Staying Hydrated Makes You Smarter! Here’s How
Three out of four people are chronically dehydrated – seventy-five percent. Odds are unless you’re thinking about your water consumption a lot, you’re one of them.
To most people, dehydration doesn’t seem like a big deal. Being a little thirsty is such a normal state of existence, symptoms go unnoticed. The sad thing is, this means a dehydrated person might not realize that their brain is not operating at peak performance.
The brain, when dehydrated, slows down. Thinking gets harder. Words are harder to find, and memory suffers. There’s a whole list of problems associated with dehydration:
1. Brain fog
2. Lethargy
3. Difficulty focusing
4. Exhaustion
5. Headaches
6. Emotional upset, such as depression and anger
7. Lack of thought clarity
8. Inability to make cognitive leaps or discover creative solutions
9. Difficulty sleeping, meaning the brain never gets a chance to recharge
Why Does Water Matter So Much?
Brains are already 75% water. That means they need water to keep working correctly. Water is what flushes toxins out and transports the nutrients where it needs to go. You have to keep things in balance so your brain can do what it’s designed to do.
In other words, it makes sense to keep drinking.
How Much Water Do You Need?
There are two schools of thought on this. The first is highly technical. Check the color of your urine when you use the bathroom. The darker the color, the more you need to be drinking water. The specific amount you need involves a lot of factors: age, birth gender, levels of exercise, and quality of diet.
If that sounds too complicated, try this formula to at least get you in the proper ballpark:
Start with your weight. Divide by two. Take that number and drink that many ounces of water. Every day. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you need to drink 70 ounces of water.
Ways to Get More Water Daily
* Drink two glasses of water when you first wake up in the morning to flush out toxins that accumulated overnight.
* Keep a container of water with you at all times. Drink often from it.
* Try infusions or unsweetened sparkling water.
* Use reminders on your phone to let you know when to drink. Set alerts spaced out throughout the day.
* Use an app on your phone to remind you to drink.
* Drink first whenever you think you’re hungry. Chances are you’re confusing hunger with thirst.
Being well-hydrated is not only the smart thing to do, but it makes you smarter. Isn’t it time you grabbed a glass of water?
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