If you’re struggling to come up with the answer; then have a glass of water because it could make your brain 14 per cent faster!
Researchers from the University of East London believe that once you’ve slaked your thirst then your brain is left to focus on the task in hand.
They carried out an experiment on 34 men and women who completed a number of mental tests twice; once after a breakfast of just a cereal bar and again after a cereal bar washed down with a bottle of water.
According to the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, none of the participants had eaten or drunk anything overnight and all were asked how thirsty they were at the start of the experiment.
Those who said they weren’t thirsty were equally quick at the test of reaction time with or without the water, but those who were thirsty sped up after having a drink, making them up to 14 per cent quicker than before.
The researchers think the water helped by freeing up the parts of the brain that were busy ‘telling’ the body it was thirsty.
It’s a well known fact that drinking water and brain function are integrally linked, and the research helped to back this up, and that a lack of water to the brain can cause symptoms such as problems with focusing, memory, brain fatigue and brain fog, as well as headaches, sleep issues, anger and depression.
Over 70 per cent of the body is made up of water and every function in it is dependent on water, including the activities of the brain and nervous system.
The brain itself is approximately 85 per cent water and it relies on having an abundant supply of water function to keep functioning.
Brain cells need two times more energy than other cells in the body, and water provides this more effectively than any other substance. Water is also needed for the brain's production of hormones and neurotransmitters.
To start your day off for optimal brain function it is recommended that you drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up; and always keep water near you throughout the day, especially if you have a job that requires a lot of mental activity.
Many people think that they can imbibe a fizzy drink or coffee, milk or juice instead of water and get the same level of hydration; but it’s simply not true because a single can of contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar.
This amount of sugar, especially in liquid form, skyrockets the blood sugar and causes an insulin reaction in the body, and over time this can lead to diabetes or insulin resistance, not to mention weight gain and other health problems.
So remember, keep drinking to stay sharp!
