Does your water intake matter? A lot of people drink as much water as they can, others want to remove water weight and have major control over their water intake. But the question is, does our water intake affect mental clarity, along with our overall physical health? The short answer is that water intake is very important, and it can have an impact on your mental and physical well-being.
Why Does The Human Brain Need Water?
75% of the human brain is made up of water. Naturally, in order for our brain to function properly, we need to ensure that we have the right amount of water intake. Water supports a wide range of brain functions, from improving focus and memory to enhancing overall mental clarity. In fact, water plays a major role when it comes to multiple brain functions, as follows:
- Water is crucial for keeping the brain cell structure and integrity. It’s a major component of the blood-brain barrier, something that very few people know.
- Also, our brain generates heat when we have very intense mental activity patterns. With help from water, it becomes easier to regulate our brain’s temperature. So, if you had to work on a project for hours on end, drinking water can help you cool it down, and you’ll feel better.
- Water is also crucial for transporting nutrients to your brain cells. Not only that, but it helps remove metabolic waste.
- If you are properly hydrated, you will have a more balanced electrolyte environment. That means neural signals are transmitted more easily, which leads to better results.
How Much Water Do You Need To Drink On a Daily Basis?
According to the University of Connecticut, losing as little as 1.5% of body water can lead to concentration problems, mood changes, and a lack of energy/clarity. In fact, drinking just 3 cups of water will improve the reaction time by around 14% for adults. Clearly, you want to make sure that you drink enough water on a daily basis, but how much water is enough?
It’s a good idea to drink around 2.5 to 4 liters a day, although it does depend on your weight, health issues, and other factors. A 70 kg adult needs 1-2 liters of water per day, but that will increase based on your weight, diet, activity, and climate.
How Can You Optimize Your Hydration Schedule For Mental Clarity?
Naturally, you want to make sure that you drink enough water, and you need to have a proper schedule. Here are some ideas to consider:
- When you wake up, your body is dehydrated, so drinking a large glass of water is ideal for kick starting your metabolism and brain.
- It’s also a good idea to drink some water before eating because it helps your digestive process.
- You should also consider drinking water before and during any mentally demanding tasks. Likewise, you want to drink some water before any physical activity, as that will help immensely as well.
- 3 PM or late afternoon tends to be when we experience mental crashes due to dehydration.
Is It Better To Drink Water Instead Of Sugary Drinks Or Caffeine?
Coffee or sugary drinks certainly sound more appealing when compared to drinking a glass of water. But the truth is that both caffeine and energy drinks have their downsides. They lead to inflammation, mental crashes, and long-term cognitive decline. By comparison, drinking water is much better since it allows you to avoid additives and calories, and it improves your sleep quality while regulating neurotransmitter production. Plus, water doesn’t have addictive properties, whereas coffee and sugar do, and these will bring side effects in the long run.
Are There Long-Term Benefits That Come From Staying Hydrated?
- Hydration can help you avoid many issues, both physical and mental health-related. These include:
- An adequate water intake can prevent dehydration, which leads to cognitive decline, but also dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease,
- It can also worsen depression and anxiety, not to mention it could make you prone to more stress due to a lack of mood regulation.
- Drinking water improves your memory retention, which makes it much easier to learn and remember new things.
- It helps with emotional resilience while maintaining a very good mood stability.
- Your sleep quality will improve exponentially. Since our body uses water during our sleep to maintain various functions at the right levels, it’s a great idea to ensure you’re hydrated before sleeping.
- On top of that, drinking water improves neuro-plasticity, the brain’s capacity to grow and adapt depending on the situation.
It can be difficult to figure out how to improve your hydration process. However, it always helps to have some alternatives and ways to control your water intake. Some ideas would be to use a smart water bottle that reminds you when to drink water or set alarms. Eating foods that contain a lot of water could also be a good idea.
Moreover, it helps if you make a habit of drinking a glass of water before every meal. You can also infuse your water with mint, ginger, lemon, or various natural flavors. Those can make the water feel more appealing, and thus, you will be drinking at the right time. And, of course, you always want to limit coffee and alcohol consumption.
Conclusion
Clearly, your water intake has a major role when it comes to mental clarity, and you should not overlook it. Of course, many of us do not pay attention to our daily water intake and just drink some water as we please. However, it is a good idea to address that early on, as it will help make our daily water in-take an easy process. The primary focus is to establish a hydration schedule and stick to it. Use smart water bottles, apps, and reminders; those can help prevent dehydration. You also want to avoid consuming too much water, as that could lead to health issues. But, in general, you want to make water consumption a crucial part of your daily routine.
