Next time you find yourself about to reach for your usual energy drink, think about going for a sparkling water instead. According to a new study, it’s a much better option for sustaining mental focus and acuity.
As Food & Wine reports, researchers published their findings in the January issue of the journal Computers in Human Behavior Reports, which analyzed how sparkling water affects cognitive fatigue in gamers.
The Study
The researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan recruited 15 casual gamers (defined as people who play regularly but do not compete professionally) as volunteers and asked them to play a virtual soccer game for three hours over two separate sessions. During one session, the volunteers drank plain water; during the other, they drank sparkling water. The order of the drinks and gameplay was randomized, and participants didn’t know which condition they were assigned to until they took their first sip.
Throughout each session, the researchers monitored a variety of physical and mental markers in the players, including their fatigue levels, reported enjoyment, performance on a cognitive test called the “flanker task,” and, perhaps most interestingly, changes in pupil size over time. That last one is key because, as the researchers explained, it is a measurable sign of “prefrontal brain activity,” which is the part of the brain responsible for focus, decision-making, and impulse control.
According to the findings, when players drank plain water, the typical signs of cognitive fatigue appeared, such as slower response times on cognitive tests, decreased accuracy, and pupils constricting. Players who drank sparkling water, however, didn’t show these declines over the entire three hours of play. In fact, their performance on the cognitive tests stayed consistent, and they reported feeling less fatigued and more enjoyment throughout. Even their pupils stayed steady.
And just in case you’re really invested in your video games, you should know that the team also found that players committed significantly fewer in-game fouls when drinking sparkling water. This, the researchers added, suggested something was happening with impulse control.
The Theory
The team’s working theory on why sparkling water may have such a big impact is that when you swallow it, carbon dioxide activates sensory receptors in the throat. These receptors send signals up through the brainstem and into the prefrontal cortex, giving it a sort of wake-up call. This isn’t the only research to show this, either. One 2024 study also found that sparkling water can increase blood flow to brain regions involved in executive function.
The Caveats
There are a few important caveats to this work. First, the final analysis was conducted on only 14 people, making it a relatively small sample size. Additionally, this sample consisted of young, casual gamers from a single Japanese university, which limits how much these findings can be applied to other demographics.
And, most importantly, two of the study’s authors are employees of Asahi Soft Drinks, the Japanese beverage company that funded the research and produces the sparkling water brand used in the experiment. The authors, however, stated that the company had no role in the study’s design or conclusions.
And really, it’s a piece of science you can try out for yourself at home. Who knows, you might just make it to the ESports Hall of Fame someday.
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