Feeling mentally drained or physically fatigued? Dehydration may be playing a role, and it could be intensifying your stress symptoms. While dehydration is typically associated with thirst or dry skin, it can also quietly exacerbate feelings of stress, low mood and low energy.

The good news is that maintaining optimal hydration, supported by key nutrients such as creatine and electrolytes can help to restore balance, improve resilience, and support overall wellbeing.

Let’s explore how these two factors are connected and what you can do to manage them effectively.

What is Stress?

Stress is a natural human response to a difficult situation. We are all likely to experience stress at some point in our lives, as we react to external factors around us. In fact, it is an increasingly common phenomenon, with a 2025 survey showing that 91% of adults in the UK reported feeling high levels of stress over the past year.¹ In the modern world, stress is no longer experienced in response to an occasional threat, as it once was, but for many, has become a constant part of everyday life.

Experiencing stress triggers a cascade of physical and psychological reactions designed to help us cope with demanding situations. At its core, stress is the body’s way of mobilising energy and resources for survival; commonly known as the “fight or flight” response. While acute stress (short-lived) can be beneficial, persistent and ongoing stress can harm health, affecting both physical and mental health.

What are the Common Symptoms of Stress?

Stress can affect both body and mind, and a combination of the following symptoms might suggest that you are experiencing chronic stress:

Emotional and Cognitive Symptoms

• Anxiety, worry, or racing thoughts
• Irritability or outbursts of anger
• Mood swings or sadness
• Feeling overwhelmed or burned out
• Difficulty concentrating or memory problems

Physical Symptoms

• Headaches or migraines
• Muscle tension or pain (neck, shoulders, back)
• A racing heart
• Fatigue or exhaustion
• Insomnia or disturbed sleep
• Digestive issues such as nausea or diarrhoea
• Becomes more susceptible to colds and viruses

Behavioural Symptoms

• Appetite changes
• Increase used of alcohol/smoking/drugs
• Social withdrawal
• Reduced productivity
• Poor self-care

Now, how about the Common Symptoms of Dehydration?

Dehydration is more than just feeling thirsty. Even mild dehydration can affect your momental clarity, and common symptoms can include:

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Brain fog or poor concentration
• Dizziness or light-headedness
• Dry mouth or skin
• Muscle cramps
• Irritability

Sound familiar...? There is big overlap between the symptoms of stress and dehydration, which is unsurprising when we investigate more and discover how stress and dehydration are interlinked. Stress doesn’t just affect mood, it also heavily influences hydration, creating a vicious cycle where dehydration worsens stress and vice versa.

How does Stress Contribute to Dehydration?

Stress could be described as one of the most dehydrating influences on your body. When you’re stressed, your body activates its “fight or flight” response, which triggers several physiological changes, including:

• Faster breathing – during acute stress, when our adrenaline spikes, our breathing often becomes faster and shallower in our upper chest, resulting in us losing water through vapour
• Increased perspiration – more water lost through sweat
• Frequent urges to urinate or empty bowels – from an evolutionary perspective this would make us lighter so we could run away from a threat faster, but in modern times just further adds to dehydration
• Hormonal surges – the stress hormone cortisol affects the action of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), leading to increased urine output and reducing water reabsorption in the kidneys.
• Fluids in our body are diverted to where they are most needed (such as the muscles and brain), which can create classic symptoms of dehydration such as dry mouth

These processes all lead to water loss. Acute stress is manageable, but chronic stress creates a vicious cycle: stress causes dehydration, which causes more internal stress, which causes more dehydration... and so on.

It isn't just water loss that can be caused by chronic stress, but it can disrupt our electrolyte balance too. When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands release hormones like cortisol and aldosterone, which affect how your kidneys handle minerals. This can lead to changes in sodium and potassium levels. On top of that, stress often makes you sweat more and raises your metabolic demands, which can increase mineral turnover and excretion.

Stress increases your demand for magnesium (known as nature’s tranquiliser) whilst also increasing magnesium loss through urine. At the same time, stress can interfere with digestion, reducing how well you absorb magnesium from food. Over time, this combination of higher demand and greater loss can leave your magnesium stores depleted, further contributing to an electrolyte imbalance.

How does Dehydration Contribute to Stress?

We know that even mild dehydration can affect your mood and mental clarity, and a recent study published in the Journal of Applies Psychology sheds further light on this.² This study, carried out among healthy adults, demonstrated that those who drank less than 1.5L water a day showed dramatically higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than their well-hydrated counterparts, when faced with a stressful situation.

When dehydration occurs, the brain releases the hormone vasopressin, which instructs the kidneys to conserve water and maintain blood volume. Vasopressin, however, also plays a role in the body’s stress response and can signal the adrenal glands to release cortisol – thus making the body more reactive to stress.

