Benefits of Drinking Water

Drinking water is of utmost importance for a healthy lifestyle. You consume water regularly at different intervals of time. But do you drink water before bed? Is drinking water before bed healthy If yes, then what are the benefits of drinking water before bed?

Though everyone is living a busy and productive life, taking care of your health should be the priority. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, undergoing body checkups at regular intervals, and staying hydrated are some key activities to have a healthy body.

One should never skip drinking water because it is the best solution for maximum healthy issues. Even weight loss requires drinking water.

It is a universally stated fact that the human body cannot survive without water for about 3 days. Drinking a glass of water every day is sufficient, but you require extra water to maintain the flow of energy in the body.

Usually, you should drink at least 8 glasses of water, but it always depends on the person.

According to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), when the person doesn’t even have 10 percent water in his body, then it is a matter of concern.

Therefore, drinking water multiple times a day contributes to a healthy body. But is drinking water healthy before bed?

There is not enough evidence to conclude the answer to the question, but here is a general idea of the benefits of drinking water before bed.

1. Drinking Water Before Bed: Pros and Cons:

1.1. Pros:

1.1.1. It helps you to Stay Hydrated

Based on the consumption of an amount of water by a person in a day, either a person can be called hydrated or dehydrated¹. A hydrated person need not drink much water as his body is already hydrated.

Drinking water before bed when the body is already hydrated can cause a disturbance in your sleep routine. Most people avoid drinking water before bed because of the fear to develop an urge to urinate in the middle of the night.

It can also lead to sleep deprivation, resulting in heart disease. However, usually, dehydrated people drink a glass of water before bed that too with caution.

People with chapped lips, dry mouth, dry nasal passages, dry eyes, thirst, small amounts of urine, and urine that is both dark-colored and strong smell are asked to drink water before bed as their body is dehydrated.

Dehydration can cause a loss of strength and stamina and make you feel faint, among many other things.

There are a few things that can increase the risk of dehydration. Therefore, drinking plenty of water is necessary when you are exposed to hot environments or when you are in the sun, when you work out too hard that you sweat profusely, or when you have diabetes, diarrhea, fever, or nausea.

Therefore, it is necessary to keep drinking water during the day to keep the body hydrated.

1.2. Cons:

1.2.1. Sleep Deprivation

Drinking water before bed can cause an interruption in the sleep cycle. Getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep is utterly necessary. The body must be allowed to rest after working all day.

Resting is important for the body to restart and refresh before heading on to another day filled with work. Sleep must never be compensated with anything, but how is sleep related to drinking water?

Drinking water before bed is advisable for dehydrated people, but it is considered safe to avoid drinking water before bed for at least an hour. It becomes difficult to sleep when one’s stomach is full, as it can cause discomfort.

If you drink more water than necessary before bed, you may wake up in the middle of the night to urinate. Hence, your sleep is interrupted, which can cause a lot of health problems.

Lack of sleep can affect the emotional and mental state of a human being. Maintaining the mental state as well as the emotional state is important.

Sleep deprivation² doesn’t just affect the mental and emotional state; it can potentially affect the kidneys as well. When you sleep, the whole body slows down (the body comes to rest).

1.2.2. Nocturia

The urge to urinate at night is called nocturia³. There is a possible increase in nocturia when you drink water before bed.

The body is designed to decrease its workload when it goes to bed, but drinking water before bed basically overrules that by putting pressure on the body to function normally. This can harm the smooth functioning of kidneys in the long run.

A person develops a series of health problems when his harmonious sleep pattern is disturbed. It can cause mood swings, as well as affect the memory and concentration of the person.

Sleep deprivation can cause disorders in the human body, like heart disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity. There are ways to reduce the risks of nocturia and get a good sleep at night. Consuming a glass of water an hour or two before bed is not harmful.

But even if then nocturia doesn’t reduce or go away, then here are a few things you should reduce or avoid before you go to bed: soda, coffee, cocoa, tea, and alcohol.

