{"id":805,"date":"2020-03-19T16:52:07","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T16:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-386983-1216903.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=805"},"modified":"2023-10-23T09:46:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T16:46:04","slug":"should-you-drink-water-before-bed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/should-you-drink-water-before-bed","title":{"rendered":"Should You Drink Water Before Bed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"keytakeaway\" class=\"keytakeaway\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"title\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hydration Habits:<\/strong> While the common advice of drinking eight glasses of water daily has no clear scientific origin, men are recommended to consume 3.7 liters of water, and women are recommended to consume 2.7 liters. It&#8217;s crucial to recognize signs of dehydration and avoid excessive water intake close to bedtime to prevent sleep disruptions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Temperature of Water:<\/strong> The temperature of water you drink can have different effects on your body. Cold water is refreshing and aids in hydration, especially during exercise, while hot water is often used as a digestive aid. Drinking water at different temperatures can serve various purposes, but it&#8217;s important to consider personal preferences and specific health needs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sleep and Nocturia<\/strong>: Establishing a regular sleep schedule, creating a comfortable sleep environment, and investing in a quality mattress are essential for a good night&#8217;s rest. Nocturia, characterized by frequent nighttime urination, can be a symptom of an underlying health issue and may require specific treatment approaches such as limiting fluid intake before bedtime<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\n<p>You\u2019re ready to turn in for the night, but you feel a bit of dryness in your mouth and throat. Should you take a sip of water, or will that mean waking up in a couple of hours to use the restroom?<\/p>\n<p>If you can avoid drinking water before bed, it is recommended to do so. Sleep disruptions, even short bathroom breaks, limit the time spent in the deeper stages of sleep. It\u2019s better to hydrate yourself throughout the day and stop drinking water an hour before sleeping, rather than wake up multiple times throughout the night to use the bathroom.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Do We Drink Water?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/002471.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Every cell in the <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/002471.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">human body<\/a> needs\u00a0water to function optimally. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthywater\/drinking\/nutrition\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Our bodies use water<\/a> as a lubricant for our joints, as a cushion for the spine and sensitive tissues, and as a way to remove waste and excess salt through sweat, urine, and bowel movements. Drinking a glass of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/healthy-lifestyle\/nutrition-and-healthy-eating\/expert-answers\/digestion\/faq-20058348\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">water during or after a meal<\/a> can help your digestive system break down food further.<\/p>\n<p>The idea that water is a \u201cnatural cleanser\u201d and detoxes the body, however, is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2008\/04\/03\/89323934\/five-myths-about-drinking-water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">common myth<\/a>. It\u2019s the kidneys that filter out unwanted toxins from the body and send them to the bladder, but drinking more water doesn\u2019t necessarily improve your kidneys\u2019 function, if they are overburdened with toxins already. Drinking too much water can even hamper how well your kidneys work.<\/p>\n<p>While we get most of our water intake by drinking it, your body can draw water from many foods, such as soups and fruit like celery and melons. Around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nap.edu\/webcast\/webcast_detail.php?webcast_id=261\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">20 percent<\/a> of our daily fluid intake can come from food.<\/p>\n<h2>How Much Water Do You Need?<\/h2>\n<p>Recommendations for the amount of water we should drink have varied. The common advice to drink eight glasses a day has no real clear origin, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2008\/04\/03\/89323934\/five-myths-about-drinking-water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according to<\/a>\u00a0Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a kidney expert at the University of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nap.edu\/webcast\/webcast_detail.php?webcast_id=261\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recommend<\/a> men drink 125 ounces of water daily, and women drink 91 ounces of water\u2014or 3.7 liters and 2.7 liters, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>You <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthywater\/drinking\/nutrition\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">need to drink more water<\/a> if you\u2019re physically active, live in a hot climate, are sick with a fever, or are vomiting. If needed, carry around a refillable water bottle and consult your doctor, healthcare practitioner, nutritionist or registered dietitian on how much water to drink.<\/p>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t had enough water to drink, you may feel lightheaded, dizzy, experience headaches or a dry mouth, or feel your breathing and heart rate speed up.<\/p>\n<p>Also, watch how often you need to go to the bathroom. Most people need to visit the restroom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bladderandbowel.org\/bladder\/bladder-conditions-and-symptoms\/frequency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">6 to 7 times<\/a> every 24 hours, although 4 to 10 times a day isn\u2019t abnormal. If you\u2019re unhappy with how often you need to use the restroom or it\u2019s affecting your everyday life, we suggest talking with your doctor about your concerns.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Brittany Ford, RHN, \u201cIf you wake up throughout the night to use the bathroom, limiting water consumption before bed is advised. Try having your last glass at least an hour before going to bed. If you are super thirsty before bed, a few sips of water won\u2019t hurt, just try not to consume more than a couple of ounces. Drinking more throughout the day may help with the feeling of being extra thirsty at night. As always, opt for filtered, room temperature water and avoid adding any extra powders or mixes, especially before going to bed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What Temperature of Water Should I Drink?<\/h2>\n<p>Many of us find ice-cold water refreshing. However, is that the best temperature of water to drink?<\/p>\n<p>Drinking cold water might be the best way to rehydrate while exercising. A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3762624\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2013 study<\/a> found that participants sweat less when they drank cold water (5 degrees Celsius, or 41 degrees Fahrenheit) than when they drank cool, tepid, or warm water.<\/p>\n<p>Drinking hot water, however, is a common household remedy for improving digestion. Many also recommend drinking a glass in the morning.<\/p>\n<h2>Does It Have to Be Water?<\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to only drink water to replenish liquids in your body. