Drinking Water

The drinking of water has sometimes been promoted as a way to improve learning, usually in the basis that even small amounts of dehydration can reduce cognitive abilities. There are very few studies investigating the effect of dehydration or our ability to think. However a resent adult study has shown that drinking water when not thirsty can also diminish cognitive ability. In fact we know that our brains possess a sophisticated system by which we become thirsty when our bodies, including our brains, need water. So encouraging children to drink water when they are thirsty may be a more sensible approach than constantly monitoring the amount of water they consume. Exercise and hot whether are the exceptions to this rule, when there is evidence that children's own monitoring systems are less reliable and they should be encouraged to drink in order to avoid dehydration.