Being Dehydrated Makes You Dumber, Stay Hydrated During The Summer

By Nathan Young on May 20, 2014

With the unofficial start of Summer now here, if you are going to be outside and working in the hot weather, you must stay hydrated! You hear it all the time, take frequent breaks and drink lots of water if you are going to be out in the hot weather. But every year, we hear of some people who does not take the heat advice, and suffers a heat stroke. Now, according to an article from Business Insider, being dehydrated makes you, well, dumber! Leaving your brain parched from much needed liquid harms your cognitive performance. Being dehydrated also hurts you and hampers your mental state, here are some ways your body is effected by not getting enough water.

Mental calculation abilities go down.
Mood swings go up.
Irritability increases.
Fatigue increases.
Short-term and long-term memory are impaired.

The reason your brain function goes down when you are thirsty, your brain cells needs water to function. Without water, the functions in your brain cells begins to slow down, and if you don’t get water, your brain cells will start dying off. Here is another shocking fact, the feeling of thirst doesn’t show up until you’ve lost 1% to 2% of the water volume in your body. And it’s not just people who work outside that gets thirsty. People who works in front of a computer also get thirsty! Also, after you wake up from sleeping for 6-8 hours, your body is also thirsty, and you need water to help wake up.

So, how much water do you need to function every day? A good rule of thumb is 1/2 oz. of water per pound of body weight, per day. And you need to drink more water or fluids if you’re active. During the Summer and hot weather, you need to avoid carbonated beverages like sodas and alcohol products as a way to keep you hydrated. I am not saying avoid those drinks, but you should be drinking more water and sports drinks to stay hydrated. During the Summer, you are going to sweat, it’s a normal function of the human body to stay cool. Just make sure you get plenty of fluids, so you don’t end up with a problem.