You know how devastating drink driving can be but a new study has revealed that not drinking enough water could be just as bad.
Researchers at Loughborough University found that drivers who had only 25ml of water an hour made more than double the number of mistakes on the road than those who were hydrated.
The most concerning find? They made the same amount of mistakes as those who had been drink driving.
While it may seem shocking, Sydney-based Doctor, Sam Hay, is not surprised.
“From a sports perspective, people used to think there was a decrease in sports ability when you were five per cent dehydrated. Now they think there’s an immediate drop in performance of even just one or two per cent of body weight through fluid loss.”
“So if we extrapolate that to driving, which is an activity that can require a complex thought process, it definitely makes sense.”
Researchers found dehydration can cause impaired mental functioning, changes in mood and reductions in concentration, alertness and short-term memory. And while they are all important skills for driving, they are also vital skills for other areas of your life too.
“Dehydration can cause potential problems no matter what you’re doing, whether it’s at home looking after the kids, working at the office and especially if your operating equipment or heavy machinery”, says Dr Hay.
“Anything that requires decision-making or reactions, the consequences are far greater.”
What’s worrying is just how common dehydration is – and how easily it can be caused.
“For a 70kg person, a one per cent decrease in body weight (i.e through sweat) is a drop of just 700ml of fluids, so you can see just how easily dehydration can occur,” says Dr Hay.
Think it’s not you? Think again.
Water doesn’t have to be boring – here are some delicious flavour concoctions that you can create. (Post continues after gallery.)