Caffeine⁴ and alcohol can cause an increase in the need to urinate, so trying to avoid them will help you to get a peaceful sleep. Even if you still feel the urge to urinate in the middle of the night, then visiting the doctor is the next best option.

2. Health Benefits of Drinking Water

2.1. Water is an Energy Booster

Drinking water is, of course, healthy, but it can also be a great energy booster.

When you are exhausted from a big day of work, the first thing you do is grab a glass of water. Drinking water is always refreshing for the whole body. The fluids fill you up temporarily, making you feel energized.

The human body becomes drowsy once it gets dehydrated because dehydration causes a reduction in energy levels and can cause mind swings. Humans work enthusiastically when they have the energy to sustain themselves.

Still, when it drops, the drowsiness, the laziness start to set in, which is one reason why people consume coffee. People who find the taste of water as bland, always add lemon or cucumber to make it more refreshing. People also prefer to have lemonade before bed because of its flavor.

2.2. Water Helps to Relieve Constipation

Constipation⁵ is the lack of bowel movements in the body, when your stools are harder to pass or when they are painful or contain blood. Constipation often occurs due to the lack of water intake.

So, consuming more glasses of water increases its content in your body so that you can poop properly.

Increasing the amount of fiber in one’s diet effectively relieves constipation, but water is also important for the smooth process. Having warm water right in the morning and also before bed helps in relieving constipation.

Constipation is common in both younger and older individuals, and the main reason has always been the lack of drinking water. Hence, it is advised by the doctors to drink at least eight glasses of water per day. The number of glasses can always increase according to the need of the individual.

2.3. Water is the Best Hungover Drink

Water is the best medicine when you have consumed alcohol. Drinking alcohol tends to make you lose more water than usual because it is a diuretic drink⁶.

Always make sure to eat something before you drink alcohol, or at least have a few glasses of water.

Hangovers are not entirely because of dehydration. But since it causes dehydration, drinking water then and there will diminish a hangover.

Hangovers can cause fatigue, headache, extreme thirst, and a dry mouth, and drinking water is the ultimate solution, but drinking plenty of water always is always helpful.

2.4. Drinking Water leads to Weight Loss

Drinking water has always been considered the solution to everything; weight loss is among them. Drinking hot water should be the first thing in the morning to flush out toxins, giving an energy boost early in the morning.

Drinking water whenever you feel like a binge eating session arises helps with either eating less or nothing. It enables you to feel full, so you don’t tend to overeat.

While it can help you stay intuitive in your eating, it also helps in boosting your metabolism, aiding in healthy digestion.

3. Conclusion

Drinking water every day is vital. Drinking water before bed is also healthy if taken an hour or two before bed to keep you hydrated throughout the night.

Remember, individual water needs may vary depending on factors such as age, activity level, climate, and overall health. It’s generally recommended to drink around 8 cups (64 ounces or about 2 liters) of water per day, but adjusting intake based on personal circumstances is important

It is a good habit to cultivate, which also helps in being intuitive within yourself and stopping when you know.

FAQ

1. Lei, Jennifer, et al. “Dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (dHACM) allografts as a therapy for orthopedic tissue repair.” Techniques in Orthopaedics 32.3 (2017): 149-157. ↩︎
2. Killgore, William DS. “Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition.” Progress in brain research 185 (2010): 105-129. ↩︎
3. Weiss, Jeffrey P., and Jerry G. Blaivas. “Nocturia.” The Journal of urology 163.1 (2000): 5-12. ↩︎
4. Dews, P. B. “Caffeine.” Annual review of nutrition 2.1 (1982): 323-341. ↩︎
5. Camilleri, Michael, et al. “Chronic constipation.” Nature reviews Disease primers 3.1 (2017): 1-19. ↩︎
6. Riesenhuber, A., et al. “Diuretic potential of energy drinks.” Amino acids 31 (2006): 81-83. ↩︎

Last Updated on April 25, 2024 by laibaarif