The Nerve! Bottoms Up!

What you eat is important in keeping your nervous system healthy and helping it to regulate or heal. How many of us don’t drink enough water? And when we are tired do we reach for water or something with caffeine or sugar or both! I recently read that when you wake up the first thing you need to put into your body is water because your brain is needs water. Your body has been without water for 6-8 hours and the brain can be a little dehydrated. This may be why you are foggy in the morning. I love my coffee in the morning but I do drink 4-8 ounces of water first thing.

High amounts of caffeine, sugar and alcohol can trigger anxiety and dysregulation of the nervous system. If I have a second cup of coffee, I either choose decaf or I must drink the same amount of water as coffee. I do drink water throughout the day and yes, sometimes I slack on water or any other fluid when I am “busy”. It may dawn on me, “Oh, I haven’t had enough water today.” I don’t try to make up for it. I just drink a mug and do better the next day. However, and I have said this before, when I am going through a depressive episode, water makes a huge difference in my cognitive. It seems to give me just a little more push to eat, get dressed, move, and not go down too low. It also helps to lift me out if I am down to low. It with the skills and techniques I have learned from therapy.

But sugar? Oh when I am stressed it’s snack olympics! Sweet and salty. And it does make me feel bad afterwards. It does make my day harder. It does make me even more moody and grouchy. I know. Sigh. Note to self: Do better managing stress and anxious thoughts.

~Nikki