Navigation
Effects of dehydration and rehydration on cognitive performance and mood among male college students in Cangzhou, China: A self-controlled trial
Seventy-five percent of the brain’s mass is composed of water. Thus, there could be correlations between cognitive function and hydration. This study by Zhang N. et al. (2019) set out to find how mood and cognitive function were affected by dehydration and rehydration. Twelve males were chosen to participate in this self-control experiment. At 8:00 AM, the subjects performed baseline tests on day two following a 12-hour overnight fast. To ascertain the level of hydration, the first morning urine, as well as blood osmolality, were examined. Measurements of blood pressure, weight, and height were made per established protocols. A profile of mood states questionnaire and a visual scale for the subjective feeling of thirst were used. A variety of cognitive performance tests were administered, such as the dose-work test, digit-symbol substitution test, digit-span test, and Stroop effect test. On day three, participants had three meals but were not allowed to consume water for 36 hours. The same indices were examined as a baseline on day four. Participants drank 1500 mL of filtered water over the course of 15 minutes at 8:30 AM. Identical measurements were taken a full hour later. Analysis of the results revealed that, in the dehydration test, participants’ overall digit span scores were lower, as were their vigor and esteem-related affect ratings, and their dose-work mistake rates were greater in comparison to the findings recorded in baseline tests. The results of the rehydration test revealed improvements in total mood disturbance (TMD) and fatigue, as well as improvements in forward, backward, and total digit span scores compared to the dehydration test results. In addition, improvements were seen in reading speed, accurate number of digit symbol replacements, mental work capacity, and reductions in reaction time. The authors highlight that dehydration impairs attentiveness, vigor, short-term memory, and esteem-related emotion. Following water supplementation, rehydration reduced tiredness and enhanced response time, short-term memory, focus, and TMD. [NPID: Water, hydration, dehydration, cognitive performance, mood]
Year: 2019
