Your brain is about 75 percent water. When your brain is functioning on a full reserve of water, you think faster, are more focused and experience greater clarity and creativity. Water is also essential for delivering nutrients to the brain and removing toxins. When the brain is fully hydrated, the exchange of nutrients and toxins are more efficient, assuring better concentration and mental alertness.
How much water is enough? The amount of water an individual needs is based on a number of factors including gender, height, weight and activity level. Generally, when you’re getting enough water, the urine is light yellow with little odor, but if it’s darker and more odiferous, that’s a sign that you’re not getting enough water. Dehydration causes your brain to not run at full speed. Some of the mental symptoms of dehydration include brain fog, afternoon fatigue, focus issues, depression, anger, exhaustion, headaches, sleep issues, stress and a lack of mental clarity and acuity.
Moderate consumption of coffee and tea are fine, but they’re acidic beverages that dehydrate the body, so don’t count them toward your daily hydration goal. For every caffeinated beverage you drink, have a glass of water. Think of it as a 1:1 ratio.
