Losing just 2 percent of the water in your body (mild dehydration), can impair your cognitive performance, attentiveness, short-term memory and may affect decision-making ability. These symptoms, which affect your ability to think, are often collectively described as “brain fog”, a non-medical, colloquial term.
Drinking Clean Water Helps Keep Brain Fog Away
From boosting happiness and mood to enhancing concentration, focus, and memory, proper hydration helps us think clearly and feel great.
Prolonged dehydration causes brain cells to shrink in size and mass, a condition common in many elderly who have been dehydrated for years. Lack of mental clarity, sometimes referred to as “brain fog.”
Therefore, if water levels are too low, our brain cells cannot function properly, leading to cognitive problems. The brains of dehydrated adults show signs of increased neuronal activation when performing cognitively engaging tasks, indicating that their brains are working harder than normal to complete the task [1].
Losing body water can lead to confusion and disorientation and signify severe dehydration. What to do: If you lose focus, try drinking a glass of water. If confusion starts worsening or you become disoriented, seek immediate medical attention.
When you're dehydrated, your brain and other tissues in your body shrink (contract). As your brain shrinks, it pulls away from the skull, puts pressure on nerves and causes pain. Even mild dehydration can lead to a headache.
What is brain fog syndrome? Brain fog is characterized by confusion, forgetfulness, and a lack of focus and mental clarity. This can be caused by overworking, lack of sleep, stress, and spending too much time on the computer.
A recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study has shown that dehydration due to restricted fluid intake over a 16‐h period leads to reduction in total brain volume, an effect that can be reversed following acute rehydration [Duning et al., 2005].
Brain fog can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency, sleep disorder, bacterial overgrowth from overconsumption of sugar, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, chronic stress, and a poor diet.
B complex. Studies show that low or deficient levels of certain B vitamins can lead to symptoms of brain fog such as memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and more. In people with low levels of B vitamins, supplements may help reduce these symptoms.
Hydrating: in addition to a healthy diet, hydration may help reduce brain fog. Many important electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and sodium are required to maintain proper cellular function. These minerals ensure that fluid is kept inside the cells where it is needed.
Vitamin D can improve brain health, reducing symptoms of brain fog. The brain treats vitamin D as an antioxidant, leading to improved cognitive function, more melatonin production, and hormone control.
Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better and be more alert. As an added bonus, your energy levels are also boosted!
You can help yourself recover, because brain fog improves with healthier lifestyle choices. The "basics" are eating healthier, getting enough sleep and rest, and increasing physical activity (gradually). Reducing stress is also important.
While spacing out can simply be a sign that you are sleep deprived, stressed, or distracted, it can also be due to a transient ischemic attack, seizure, hypotension, hypoglycemia, migraine, transient global amnesia, fatigue, narcolepsy, or drug misuse.
Rehydrating Your Body
It's recommended to drink at least 64 ounces of water every day. You can also receive the water you need from other beverages, fruits, and vegetables. Drinking coffee and tea in moderation can help contribute to hydration. Caffeine, however, can be extremely dehydrating.
As a conclusion, dehydration had negative effects on vigor, esteem-related affect, short-term memory, and attention. Rehydration after water supplementation alleviated fatigue and improved TMD, short-term memory, attention, and reaction.
Positive effects of water on the brain
The amount of water you should be drinking a day depends on your weight, height, and physical activity, but the average size person should be drinking about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women.
You'll feel less hungry and may even lose weight. You'll probably experience more comfortable digestion (less heartburn). Bowel movements might be easier and more regular. Your teeth and gums will be healthier and more resilient.
“If you don't get enough water, hard stools and constipation could be common side effects, along with abdominal pain and cramps.” Dull skin. Dehydration shows up on your face in the form of dry, ashy skin that seems less radiant, plump and elastic. Fatigue.
Water. While it likely comes as no surprise, drinking water is most often the best and cheapest way to stay hydrated and rehydrate. Unlike many other beverages, water contains no added sugars or calories, making it ideal to drink throughout the day or specifically when you need to rehydrate, such as after a workout.