The Importance of Water to Good Mental Cognitive Performance

It’s so important to stay hydrated and it’s one of the most significant tips to remember if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Lots of people often focus on the physical benefits of keeping hydrated, but staying mentally healthy is equally as important and can help to improve your wellbeing. So, why is water so great for your mind? Here at LifeSaver, we’re going to take a look at why we should all drink water for good mental cognitive performance.

If you’re not drinking enough water then in turn, this means that your brain is not receiving enough water. Your brain is made up of over 85% water, so it needs to keep replenishing those levels if it wants to maintain cognitive function and perform at its optimum level. Your body, and everything that it does, depends on the brain being able to function, so if it isn’t then the rest of your body will be affected. Prolonged dehydration can actually decrease the size of your brain cells over time, which is not ideal, especially for elderly people, as proper hydration can help with Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions.

Your brain cells need double the amount of energy than any other cells in your body, and it’s water that can best supply this energy, so if you’re drinking the right amount then your brain will be more cognitively stimulated. Water also helps to maintain the hormones and neurotransmitters in your brain. You can stay more alert when hydrated because your brain will exchange of nutrients and toxins more efficiently too.

When your brain has all of the water that it needs, and is hydrated, it means that you’ll be able to think more quickly, have a better memory, focus more intently on a subject and be more creative…not bad! Even if your brain is dehydrated by 1%, this will decrease your cognitive ability by 5%. The brain doesn’t have anywhere to store water, so that’s why it’s so important to continually drink water throughout the day, it’s not good enough to just have a glass in the morning and think that you’ve done your bit. Keeping a bottle of water by your side all day is a great way to remind you of the amount you need to consume and how much you’ve consumed too.

To make sure your brain functions properly, sends effective signals to the rest of your body, and keeps your mind sharp and focused, drinking water is one of the easiest, and most important things you can do.