The secret to your examination’ssuccess can rest in a glass of water. Wondering whatthe connection between stress reduction and water is? Well, all the organs in our body, including our brain, need enough water for proper functioning. If you are hydrated well, your organs function well, and your mind is stress-free. Simple!

Students planning to appear for competitive examinations like NEET dedicate a good part of their student life to solid preparation. Any competitive examination’s preparation needs a certain level of dedication that can prove to be fruitful in the future. NEET is no different. Your child may be busy withNEET preparation for several months, but with just a few days before the examination day, it’s imperative that you take care of his/her body and mind well. 

So, is your child lately losing the power to concentrate or has a constant feeling of fatigue and depression? Well, Dehydration could be the reason. Your child is more prone to dehydration when under anxiety because the heart rate gets elevated and the breathing turnseven more vigorous, which results in losing liquid.

What Leads to Dehydration?

Water and salt are the two main components that regulate bodily functions. Deficiencies of these two components lead to dehydration and improper brain operation. Mental exhaustion, memory issues, and mental perplexity can come about when the brainisn'tproperly hydrated.Deficiency of water and salt, shrinks the grey matter in the brain, thus giving rise to several problems. In addition, long-term mineral imbalance can cause premature aging of the brain. 

The Impact of Dehydration on the Brain

Mental Fatigue – Students often ignore the importance of drinking water when preparing for the exams. They stay hooked to the books for hours without consuming enough water which leads to stress and fatigue.While NEET

preparation demands good time and concentration, the body requires water for proper functioning. Various studies have shown that students who consume enough water stay happy, stress-free and score better as compared to those who don’t. 

Mood Swings

If you have been noticing extreme changes in your child’s behavior, especially from the time he/she started NEET preparation, the reasoncould be improper or less supply of water to the body. While doing complicated tasks, the brain needs enough supply of salt and water to maintain the concentration level. Dehydration primarily affects concentration, cognition and a human’s general ability to think and take decisions. So, if you want to keep your child in a good and stress-free mood, make sure there is always easy access to water in the study area.

Problems with Information Processing and Retention

Multitudes of functions in our body are performed using water, including information processing. The more hydrated the body, the more quickly the brain would process information. So, make a point of keeping your child well hydrated if you are expecting good grades. However, do not force feed water unnecessarily. Drinking more than the required amount also has its drawbacks.

Harder Functioning of the Brain

If your child takes half a minute to solve a problem when hydrated; dehydration maylead to solving the same problem in double the time (or maybe more). It makes the frontal- parietal region of the brain work harder and thus the mental processes take long to conclude. The brain shrinks when kept dehydrated for a long time. This results in fatigue, low concentration power, and focus issues. A well-hydrated body helps the brain to function well. As a result, your child will feel confident about his preparation and would surely score good grades in the examination.

The Benefits of Staying Hydrated

●     Drinking ample water can improve your child’s concentration power and maintain memory function.

●     Staying hydrated improves the quality of sleep. The better your child sleeps, the better the brain functions.

●     A well-hydratedbody has better blood flow throughout the body and processes the right amount of oxygen to the brain.

●     Water makes the brain cells healthy.

●     A properly hydrated body is free from toxins and radicals.

The Bottom Line

The brain is made mostly of water. No wonder it works well when appropriately hydrated!