Did you know that even mild dehydration is hard on HSPs? I’ve only recently realized all the effects it has had on me.

The first time I read Elaine Aron’s original book for HSPs, The Highly Sensitive Person, I was struck by her comments about HSPs and water. She offered this advice to counter overarousal:

Water helps in many ways. When overaroused, keep drinking it—a big glass of it once an hour. Walk beside some water, look at it, listen to it. Get into some of it if you can, for a bath or a swim. Hot tubs and hot springs are popular for good reasons. [p. 59]

The parts about spending time around or in water stuck with me vividly. But the recommendation to drink a big glass of water every hour? I totally missed—or dismissed—that. I’ve paid a heavy price in suffering. While addressing a minor medical issue recently, I was shocked to find out that I have been living in a state of mild but chronic dehydration for years.

I took steps instantly to address the issue. For a few weeks now, I’ve been drinking the recommended (gulp) 64 ounces of water a day. I feel shockingly much better. I’m relieved, but I’m also mystified. Why did I discount such a crucial piece of health advice?

I’m certainly a “why” kind of person, wanting good reasons to do things I’m being asked to do. Maybe a lack of clarity on the “why’s” of drinking lots of water contributed to my lackadaisical attitude.

I fully understand the “whys” now, though. On the chance I can save you some of the suffering I’ve experienced, I’ve shared below some of the serious problems even mild dehydration can cause. Thanks to Texas Pain Experts (TPE) and the University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Laboratory (UConn) for this information.

1—Tension headaches

TPE explains that “dehydration can…contribute to the development of tension headaches by causing muscle tension and spasms in the neck, shoulders, and head.” I first experienced this as a kid after foolishly playing tennis for two hours in the blistering Indiana summer heat. I forgot my water bottle that day, but I’ve never forgotten the feeling. It was like having an ice pick lodged in my head.

2—Migraines

TPS again: “Dehydration is a well-known trigger for headaches and migraines… When the body is dehydrated, it can lead to the constriction of blood vessels, which can cause the release of inflammatory mediators and trigger the onset of a headache or migraine.” HSPs as a group are more susceptible to migraines. I’ve never had one, but knowing people who have, I have some sense how terrible they can be. It’s good to know a simple solution like drinking lots of water can contribute to avoiding migraines.

3—Fatigue and low energy

When you are dehydrated, your body may produce less ATP (adenosine triphosphate)—the primary energy currency of the body. Even slight dehydration can drain your energy. Considering HSPs already need more rest than non-HSPs, and considering how easy it is to address dehydration, this is a clarion call to us to mind our water intake.

4—Lack of clarity

The UConn study determined that even mild dehydration can alter a person’s ability to think clearly. Notably, these negative effects can kick in long before you actually feel the sensation of thirst. My brother mentioned to me a few years ago how much his clarity and concentration suffered in the afternoon if he didn’t drink enough water. I had never heard that before. I took note, though, and even the modest increase I made in my water intake at the time noticeably improved my clarity and focus after lunch. .

5—Tension, anxiety, and concentration issues

The UConn study found that both men and women struggled not only with dehydration-related fatigue but also with tension, anxiety, vigilance, and issues with working memory. I was struck to learn that “female subjects also perceived tasks as more difficult when slightly dehydrated, although there was no substantive reduction in their cognitive abilities.” [UConn] In fact, women suffered more from dehydration generally: the study found that “adverse changes in mood and symptoms were ‘substantially greater in females than in males, both at rest and during exercise.’” This got my attention: the last thing I need is more self-doubt.

6—Increased chronic pain

TPE emphasizes that all the above symptoms can make chronic pain even worse. HSPs already feel pain more intensely than non-HSPs, and we are more prone than non-HSPs to hold pain or illness in the body when emotional issues are unresolved in us. We can’t change these realities of the trait, but we can lessen their effects by drinking lots of water.

Know the signs of dehydration

Even knowing all this, it can be tricky to tell if you are dehydrated, especially because a variety of factors can contribute to all the above issues.

That said, it’s worth it to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of chronic dehydration:

• Dry, dull, or flaky skin
• Frequent headaches
• Constant fatigue
• Strong food cravings
• Dark (as opposed to pale-colored) urine

I knew all too well about the headaches. I just didn’t realize the sheer amount of water I needed to drink to avoid them. I had also often experienced strong cravings for sweets or salt, especially in the evenings, but I had no idea they were yet another symptom in my body of chronic dehydration. As one urgent care website explains it,

Dehydration can make it difficult for your organs to do their jobs properly. For instance, when your liver doesn’t have enough water, it can’t release your stored glucose (glycogen) or other resources for long-lasting energy as it should. This can leave you with strong food cravings, especially for things that are particularly sweet or salty.

You may have to do some detective work, since sweet cravings, for example, can have other causes. Taken together, though, the signs of dehydration are hard to miss once you recognize them.

The cure is simple: drink, drink, drink

Fortunately, the cure for this is simple. Drink a lot of water. It is also important to limit your consumption of caffeine and alcohol, both of which exacerbate dehydration. However, according to the UConn study (which my doctor echoed), the best way to ensure you are hydrated is to be proactive about drinking 64 ounces of water daily, and more if you exercise a lot, or if the weather is hot, or (for me, at least) if you’ve eaten salty foods.

I had thought there was one set of hydration needs for “ordinary people” like me, and another for, say, athletes. Of course, an athlete will drink even more. But Lawrence E. Armstrong, one of the hydration experts behind the UConn study, comments that—

“Dehydration affects all people, and staying properly hydrated is just as important for those who work all day at a computer as it is for marathon runners, who can lose up to 8 percent of their body weight as water when they compete.”

So that’s the down-low: drink 64 ounces of water daily, as reliably as you eat meals or shower. I find a water bottle with ounces marked on it to be an indispensable tool to keep track. Beyond that, do it in whatever way works for you. I finish all my water drinking by dinner time so I’m not up all night. A friend does the opposite. She drinks most of her water in the evening.

But I urge you to give it a try, if you haven’t already—especially if you are skeptical of the recommended amount. I assure you, if I’d had any idea just how much better I’d feel, I’d have done this years ago. And if it doesn’t help, no harm done. You can go back to whatever you were doing before.

Photo by yucar studios on Unsplash

Note: This newsletter is 100% human. I wrote it with no AI assistance.