How Good Is Drinking Water Before Bed For You?

Why You Should Drink Water Before Bed

Breathing, sweating, and even getting up to urinate in the middle of the night all contribute to fluid loss. The problem arises when you drink too much water, especially right before bed. It could easily lead to frequent mid-night trips to the restroom, and the sleep interruption can wreak havoc on one’s health.

As people get older, they could also suffer from conditions that make having to get up to go to the bathroom more likely. For example, an overactive bladder, diabetes, and even certain medications can affect making one need to use the restroom at night. If you experience these disruptions, it may be best to consume your last glass of H2O a few hours before bedtime.

However, drinking plenty of fluid is still essential for your health.

Correlation Between Water & Sleep Deprivation

The primary correlation between water and sleep deprivation is that drinking too much water before bed can make you get up to use the bathroom. Any kind of disrupted sleep is not only annoying but can impair your sleep cycle, making you feel less rested in the morning. There is a scientific classification for these occurrences called “nocturia”^[3].

Getting up multiple times in the same night is likely to yield less than seven to nine hours of shuteye, which experts commonly recommend. If sleep disruptions^[4] become habitual, people can be at a higher risk of the following:

• Weight gain and obesity
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• High cholesterol

Get More Info: How Much Sleep Do I Need?

Pros & Cons

The benefits of water significantly outweigh the negatives, and it’s helpful to be aware of how it affects our bodies.

Pros

Mood Improvement

H2O can have a surprising effect on your mood. It turns out that as little as a 1.5 percent loss of fluid^[5] can result in fatigue, anxiety, mood changes, headaches, lack of motivation, and difficulty concentrating. By the time your body feels thirsty, you may have already lost up to two percent of bodily fluids, suggesting that staying hydrated regularly could be considerably pertinent to our mental hygiene.

Detoxifier

The body uses water to transport waste, and the liver and kidneys especially need liquid to flush away toxins. When you become dehydrated, the body extracts liquid from the colon and intestines, making digestion and bowel movements (another detoxifying activity) problematic.

Prevents Headaches

Staying hydrated^[6] can help to prevent headaches and can even lessen the frequency of migraines. In addition, keeping a water bottle nearby could help you keep headaches and pain at bay, thus positively increasing your mood and health.

Aids Weight Loss

Drinking adequate amount of water can be one of the easiest ways to keep yourself at a healthy weight. Water often helps for a few reasons:

1. Filling up on fluids suppresses appetite.
2. Research suggests plenty of liquids boosts metabolism^[7].
3. Not drinking enough water may cause the body to hold onto water for survival, resulting in bloating and a puffy appearance. By staying hydrated, your body can maintain a healthy balance of fluids.

Cons

Nocturia

Waking up in the middle of the night with the urge to pee can be classified as a condition known as nocturia. Interrupted and fragmented sleep has been tied to morning fatigue and can result in sleep deprivation, which can affect our mental health and overall immunity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is drinking hot water and lemon good before sleep?

Drinking warm water with lemon can be excellent for sleep. In addition to hydrating the body and providing an extra dose of vitamin C, lemon juice is acidic, which aids in digestion^[16]. Digestion is essential when you’re trying to get some rest, especially if you’ve indulged in a heavy meal or spicy foods.

As a precaution, make sure you brush your teeth after consuming this concoction. The acid from the lemon can erode tooth enamel, so rinsing it off can help prevent erosion of your enamel while you sleep.

Is too much water bad for my kidneys?

Lots of water is good for your body, within reason. The kidneys require H2O to function because they remove waste from the body. However, they also remove extra water, so if you’re drinking too much, you could be working your kidneys over time, which could translate into additional bathroom breaks.

In rare instances, drinking too much water can dilute the sodium levels in your blood, which can cause a life-threatening condition known as hyponatremia^[17]. However, the condition is typically only seen in endurance athletes like marathoners.