The Effects of Dehydration on the Body and Cognitive Function - Essay Example

The Effects Of Dehydration On The Body And Cognitive Function Water is the main source of life, and is essential for a healthy body and lifestyle. Often, its importance is underestimated and often the lack of consumption or excess of excretion of water can lead to dehydration. Dehydration may be defined as a condition in which the amount of total body water has decreased (due to excessive sweating or diarrhoea) or has been inadequately consumed. Weight loss is often used as the criterion to assess dehydration, as water comprises most of the body weight of humans. Severe dehydration has been characterized as more than five percent loss of the entire body water. The results of dehydration are manifold, as water is related to the provision of oxygen and hydrogen that are important sources of energy production, yet they are most often manifested in general tiredness of the body along with deficiency in cognitive function of the human body. Since it is difficult to define cognition due to the number of psychological and physiological capabilities it comprises, researchers have often broke it divided the term into specific aspects of cognition that are being assessed. These aspects include cognitive functions such as short-term memory, working memory, discrimination between one’s perception, visual-motor function (Szinnai et al., 2005), proficiency in arithmetic, spatial memory and alertness during divided attention (D’Anci et al., 2009). Dehydration however, culminates into impacts on not only the cognitive but also the physical effects on the health of an individual. The impacts have been investigated on both young and old people participating in extensive strenuous exercises (thus dehydrating them), and also by seeking the biochemical basis of physical and cognitive instability. This paper explores the relationship between dehydration and the physical and mental well-being of individuals, in light of five different articles that have researched into the effects of dehydration. Dehydration has always been of primary concern amongst people who have excessive demand for water and are likely to be unable to adequately compensate for it. Since this category includes mostly sportsmen, a large number of researches have explored the effects that dehydration has on healthy individuals. One such research reported that performance of athletes who competed in a marathon for recreational purposes was either not affected by dehydration or was enhanced in certain people. Although this study seems to be inconsistent with certain widely acclaimed theories, its results are explained by the fact that this may be the case because performance and dehydration may include more physiological factors than the study had taken into account. Similarly, the cognition evaluation tests resulted in no significant results between dehydration and cognitive function. Although the research explains that the conclusions may be affected due to the fact that dehydration in the winter does not have a significant impact on cognition, it also expresses the limitation of the fact that the athletes evaluated had similar ages(Mahon et al., 2014). Moreover, even though the overall results of this research were not as conclusive as those of several previous researches, Mahon et al. did report an increased “incidence of various well-being measures such as headaches, cramps and nausea” (Mahon et al., 2014 p.84).Although majorly inconclusive, the research does point towards the lack of physical well-being because of dehydration. More conclusive results were derived from other similar investigations involving athletes. Although it was short-term memory that appeared to be elevated during times of dehydration, the athletes’ vigilance attention was deemed to be decreased as a result of dehydration (D’Anci et al., 2009). The conclusion that D’Anci et al. derived stated that “mild dehydration influences cognition”, but “mood may be more sensitive to negative fluid balance than cognitive performance” (D’Anci et al., 2009, p.265).This study therefore goes on to show that dehydration not only affects the physical but also the emotional status of a human’s health. A third research which included the assessment of similarities between the psychological and neurological similarities amongst those who were dehydrated to those who suffered from a concussion resulted in another important conclusion. The conclusion stated that when dehydrated condition was compared to the condition with normal hydration, “the former decrement indicated that visual memory was impaired in dehydrated subjects” (Patel et al., 2007). Another one of the studies between tests performed on healthy males and females who had been dehydrated also resulted in the decreased short-term memory during the first two hours (Szinnai et al., 2005). However, the return of the short term memory after more than three hours may be due to the fact that “young healthy subjects are able to adapt to a slowly progressive water deficit” (Szinnai et al., 2005, p.279) which supports the aforementioned theory about age rendering a significant impact on the level of dehydration. Moreover, the fact that none of the participants in the aforesaid investigations were severely dehydrated. Therefore, the severe cognitive impairments did not manifest as they should have, yet a valid estimate was provided by their research. The most interesting article that explains the positive relationship between lack of cognitive functions and dehydration includes its physiological manifestations. It explores several pathophysiological aspects that relate dehydration to impaired cognitive function. Out of them decreased volume of blood, resulting in decreased perfusion of the cerebrum, the hormonal theory of renin-angiotensin system and cortisol, and the cellular accumulation of calcium in order to result in neurological dysfunction are a few to name (Wilson & Morley, 2003). These study further points out that the three areas of the brain that are very sensitive to the negative effects of dehydration include (as Neelon & Champagne state)“the reticular activating system, which sub serves attention and wakefulness; the autonomic structures that regulate psychomotor and regulatory functions; and the cortical and mid-brain structures” (via Wilson& Morley, 2003, p.6). It is these functions that are most affected due to dehydration, often resulting in delirium (Wilson & Morley, 2003). Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that the pathophysiology that this particular study has described has been employed by the aforementioned researches as well – especially the effect of raised cortisol due to dehydration in decreasing cognitive function, as do levels of nitric oxide. The five sources that were evaluated collectively served as an eye-opener to the qualms regarding dehydration. They disclosed the fact that even though dehydration may not always impact a person’s ability to think, it may somehow hamper or slow down an individual’s ability to perform. Overall, they assist in formulating the idea that dehydration disrupts the entire range of functions a body can perform. It hampers not only the physical well-being, by resulting in tiredness, but also causes emotional and logic-based thinking capabilities that humans possess. It has also been described that even though overall results for cognition-based tests remain inconclusive, so far as the results of mild dehydration are concerned in the young, the old and/or severely dehydrated may often develop severe symptoms of neurobiological as well as psychological damage such as psychological and emotional disorientation. Thus, it is necessary for a person to remain well hydrated at all times. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that none of the researches included results of severe dehydration. This may be due to the fact that severe dehydration is deemed to conclude in severe damages to the physical and neurological health of an individual, that it is unsafe for experiments to be performed on those levels. This stresses further on the necessity of proper hydration for health. Moreover, the authors that had different findings such as the ones that used male and female athletes (D’Anci et al., 2009) included greater number of variables as well as tests for evaluating cognitive function. Yet, results were often hampered by the some limitations or the other therefore future evaluations may be necessary. In lieu of the importance of water and proper levels of hydration – especially for school going children, a plan of action needs to be devised in order to create greater awareness amidst them regarding proper hydration. This plan can come into effect if the teachers and concerned students set up activities such as distribution of water bottles via vending machines and in cafeteria etcetera in order to highlight the importance of water, followed by sports that require strenuous exercise such as basket-balls being rewarded by water bottles or implementing a water week in school, can also result in a distribution of knowledge about an essential part of our lifestyle. Students should also be educated about the benefits of staying well hydrated and the drawbacks that dehydration results in, by implementing it as a topic in health sciences classes. This can assist children to become better aware and indulge in healthy practices where water is concerned. In conclusion, it can therefore be stated that the importance of water cannot be stressed on enough. Water comprises a huge amount of a human’s body weight. Reducing the water content would result not only in dysfunctional health status but an overall emaciated body, which would feel tired all the time, would not possess the cognitive function including the ability to recall events that are stored in the short-term memory and have an impaired visual memory. Furthermore, dehydrated individuals do not possess the proper vigilance to perform important tasks as stress hormones begin a negative cascade of events. Therefore, it is essential for children to form the habit of properly hydrate themselves at all times, an objective that can be achieved only if the staff of school incorporates teaching about dehydration as a part of the topics they teach, or as an activity. This would result in an environment of healthier individuals as hydration is necessary for physical and mental wellness. References Danci, K., Mahoney, C., Vibhakar, A, Kanter, J., & Taylor, H. (2009). Voluntary dehydration and cognitive performance in trained college athletes1,2. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 109, 1, 251-269. Mahon E., Hackett A., Stott T., George K., Davies I. (2014). An assessment of the hydration status of recreational endurance athletes during mountain marathon events. American Journal of Sports Science. Vol. 2, No. 4, 77-86. Patel, A.V., Mihalik, J. P., Notebaert, A. J., Guskiewicz, K. M., & Prentice, W. E. (2007). Neuropsychological Performance, Postural Stability, and Symptoms After Dehydration. National Athletic Trainers Association.66-75 Szinnai, G., Schachinger, H., Arnaud, M. J., Linder, L., & Keller, U. (2005). Effect of water deprivation on cognitive-motor performance in healthy men and women.American Journal of Physiology, 289, 1. Wilson, M.-M. G., & Morley, J. E. (2003). Impaired cognitive function and mental performance in mild dehydration. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 57. Read More