Does Dehydration Impair Your Creativity?

I’m sure you’ve heard about the physical consequences of dehydration:

• Sleepiness.
• Fatigue.
• Anger.
• Sleep loss.

And worse.

One thing that isn’t talked about enough is the mental consequences of dehydration.

One of those consequences is the lack of creativity.

When someone is dehydrated, it’s like working with a poor posture.

I have a saying:

“The creative spirit works through the spine.”

So, if you’re slouching, and have a droopy chin, then you won’t get any creative insights.

You’ll just get sleepy.

The same can be said with dehydration and creativity.

Just like the creative spirit speaks through the spine, we need to understand that water charges that spine up.

When we are dehydrated, a great posture won’t save us.

Why Dehydration Happens to Adults

It’s difficult to forget to eat.

It’s because we immediately feel the effects of hunger.

When we feel the effects and our stomach begins growling, we think:

• Time to eat.

On the flip side, with dehydration, it’s more subtle.

It’s harder to feel the effects of dehydration as it’s happening.

We spend hours without drinking any water.

We may be drinking coffee instead of water.

Time elapses.

Suddenly, we feel groggy.

Our heads are hurting, and our body feels stiff.

With these inhibited motions, it’s hard to create anything of use.

Have a Water Routine [Think Units]

I like to think in units.

As I grow up, I don’t like to think too much about things when I don’t have to.

For a while, I was too undisciplined with food.

So, I created a food routine.

To follow this routine, I needed to think in units.

Units are measurements that we can easily quantify.

I’ll purchase 3 pieces of big steaks and cut them in half.

• Now I have 6 steaks.

I’ll get 2 containers of dozen eggs (24 eggs total) and divide them into 4 per day.

• Now I have 6 units of eggs.

I’ll buy 2 containers of 6-pack Sunny Delights (12 total) and will drink 2 per day.

• Now I have 6 units of Sunny Delights.

Do you see the trend?

6.

That’s what I’m thinking in.

When we have units that we are comfortable with, it’s easier to just go with the flow.

We need to do the same with water.

I drink 4 liters a day.

I have a bottle that measures it for me.

And I have certain times that I expect to be done with a bottle.

I’m not super militant about it or anything.

Just rough estimates on when to consume my units does the trick.

I recommend that you find a unit that works with you.

A bottle comes in clutch because it’s portable.

But if you can’t do a bottle, glasses or a gallon jug works too.

Doing Bad Despite Knowing Better

When you’re hydrated, that’s the best time to create.

It doesn’t feel like you’re generating ideas.

Ideas just pour out of you.

I’ll share something counterintuitive:

• One of the best ways to stay disciplined for hydration is to be dehydrated from time to time.

I’ll confess something …

I’m dehydrated as hell right now.

I just came from a 3-day trip and did not drink enough water, walked a lot, and drank a bunch of coffee.

It’s feeling like a pain in the ass writing this blog now.

Each word is being pushed out rather than flowing out.

In this dehydrated state, I’m thinking:

‘I definitely don’t want to go through this again! I will drink my water from now on.’

I’m sure I will be dehydrated again in the future.

All good.

That day will come later after being hydrated for many days in a row.

I am the most consistent with being disciplined with my water intake right after I was undisciplined.

Compare States

A lot of research into dehydration is done in the physical world.

Because the physical world is easier to measure.

We can tell when someone’s heartbeat is going through the roof, when they are registering unusual eye activity, when their sleep is off etc.

However, it’s difficult to assess whether the ideas are on point or not.

That’s because creativity is more subjective.

You should compare the states yourself.

One day, create when you’re dehydrated.

Then another day, create when you are hydrated.

What’s the difference?

Be detailed.

The more detailed you are, the more you want to stay hydrated for the future.

For me, a few details that I noticed was:

• When I’m dehydrated, I don’t want to create the content at all.
• When I’m dehydrated, my body defaults to being small and inhibited.
• Hydration allows the ideas to flow out of me.
• When I’m hydrated, I can create a blog in 53 minutes, while during dehydration, it takes me 1 hour and 12 minutes.

These details allow me to see that there is a clear winner between the 2.

Hydration for the win.

Staying Hydrated to Improve Creativity

Just like going to the gym is a pain in the butt when we are dehydrated, creating content is difficult when we don’t consume enough water.

Everything feels tougher.

Stay hydrated by:

1. Identifying the units that you want to drink a day.
   • 8 glasses of water, 1 gallon, 4 liters etc.
2. Once identifying the units, drink water around the same time each day.
3. Forgive yourself when you have days that you are dehydrated.
4. Create content anyway when you are dehydrated to see how difficult it is.
5. Compare the results of creating dehydrated vs hydrated. Which one was easier?
6. Get back on the disciplined train.

Many folks never know that they are in a constant state of dehydration because their work doesn’t require them to.

But if you are creating any sort of content, then being dehydrated for too long won’t cut it.

We are in a mental sport, my friend.

The creative spirit talks through the spine.

We need to make sure the antenna is working.

The only way to get that antenna working is through the power of H2O.

For more insights into mindset and creativity, be sure to check out the ArmaniTalks Newsletter.

– ArmaniTalks