Staying in Touch®
Hello, and welcome to the March 2025 newsletter. It’s almost Spring! As the weather turns nicer, we tend to get outside and get more physically active. When you up your activity level, pace yourself. And be sure to schedule a well-deserved massage to make sure you are feeling your best.
One of the basic health actions most all massage therapists advocate is staying hydrated. Drinking plenty of pure water every day is one of the easiest and best ways to boost your overall health.
This is an excellent time of year to recommit to increasing your water intake. The lead article—from a water-filter company—shares many of the benefits staying hydrated offers you. So, drink up!
The news these days has increased the stress levels for many adults, as reported in the article from stress.org. Stress leads to illness, disease, and a potentially shortened life span.
Massage is one of the best ways to reverse the ill effects of stress and to provide your body with better balance and health.
Help yourself to stay healthier and happier by making regular massage a priority in your life; see you soon!
Celebrate the coming of Spring with a massage gift certificate
for that special person in your life! Order online today (Print or e-mail)
How to Avoid Dehydration Brain Fog
We all know the familiar feeling of brain fog: you’re staring at the computer screen, scrolling through your phone, or listening to a podcast or speaker, and what you’re seeing or hearing simply doesn't register. That’s because brain fog saps our focus and impairs our cognitive function. The good news is, at least one common cause of brain fog—not drinking enough water—is easily avoidable.
You may not realize the massive impact hydration has on the body and mind. As awareness around mental health increases, the under-the-radar, brain-boosting benefits of water and hydration have become clearer. From brain function to concentration, here’s how hydration supports brain health and keeps brain fog at bay.
Even Slight Dehydration Clouds the Mind— Did you know that being dehydrated by just 2% can create brain fog that impairs your ability to maintain attention and perform basic cognitive tasks? That's in part because lack of water can impact blood flow to the brain. Think about this: The human body is 75 percent water.
When so much of us is made of water, even one missing glass of water can make a huge difference to our health.
The effects of dehydration and lack of water may start small—mental clarity slipping and wandering, short-term memory lapses, and poor concentration—but the more dehydrated we get, the more drastic the symptoms become. One study showed that a group of young men and women suffered from visual and working memory deficiencies when acutely dehydrated. In other words, a little dehydration had a major impact on them.
Beyond brain fog, additional mental symptoms of dehydration can include:
- Depression
- Exhaustion
- Lack of Focus
- Anxiety
- Trouble Sleeping
And we haven’t even mentioned the physical side effects—including muscle cramps, dry mouth, low blood pressure, and high body temperature—you may experience as well. The bottom line is if you want to keep your body and brain at their best, make sure you're drinking plenty of water.
Now that we’ve covered the drawbacks of dehydration, let's take a look at how proper hydration actually helps your brain by boosting your mood and cognitive function.
Water Can Improve Cognitive Function— We all want to stay sharp so we can perform our best at work, at school, at home, at the gym, and beyond. Anything less means we're missing out. A well-hydrated brain ensures the adequate exchange of nutrients and toxins in your head, thereby supporting concentration, focus, and mental alertness.
In multiple studies, people who increased their daily water intake felt less sleepiness, thirst, and confusion. For older adults, these effects were even greater; which is especially crucial considering age can increase risk of cognitive impairment. ...
Water Can Scientifically Boost Your Mood & Happiness— Feeling down? Drink up. When the chemicals in your brain are out of whack, you can get down. Dehydration can be the catalyst to that chemical imbalance. Even mild dehydration has been proven to alter mood; but drinking water can help get you back in balance and snap out of that sour mood.
In a 2014 study, researchers found that people felt more happiness when they increased their water intake—regardless of how much water they usually drank in a given day.
The point is, water has the power to help you feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally by ensuring you’re adequately hydrated. You might say it's a secret self-care technique hiding right under your nose. ...
Source: clearlyfiltered.com
Stress in Adults
From The American Institute of Stress
American Adults Express Increasing Anxiousness
Key Findings from the 2024 APA Annual Mental Health Poll
The 2024 results of the American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll indicate a growing sense of anxiety among U.S. adults. In 2024, 43% of adults reported feeling more anxious than the previous year. The top sources of this anxiety include:
- Current events: 70%
- The economy: 77%
- Personal and family safety: 68%
Lifestyle Factors— Adults identified stress (53%) and sleep (40%) as lifestyle factors that have the largest impact on mental health. Younger adults (18-34 years old) are more likely than older adults (50+) to say that social connection has the biggest impact on their mental health. ...
Source: stress.org
What are your favorite massage benefits?
- Relaxes the body
- Promotes quality sleep
- Calms the nervous system
- Reduces mental stress
- Lowers blood pressure
- Speeds recovery from illness
- Strengthens the immune system
- Reduces heart rate
- Reduces anxiety
Doing good holds the power to transform us on the inside,
and then ripple out in ever-expanding circles that
positively impacts the world at large.
— Shari Arison
The content of this article is not designed to replace professional medical advice. If you’re ill, consult a physician.
© 2025 Massage Marketing. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
The content of this article is not designed to replace professional medical advice.
If you’re ill, consult a physician.
© 2024 Massage Marketing. Used with permission; all rights reserved.