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/staying-healthy\/how-much-water-should-you-drink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Any beverage with water<\/a>\u00a0helps you meet your required daily intake.<\/p>\n<p>Still, there are health benefits to drinking water instead of another beverage. Sweet drinks like soda and even sports drinks have extra calories and sugar that can lead to weight gain. As well, having drinks with caffeine in them too close to bedtime can interfere with your <a href=\"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/how-to-fix-your-sleep-schedule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sleep schedule<\/a>, causing sleep deprivation.<\/p>\n<p>There is evidence regular water can help you lose extra weight. A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/jhn.12368\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2016 study<\/a>\u00a0found that participants who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/big-benefits-plain-water-201605269675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">drank more water<\/a>\u00a0took in less saturated fat, sugar, salt, and cholesterol.<\/p>\n<p>And try to stick to plain water\u2014sure, getting your daily recommended dose of Vitamin C and other minerals from vitamin-infused water sounds nice, but the sugar inside these drinks, however, can negatively impact your health.<\/p>\n<h2>Nocturia: Causes and Treatment<\/h2>\n<p>If you need to get up more than once a night to use the restroom, you may have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3602727\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">nocturia<\/a>. Around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urologyhealth.org\/urologic-conditions\/nocturia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a third of adults older than 30<\/a>\u00a0have nocturia.<\/p>\n<p>While drinking too much before bedtime can cause nocturia, it can also be a symptom of an underlying health issue such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Diabetes<\/li>\n<li>Heart disease<\/li>\n<li>Sleep disorders, like insomnia or sleep apnea<\/li>\n<li>Menopause<\/li>\n<li>Restless legs syndrome<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Treatment for nocturia includes limiting fluid intake two to four hours before bedtime, elevating your legs to redistribute fluids in your bloodstream and decrease the need to urinate, and taking any diuretics at least six hours before bedtime.<\/p>\n<h2>Tips to Sleep Better<\/h2>\n<p>The average person needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep; if you\u2019re an athlete, you may need 10 hours to spend more time in the recovery stages of your sleep cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Not getting enough <a href=\"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/why-does-a-lack-of-sleep-affect-performance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sleep affects your performance<\/a>, such as slowed reaction time and decreased alertness. Sleep deprivation has been linked to <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28164452\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">obesity<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29982098\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">increased stress<\/a>, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29348984\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">less active immune system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you have trouble getting a full night\u2019s rest, establish a bedtime and wake-up time routine. Stick to your schedule even on the weekend, since sleeping in can disrupt your routine. A good sign you\u2019ve slept enough is waking up before your alarm the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t neglect to set up your bedroom for better sleep. Keep it dark with blackout curtains and eye masks, and set the thermostat between\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/healthysleep.med.harvard.edu\/healthy\/getting\/overcoming\/tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And make sure you\u2019re sleeping on a quality bed! The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/best-mattress-under-1000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">best mattresses<\/a>\u00a0contour to your body for pressure relief while providing back and head support.<br \/>\n\n\n\t<section class=\"faq-wrap\">\n\t\t<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"accordion-box\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"accordion\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"accordion-inside\">\n\t\t\t\t\t   \t<h3 class=\"faq-head toggle\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\">Does dehydration affect sleep?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t      \t<p>If you\u2019re dehydrated, you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/sleep-disorders\/features\/easy-snoring-remedies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">more likely to snore<\/a>\u00a0since your mucus becomes stickier and can clog up your mouth and throat.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"accordion-inside\">\n\t\t\t\t\t   \t<h3 class=\"faq-head toggle\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\">How do I know if I\u2019m drinking enough water?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t      \t<p>The simplest way to tell if you\u2019re drinking enough water is by looking at your urine\u2014clear to pale yellow is good, dark yellow with a strong smell means you need to drink more water. Signs you haven\u2019t had enough water include dry mouth, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, sped-up breathing, and increased heart rate.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<\/section>\n\n\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n\t{\n\t\t\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t\t\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\n\t\t\"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Does dehydration affect sleep?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"If you\\u2019re dehydrated, you\\u2019re <a href=\\\"https:\\\/\\\/www.webmd.com\\\/sleep-disorders\\\/features\\\/easy-snoring-remedies\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener noreferrer\\\">more likely to snore<\\\/a>\\u00a0since your mucus becomes stickier and can clog up your mouth and throat.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How do I know if I\\u2019m drinking enough water?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The simplest way to tell if you\\u2019re drinking enough water is by looking at your urine\\u2014clear to pale yellow is good, dark yellow with a strong smell means you need to drink more water. Signs you haven\\u2019t had enough water include dry mouth, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, sped-up breathing, and increased heart rate.\"}}]\t}\n\t<\/script>\n\n\n<h2>Did We Help?<\/h2>\n<p>While it\u2019s important to remain hydrated for a good night\u2019s sleep, it\u2019s best to limit how much water you drink before bedtime. Instead, make sure to drink plenty of water during the day. If you wake up twice or more a night to urinate, you may have nocturia and should speak to your doctor about possible causes and treatments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re ready to turn in for the night, but you feel a bit of dryness&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/water-before-bed.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=805"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9690,"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805\/revisions\/9690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zomasleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}