Dehydration and Your Brain: Why Staying Hydrated Matters

We often overlook dehydration in our daily lives, but it can seriously mess with our brainpower. Let’s dive into how staying hydrated can keep our minds sharp and our moods in check.

What is Dehydration? Dehydration happens when you lose more fluids than you take in. It’s not just for athletes; anyone can wake up dehydrated after a night’s sleep without water.

Brain and Water: A Crucial Connection 

Your brain is about 75% water. A study from China found that dehydration can tank your mood, memory, and attention, in addition to an increase in errors in cognitive tasks. But once you rehydrate, these things showed significant improvement (Zhang et al., 2019).

Impact of Dehydration on Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review

A systematic review of 24 trials involving 493 participants (Dube et al., 2022) revealed that 16 studies define significant dehydration as a loss of more than 2% of body mass. Additionally, five studies identified that dehydration (3-5% body mass loss), combined with heat stress and limited fluid intake, impairs cognitive performance and can lead to mood disturbances, fatigue, and increased perceived exertion.

Electrolytes: The Unsung Heroes

Magnesium, a key electrolyte, is vital for energy production and muscle relaxation. It can also boost your mood and sleep quality, which in turn helps your cognitive performance.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that magnesium supplementation normalized blood magnesium levels, leading to a greater reduction in depressive symptoms compared to the placebo, indicating that magnesium supplementation may enhance mood (Rajizadeh et al., 2017).

Additionally, magnesium is crucial for regulating metabolism and maintaining homeostasis in all body tissues, including the brain. It aids in nerve signal transmission and helps preserve the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (Maier et al., 2022)

Electrolyte Consumption & Hydration

Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluids than it takes in, often due to sweating, vomiting, diarrhea or a lack of taking in enough fluid through drinking or food. This fluid loss disrupts the electrolyte balance.

Replenishing electrolytes through diet or supplements is crucial for maintaining proper hydration and overall health. This can be achieved by consuming electrolyte-rich foods or beverages, which help restore the body’s balance and support optimal function.

Sources of Electrolytes

You can get great sources of electrolytes from foods like:

• Potassium: Bananas, salmon, white beans, avocado
• Sodium: Dill pickles, clams, table salt, cheese
• Magnesium: Spinach, pumpkin seeds, lima beans, brown rice, almonds
• Calcium: Milk, cheese, spinach, tofu, yoghurt

Hydration and Electrolytes 

Replenishing lost electrolytes through diet or supplements is crucial, especially after sweating or illness. Proper hydration and electrolyte balance are crucial for cognitive performance and mood. Research highlights that staying hydrated supports mental functions, while consuming electrolytes, such as magnesium can help stabilize mood and enhance cognitive abilities.

Try our Purelyte Electrolyte Drink Mix.

It is packed with sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium, with no sugar or calories. All natural. It tastes purelicious and is perfect for any time of day.

Staying hydrated and keeping your electrolytes in check can make a big difference in how you feel and think.

Cheers to better hydration! 🥤

References

Zhang N, Du SM, Zhang JF, Ma GS. Effects of Dehydration and Rehydration on Cognitive Performance and Mood among Male College Students in Cangzhou, China: A Self-Controlled Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 May 29;16(11):1891. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16111891. PMID: 31146326; PMCID: PMC6603652.

Dube A, Gouws C, Breukelman G. Effects of hypohydration and fluid balance in athletes' cognitive performance: a systematic review. Afr Health Sci. 2022 Mar;22(1):367-376. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v22i1.45. PMID: 36032481; PMCID: PMC9382508.

Rajizadeh A, Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Yassini-Ardakani M, Dehghani A. Effect of magnesium supplementation on depression status in depressed patients with magnesium deficiency: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Nutrition. 2017 Mar;35:56-60. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2016.10.014. Epub 2016 Nov 9. PMID: 28241991.