How Dehydration Impacts Brain Function and Mental Clarity

Dehydration and Brain Fog 

We all know the value of drinking water to stay hydrated, yet, somehow, it’s still one of the easiest things to let slip amongst the chaos of a busy schedule. Water is essential to the function of our cells, helping them carry out important processes and sustain systems in the body—that includes your brain function. 

If you’re stuck in a headspace where you’re struggling to keep up with your to-do list, having a hard time concentrating on simple tasks, or feel like it’s harder to form a thought than it should be, you’re likely experiencing brain fog. And, if you haven’t been drinking as much water as you should be, that brain fog may be caused by dehydration. 

Understanding what dehydration brain fog looks like can put you in a better position to combat it. Fortunately, you can boost your brain function and promote mental clarity by drinking more water and adopting healthy habits like eating nutritious foods and avoiding dehydrating drinks.

Understanding Dehydration 

Dehydration is the condition where your body loses more fluid than it takes in. Your body uses water to fulfill nearly all of its functions, including transporting nutrients in the blood, digesting food, and removing waste from the body. 

Water is absorbed by the body’s cells to support the processes within each cell, and inner cellular hydration is vital to ensuring healthy cell function, allowing your cells to power your organs and key bodily systems. Without enough water, your cells shrink and become less efficient, causing those systems to decline.

Ultimately, signs of dehydration include: 

• Low energy levels
• Headaches 
• Dizziness
• Dark-colored urine
• Dry skin
• Muscle cramps
• General fatigue
• A decline in cognitive function

Our bodies need a baseline level of water to operate on a daily basis. Oftentimes, the cause of dehydration is as simple as not drinking enough water. That said, dehydration can also occur or be accelerated as the result of a variety of other causes, like sweating from exercise, getting sick from illnesses like diarrhea, or experiencing other medical conditions. Dehydration may be more likely in particularly dry environments, such as in desert climates or during winter. 

The Connection Between Hydration and Brain Function 

The brain is 75% water, so the relationship between brain function and hydration is inherent. Our brains rely on water to function, and science shows many ways that water is vital to keeping the processes that power the brain running smoothly. 

Some of the crucial functions that water directly supports include:

• Nutrient transfer – Water is a fundamental component in making up our blood, and sustaining efficient blood flow is crucial for transporting oxygen and glucose to brain cells to fuel their function. 
• Electrolyte balancing – Water helps carry electrolytes through the body. These are vitamins and minerals like sodium and potassium that regulate the electrical activity of neurons and facilitate the transfer of impulses between nerve cells.
• Neurotransmitter regulation – Water supports the regulation of hormones and neurotransmitters, which influence brain function. 
• Stress hormone regulation – Water helps regulate stress hormones like cortisol, and keeping cortisol low helps promote healthy brain function and mental clarity by reducing the risk of fatigue or headaches.

Hydration is essential for brain function, and dehydrated cells are less likely to function as efficiently or properly, leading to a decline in cognitive function. If you notice a decline in your focus or concentration, dehydration is one of the first causes you should aim to rule out by being mindful of your water intake.

What Is Brain Fog? 

Brain fog is a condition that affects your thinking and concentration and is characterized by a lack of mental clarity. Brain fog can be hard to pinpoint as an exact science, but it is an umbrella term for a decline in cognitive function and difficulty focusing on daily tasks.

Someone experiencing brain fog may notice some of the following symptoms: 

• Lack of concentration
• Short-term memory impairment
• Impaired decision-making
• Fatigue
• Confusion
• Difficulty completing tasks
• A low mood or feelings of depression

There may be several causes that lead to brain fog, including illness, inflammation, dehydration, and more. Regardless of the cause, staying hydrated is a beneficial practice for anyone in order to stay healthy and maximize brain function.

Can Dehydration Cause Brain Fog?

Yes, dehydration can cause brain fog. Just a two percent loss of water in the body can cause a decline in cognitive function and affect concentration, attentiveness, and memory. 

An inadequate amount of water can hinder brain cell function by making the transfer of glucose and important electrolytes to brain cells less efficient. When these neurons fail to fire as efficiently, this can affect your ability to process information, access memory recall, and maintain concentration.

If you find that you are having difficulty handling tasks or maintaining focus in situations that are normally , you may have dehydration-related brain fog. Fortunately, overcoming dehydration brain fog is usually as simple as restoring your body’s water balance—you should prioritize drinking water to keep up with your body’s needs and give your brain the fuel it needs.

Other Effects of Dehydration on the Brain

Although dehydration can cause brain fog, there may be other ways that dehydration presents itself and impacts brain function. If you are consistently dehydrated, the effects can be far more wide-reaching, especially in the long term. 

Some of the potential effects of dehydration on the brain include: 

• Shrinkage of brain tissue
• Increased effort in cognitive function and mental processing
• Prolonged mood changes or mood swings
• Declined performance in cognitive tasks
• Decreased coordination or balance

The many potential effects of dehydration on the brain emphasize the importance of staying hydrated. Taking conscious steps throughout the day to be mindful of your water intake and other daily habits can promote your brain’s physical and cognitive health and ultimately provide you with more mental clarity.

How Do You Fix Brain Fog from Dehydration? 

For all the risks that come with dehydration, the bright side is that cognitive issues from dehydration can be resolved by restoring your body’s water intake. On average, you should drink about 10-16 cups of water per day, or about 2 to 4 liters for fans of the metric system. 

In addition to simply drinking water, there are a few other tips you should keep in mind. Some actionable tips for combatting brain fog and preventing dehydration include: 

• Drinking water throughout the day, regardless of your level of activity
• Drinking water or other fluids that have electrolytes, which allow the body’s cells to absorb the water you drink
• Eating whole foods, including fruits and vegetables that have a high water content
• Carrying a reusable bottle of water to make water more accessible
• Avoiding sugary drinks like soda or juice
• Minimizing caffeine consumption through coffee and energy drinks
• Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption
• Drinking extra water or electrolyte-rich sports drinks when you exercise or engage in activities where you are sweating a lot or exerting a lot of energy

If you are experiencing persistent brain fog or severe dehydration, you should reach out to your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor may be able to identify if your brain fog is related to dehydration or a more serious condition that requires treatment and support you with next steps.

Making tangible improvements to your diet and lifestyle habits can also support your overall brain function and mental clarity. If you are looking to build holistic habits that promote mental health and wellness, you may consider a program that includes the support of board-certified nutritionists to help you identify foods that are optimal for your wellness and stay accountable. 

Achieve Mental Clarity and Overall Wellness with re:vitalize

Dehydration impacts brain function and mental clarity by hindering brain cell function, which can lead to brain fog. Because water is so vital to brain function, staying hydrated is a crucial step toward mental clarity. However, it’s also a good idea to support your mental function and  by implementing other healthy lifestyle practices, like eating nutrient rich foods and avoiding sugary foods.

Our Weight Loss and Metabolic Reset programs at re:vitalize are designed to promote overall health and wellness, supporting a healthy hormone balance, metabolic repair, and mental clarity. Although our programs are geared toward fostering lasting weight loss, they also offer a variety of other “off-scale” benefits that our members enjoy, including improved energy levels, metabolic health, and mood. Even better, each program is tailored to the unique individual using our state-of-the-art BioScan™ technology. Your results will identify which nutrients are optimal for your individual weight loss and wellness, empowering you to build a meal plan that best supports you.

Schedule a virtual or in-person consultation with our team to learn more about our programs and how they can promote mental acuity.