Lack of Water. Why Your Brain Needs Water?

Water makes up 60% of the human body and plays a significant role in the normal body functions including the protection of organs, getting rid of waste, regulation of body temperature, transporting of nutrients, oxygen, nutrients to all body parts, and many other functions.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration which prevents all the normal functioning of the body. It can lead to serious ailments including constipation, kidney stones and worse of it all dehydration can affect your brain health thus impacting your mood and overall functioning of the brain. For instance, you will feel fatigued and irritated.

You must have seen marathoners receiving medications after becoming disoriented and confused. This occurs after a strenuous exercise that leads to loss of sodium and electrolytes.

There are many ways lack of water can affect your brain including mental fatigue, problems with information processing, mood changes, premature aging of the brain and many others as you will see below.

Ways Lack of Water Affects Your Brain

Lack of water in the body leads to dehydration that has been linked to a number of negative neurological and psychological effects. That’s why experts advise people to stay hydrated always.

That said, here are the ways dehydration affects the brain.

1. Mood Disturbances

Various studies have shown that dehydration leads to mood disturbances.  A study conducted in 2012 by Edubirdie where healthy young women were told to exercise for long without drinking water were seen to have mood disturbances due to dehydration. The study shows the link between water and brain function.

2. Impairs Cognitive and Motor Skills

Every person understands why it is important not to drink and drive. However, a study conducted by researchers at Loughborough University in 2015, we should not drive when dehydrated.

During the study, volunteers were asked to stay without drinking water for along then they were asked to go through a two-hour driving simulation. The volunteers committed a lot of errors like lane drifting. They were also braking carelessly. From the study, it is clear that dehydration impairs attentiveness and reaction time.

3. Dehydration Impairs the Memory

Dehydration has also been found to impair memory. A study conducted at Ohio University to show the link between water and the brain where older women who were dehydrated were asked to complete tests that involve working with memory found that those who were dehydrated performed poorly.

Make Staying Hydrated Your Priority!

Your body needs water to function and so is your brain. When you are properly hydrated, your brain can function perfectly.

For that reason:

· Ensure to stay hydrated always whether before, during, and after exercise

· Drink 8 cups of water every day

· Keep track of your dehydration by checking the color of your urine and other indicators of dehydration

Water is an essential component your body needs to perform numerous functions. To avoid affecting your brain, ensure to drink as much water as possible. This will keep your skin in good health; keep you energized and attentive every time.