Next time you buckle up make sure you grab a drink. A drink of water that is.
A new study, published in the Journal of Physiology and Behavior, states driving dehydrated impairs your judgement and reaction times just as much as driving intoxicated.
According to researchers, people make just as many mistakes when driving dehydrated as when drunk; twice as many as well-hydrated drivers.
Dehydration can lead to reduced brain activity, concentration, alertness and affect your short-term memory.
If dehydration can have this much of an impact on your driving skills think of what it’s doing to your workout.
“We all deplore drunk driving, but we don’t usually think of the effects other things have on our driving, like dehydration,” Ron Maunghn, lead author, said.
It doesn’t take much to fix the problem – only 7-ounces per hour. The recommended dosage for men and women is 9-cups of 8-ounces per day according to the Institute of Medicine.
If you hit that mark, you’re probably okay. However, if you struggle to keep your hydration levels up make sure to chug a bottle before you hit the wheel- or the weight rack.
