Dehydrated driver equals a drunk one

A dehydrated driver is akin to a drunk driver, according to a recent study conducted by scientists at the Loughborough University, which was published in the journal Physiology and Behaviour recently.

The researchers tested drivers who had just 25ml of water an hour and found that they made the same mistakes as those who had consumed the legal limit of alcohol.

The legal limit of alcohol content in the blood is 0.08 per cent. The errors mostly made by drunk drivers are lane drifting, late braking and touching or crossing the rumble strip or lane line. The same mistakes were also made by dehydrated drivers.

Most drivers don’t like drinking water: Dehydration affects mental activities. The brain is the most sensitive organ of the body and even the slightest changes in the body’s chemistry affects it. Even a decrease of 1 per cent of body weight because of loss of fluids affects mental activity. One feels parched or very dry when the body loses body weight by 3 per cent. This is the time when one feels very thirsty.

Dr Bhavani Raju, consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Care Hospitals explains, “When the body begins to feel dry, concentration and thinking power is not as clear as it should be.

Concentration on the road or on the ability to drive properly is affected as the judgment falters.” Many a time, drivers are not aware that they are thirsty as they feel that medium distance travelling of 300 to 350 km is absolutely fine but that is not the case.

With better roads and national highways it has now become a phenomenon to go for holidays, driving longer distances. Driving in a hot car may lead to significant losses of water over the course of a long journey.

Dr Raju says, “People should drink at least 100 ml water per hour. This is based on scientific research to av-oid dehydration and their side effects.

The effects also may be exacerbated by drivers who deliberately restrict drinking of water to avoid toilet stops. But a regular break is important and in that they must have more of water or a fruit juice. Sadly, in India people have tea or coffee which exaggerates dehydration.”

Dry brain: Various studies have shown that dehydration shrinks the brain, which is called Dry Brain phenomenon. The effects of alcohol and dehydration depend on the degree of alcohol or loss of water from the body.

The brain chemistry is affected and there is alteration in the levels of neurotransmitters when a person takes alcohol. When a person is tested with 0.05 per cent of alcohol in the blood it means that for every 100 ml of blood there is 0.05 gm of alcohol. The effects seen in driving are loss of judgement, relaxation, body warmth and altered mood.

Dr Aftab Ahmed, senior consultant physician at Apollo Hospitals explained, “Dehydration alters the levels of sodium and potassium in body fluids. The effects of alcohol and less water are related as they are found to affect the brain’s neurotransmitters. These effects are seen more clearly in the elderly and also in women whose body composition is different and there are altercations during the thirst mechanism.”

Effects of dehydration on brains: 

Mild Dehydration: Going without water for 4-8 hours, can cause loss of 1.5 per cent body weight. It can bring about changes in the mood, cause headaches and difficulties in concentrating. It can also cause feeling of lack of energy. The brain then begins to feel that the mental tasks are more difficult than they actually are. Our brain, particularly the front parietal cortex area, becomes more active yet performs very ordinarily.

Severe Dehydration: This can occur with poor water intake for 24 hours, can cause 4-5 per cent drop in body weight. It can cause substantial changes in our cognitive functions. It affects learning, memory and alertness. The alteration in mental abilities can lead to errors like lane drifting, late braking, crossing halts inadvertently and accidents while driving.