Objective To investigate the effect of cognitive load theory based health education of fluid restriction for maintenance hemodialysis patients. Methods Totally,100 patients with poor compliance with maintenance hemodialysis therapy were randomized to receive either routine nursing care and health education regarding maintenance hemodialysis (the control group, n=50), or cognitive load theory based health education of fluid restriction（the intervention group, n=50）. Fluid intake adherence before and 6 months after the intervention, as well as the incidence of hemodialysis complications between the 2 groups were compared. Results There were significant differences in before-after total scores of fluid intake adherence in the 2 groups, with the intervention group having significantly higher post-intervention scores than their counterparts （P＜0.05，P＜0.01）.The incidence rates of hypertension, hypotension, arrhythmia and muscle spasm in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group （P＜0.01 for all）. Conclusion Cognitive load theory based health education strategies can improve compliance with fluid restriction in patients on maintenance hemodialysis therapy, and reduce the incidence rates of hemodialysis complications.