Drink more water: It’s one of the oldest health tricks in the book. But, did you know that it could play a role in preventing cognitive decline?
Dehydration can have short and long-term complications for your brain, contributing to brain fog, low mental clarity, and even shrinking brain cells. Keep reading to learn more about how dehydration can lead to cognitive decline – and signs that you need to up your hydration levels.
How Does Hydration Affect Your Brain?
Did you know your brain consists of approximately 80% water? With the brain’s high water content, dehydration causes brain cells to decrease in mass. This can trigger short-term memory problems, poor cognitive performance, brain fog, and low mood.
Studies show that adults who are dehydrated have increased neuronal activation while performing tasks that engage the brain. This means that when you’re dehydrated, your brain has to work harder to finish the task. Additionally, in a study of adults over age 65, dehydrated participants were at a higher risk of developing dementia.
With this research in mind, staying hydrated throughout adulthood may:
- Boost your cognitive performance and mood
- Prevent brain fog
- Help you perform tasks more effectively
- Lower your dementia risk
How Much Water Should I Drink in a Day?
To prevent dehydration, men need to drink around 15.5 cups of water daily, while women need to drink about 11.5 cups daily. This is a general recommendation, and you should drink more water if you’re sweating from exercise, exposed to warm temperatures, or drinking alcohol.
Also, older individuals don’t experience thirst as much as they did in their younger years. So, you may need to make more of an effort to drink water throughout the day as you age.
Drinking enough water is one of the simplest ways to improve your health, from boosting cognition to supporting healthy digestion. Drink up!