The findings of this study highlight proper hydration as a potentially underrated but significant lifestyle factor in supporting stress resilience.

How can I Manage and Avoid Dehydration?

• Drink consistently throughout the day. The NHS recommends 6-8 cups of water per day, or more in hot environments, in those who exercise regularly or are recovering from illness. Carrying a water bottle with you can encourage you to sip regularly and keep your hydration levels topped up, rather than waiting until you feel thirsty.
• The food you eat provides around 20-30% of your total water intake so as well as drinking water, include plenty of water-rich foods such as cucumber, lettuce, spinach, strawberries, celery and tomato.
• Include electrolytes to help your body absorb and retain fluids. Great dietary sources of electrolytes include leafy greens, potatoes (in their skins), avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas, dried fruits, dairy products, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.
• Reduce your intake of the following dehydrating foods:
  • Sugary foods and drinks - sugar will cause an osmotic effect: a pull of water from our cells into the bloodstream, contributing to dehydration. The kidneys then have to work hard to filter the sugar from the blood and excrete it, contributing to its diuretic effect.
  • Balance is key - while sodium is an essential electrolyte, having too much in your diet, through processed foods, processed and smoked meats, ready meals, fried foods and salty snacks (all foods which are over-consumed in the typical western diet) can result in it concentrating in your bloodstream. The body wants to be in equilibrium, so will pull sodium from our cells into the blood to maintain balance, thus causing dehydration in our cells.
  • Alcohol and coffee, if taken in excess, can have a diuretic effect, which causes your body to remove fluids from your blood via the renal system, contributing to dehydration.

As well as supporting hydration levels, it is important to address stress levels to break the cycle.

Some top tips for supporting stress levels include:

Balance Blood Sugar:

Include protein and healthy fats with every meal to avoid spikes and crashes that can exacerbate stress. Examples: eggs, oily fish, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods:

Focus on dark-green leafy vegetables, berries, olive oil, walnuts, seeds and omega-3-rich oily fish to reduce inflammation and support brain health.

Boost Magnesium & B Vitamins:

Dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains help replenish magnesium and B vitamins, which are quickly depleted during stress.

Limit Sugar, Caffeine & Alcohol:

As well as being dehydrating, these can spike cortisol and worsen feelings of stress. Swap coffee for green tea (rich in calming L-theanine) and choose water or herbal teas instead.

Consider Supplements:

A comprehensive multivitamin or B complex, magnesium bisglycinate, vitamin C, and adaptogens like Ashwagandha can support adrenal health and calm the stress response.

Lifestyle strategies to lower stress levels may include:

Daily movement:

Light to moderate exercise has been shown to decrease cortisol levels and improve sleep. Regular exercise can have numerous beneficial effects on quality of life both physically and mentally, with those who maintain regular physical activity having better overall mood, self-esteem and feelings of well-being. Activities like walking, yoga, or Tai Chi are especially effective

Practice Mindfulness:

Meditation, deep breathing, and journaling can lower stress hormones and improve emotional resilience.

Stay connected:

Social support has been shown to successfully boost mood and reduces stress impact. Make time for friends and family.

Other lifestyle practices to support stress reduction include spending time in nature and breathwork, such as diaphragmatic breathing which have both been found to be effective stress management habits.

How can Creatine + Electrolytes support with Stress and Dehydration?

Creatine and electrolytes work together to support hydration and energy levels:

Creatine

• Acts like a cellular battery, helping your body regenerate ATP (energy).
• Draws water into muscle and brain cells, improving hydration.
• Supports mental clarity and reduces fatigue, especially during stress.

Electrolytes

• Help your body absorb and retain water.
• Support nerve signals and muscle function.
• Maintain fluid balance and blood pressure.

Together, they help your body stay hydrated, energised, and better equipped to handle stress. Not just for bodybuilders or athletes, but perfect for those juggling work, parenting, or just trying to feel better day-to-day, electrolytes and creatine offer a simple way to stay hydrated and resilient.

Final Takeaway

Hydration is not simply about drinking water; it’s about ensuring your body can effectively absorb and utilise fluids. Supporting hydration with electrolytes and creatine helps maintain fluid balance, energy production, and mental clarity, especially during periods of stress. If you’re feeling fatigued, foggy, or overwhelmed, optimising hydration alongside stress management strategies could be the key to restoring balance and resilience.

References

1. https://euc7zxtct58.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/16142505/Mental-Health-UK_The-Burnout-Report-2025.pdf

2. Kashi DS, Hunter M, Edwards JP, Zemdegs J, Lourenço J, Mille AC, Perrier ET, Dolci A, Walsh NP. Habitual fluid intake and hydration status influence cortisol reactivity to acute psychosocial stress. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2025 Sep 1;139(3):698-708. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00408.2025. Epub 2025 Aug 13. PMID: 40803748.