14 DAY TRIAL // I find it very interesting that water has such a huge influence on our bodies and minds. This was not really that well known until recently. Investigators were able to figure out that even mild dehydration can affect our moods negatively, while at the same time diminishing our overall energy levels.
Obviously, this impairs our ability think clearly and make rational decisions. Nevertheless, experts were surprised to observe the negative mental, mood and cognitive effects that lack of proper hydration led to. These effects were apparently the same regardless of whether people exercised or stood still.
“Our thirst sensation doesn’t really appear until we are 1 [percent] or 2 percent dehydrated. By then dehydration is already setting in and starting to impact how our mind and body perform,” study co-leader Lawrence E. Armstrong explains.
During the latest studies, experts measured participants' vigilance, concentration, reaction time, learning, memory, and reasoning, and found that all these traits were reduced when mild dehydration occurred, PsychCentral reports.