Mild hypohydration increases the frequency of driver errors during a prolonged, monotonous driving task
Watson P, Whale A, Mears SA, Reyner LA, Maughan RJ
Physiology & behavior · 46 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Possibly industry funded
- Company
- European Hydration Institute
Based on 1 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2015-04-17 · Physiol Behav · vol. 147 · pp. 313–318
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Cited
- 77 citations · more than 97% of similar papers · 6.8× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 39 works
- Access
- Open access (hybrid journal) · CC-BY-NC-ND
- Research areas
- Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue · Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Thermal Regulation in Medicine
- Keywords
- Crossover study, Morning, Urine osmolality, Heart rate, Medicine, Fluid intake, Urine, Anesthesia, Poison control, Placebo, Cardiology, Audiology, Internal medicine, Blood pressure
- MeSH
- urine, humans, psychomotor disorders, dehydration, electroencephalography, electrooculography, body mass index, cognition disorders, accidents, traffic, water-electrolyte balance, osmolar concentration, time factors, automobile driving, adolescent, adult, male, young adult
5 authors
From BE, GB
- Phillip Watson · correspondingVrije Universiteit Brussel; Loughborough University
- Andrew WhaleLoughborough University
- Stephen A. MearsLoughborough University
- Louise A. ReynerLoughborough University
- Ronald John MaughanLoughborough University
Abstract
Unlabelled
The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of mild hypohydration on performance during a prolonged, monotonous driving task.
Methods
Eleven healthy males (age 22±4y) were instructed to consume a volume of fluid in line with published guidelines (HYD trial) or 25% of this intake (FR trial) in a crossover manner. Participants came to the laboratory the following morning after an overnight fast. One hour following a standard breakfast, a 120min driving simulation task began. Driver errors, including instances of lane drifting or late breaking, EEG and heart rate were recorded throughout the driving task
Results
Pre-trial body mass (P=0.692), urine osmolality (P=0.838) and serum osmolality (P=0.574) were the same on both trials. FR resulted in a 1.1±0.7% reduction in body mass, compared to -0.1±0.6% in the HYD trial (P=0.002). Urine and serum osmolality were both increased following FR (P<0.05). There was a progressive increase in the total number of driver errors observed during both the HYD and FR trials, but significantly more incidents were recorded throughout the FR trial (HYD 47±44, FR 101±84; ES=0.81; P=0.006) CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that mild hypohydration, produced a significant increase in minor driving errors during a prolonged, monotonous drive, compared to that observed while performing the same task in a hydrated condition. The magnitude of decrement reported, was similar to that observed following the ingestion of an alcoholic beverage resulting in a blood alcohol content of approximately 0.08% (the current UK legal driving limit), or while sleep deprived.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY-NC-ND).
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