Drinking water boosts your brain's reaction time

Drinking three cups of water before completing a task can increase the brain's reaction time by 14%.

Posted by Neill Abayon

We all know that drinking water regularly is good for the body. But new research has revealed that drinking water when we feel thirsty boosts our brain's performance in mental tests.

Researchers from the University of East London and the University of Westminster in the UK analyzed the potential effects of water on cognitive performance and mood among 34 participants with an average age of 29 years.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, involved participants taking part in a "water" and a "no water" experiment one week apart.

The "water" experiment required the people to complete a number of mental tests after eating a cereal bar and drinking some water. The "no water" test meant the participants consumed just the cereal bar alone. The amount of water drunk by the participants in the "water" test depended on their level of thirst.

Lead study author, Dr. Caroline Edmonds of the University of East London School of Psychology, told Medical News Today, "Our study found that reaction times were faster after people drank water, particularly if they were thirsty before drinking."

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