time of need”.
 
Conclusion
Ultimately, depression and anxiety disorders can be treated. It is estimated that about 80% of depressed individuals respond to Treatment. 
Hydrotherapy, while serving as a mode of treatment also at the same time serves as a means of recreation to patients, thus helping to achieve a greater result within a short period of time.


How hydration helps to relieve depression and anxiety

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