The Effects of Drinking Water on Attention

Various studies have shown that dehydration can lead to decrease of attention, concentration and other cognitive and motor functions, as well as the feeling of fatigue and headache. The main purpose of this study was to test if drinking water affects the student results on the Attention Test. The experiment included 91 first-year students of University for Applied Sciences VERN'. In the experimental situation participants could drink as much water as they wanted during the class, and the minimum was a few sips. In the control situation, participants did not drink water and were not allowed do so during the break. Experiments were conducted during regular classes, in two five-minute blocks, with a two minute break in between. Results did not confirm the impact of drinking water on the overall performance on the Attention Test. However, a slight but statistically significant increase in the average results was found in the experimental situation in the second five-minute measurement session. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.