Drink more water and stay smart

It appears that if you want to increase your brain skills and IQ – drink more water.

Dehydration hampers our mental lives and the lack of water means our mental calculation abilities go down, our mood swings go up, irritability increases, fatigue increases and our short term and long- memory are impaired.

Our brain cells need water to function.

“Brain cells require a delicate balance between water and various elements to operate,” says University of Texas neuroscientist Joshua Gowin. “When you lose too much water, that balance is disrupted. Your brain cells lose efficiency.”

Apart from having enough sleep and eating good food, staying hydrated is one of the best ways to stave off performance eroding fatigue.

The longest we go without fluid intake is the six to eight hours we’re sleeping which means we’re dried out by the time we wake up.

What’s important is to not wait until you’re thirsty, since the feeling of thirst doesn’t show up until you’ve lost 1% to 2% of the water volume in your body.

Dehydration affects all people, and staying properly hydrated is just as important for those who work all day at a computer as it is for marathon runners.

How much water should you drink in a day.  Consensus is around 1 to 2 litres a day, or about 6 to 8 glasses of filtered water.