Feeling tired or unable to think? Drink water

   

How much water should you drink each day? It’s a simple question with no easy answers even though it is generally accepted that drinking water regularly is good for the body. But new researches have revealed that drinking water when feeling thirsty does not only boost brain’s mental performance but also prevent feeling tiredness.

In the first study, researchers from the University of East London and the University of Westminster in the UK analysed the potential effects of water on cognitive performance and mood among 34 participants with an average age of 29 years.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, involved participants taking part in a “water” and a “no water” experiment one week apart.
The “water” experiment required the people to complete a number of mental tests after eating a cereal bar and drinking some water. The “no water” test involve the participants consumed just the cereal bar alone. The amount of water drunk by the participants in the “water” test depended on their level of thirst.
All the participants in both experiments were asked to fast overnight, consuming no food or drink after 9pm before the day of testing. The participants were assessed via three measurements - a thirst scale, a mood scale and with a computer-administered variety of tasks called the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).
The researchers after analysing particular areas of the participants’ brain, including reaction time, verbal recognition memory, visual memory and learning, found that reaction times were faster after people drank water, particularly if they were thirsty before drinking.
In fact, drinking three cups of water before completing a task was found to cause an increase in the brain’s reaction time by 14 per cent. Also, in terms of mood, the results revealed that when participants were dehydrated, they were more tense, sad and confused.
The second small study published in the Journal of Nutrition also submitted that when feeling a bit snarky, it might make sense to drink water or a refreshing drink — especially after a workout.
It was a study that tested mood, concentration and mental skills in 25 women who either were given enough fluids to remain optimally hydrated or were induced into a mildly dehydrated state.
Dehydration was achieved through either exercise alone or by using both exercise and a diuretic drug that increased urination.
The women’s mood and cognitive abilities were tested during exercise and at rest under the different hydration conditions. On most mental tests, the women’s state of hydration didn’t affect performance, but being dehydrated did cause headache symptoms, loss of focus, a sense of fatigue and low mood both at rest and during exercise. The dehydration induced in the study was not severe: it was around one per cent lower than optimal.
Unfortunately, too often individuals do not take adequate amounts of water and as such as mildly dehydrated.  So what causes dehydration? Is it an issue to be overlooked?  Dr Jerry Iwuora, a consultant physician, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, while explaining that the human body has a high water concentration that require water, said its loss from the body needs to be replenished continually to prevent dehydration a reason stones form in the kidney.
According to Dr Iwuora, a good indicator of not taking enough water is the colour of one’s urine.
“The body has a way of giving you tell tale. When you notice that the colour of your urine is no longer clear, when it becomes pale-yellow, it shows that it is concentrated.  The passage of urine may also be less often than normal. So you really need to drink a lot of water if you do not have any health challenge.”
For instance, Dr Iwuora explained that if the body does not have sufficient water to properly flush the kidneys, then mineral deposits are more likely to crystallise into stones and be left behind in the kidneys.
In addition, he pointed out that kidney stones can also be caused by excessive amounts of minerals in the blood processed by the kidneys which they are unable to completely flush out.
Dr Iwuora stated that one of the reasons people are advised to drink plenty of water after taken some medications was also to reduce the chances of kidney stone forming.
The body’s natural way of telling when to drink water is thirst. According to Dr Iwuora, “there are certain areas in the brain that control such situations as when the water content of the body is going down. This mechanism tells you to drink water.  But if you are still not drinking, then that mechanism may become disorganised.”
Ironically, he pointed out that individuals with disorganised thirst mechanism may not know, adding that fat and old people also stand a higher chance of becoming dehydrated without being aware.
Sadly, experts had found that even a slight decrease in body’s water need by  two per cent is likely to cause dehydration and resulting in symptoms such as imbalances in blood pressure levels, constipation, dry skin, headaches, muscle spasms, renal problems, short-term memory loss, fatigue during daytime and extreme exhaustion.
Can all fluids help to rehydrate the body? Researchers comparing the different beverages in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology indicated that all beverages are not created equally. In a study, they found that intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, like sodas and fruit punches; can elevate the risk of kidney stones. Their conclusion was that water was the best beverage both to stay hydrated and to prevent kidney stones.
Here are six reasons to make sure you’re drinking enough water or other fluids every day:
•Maintain the balance of body fluids.
• Helps control calories
• Energises muscles
• Keeps skin looking good
• Helps the kidneys
•Helps maintain normal bowel function