You want to do everything you can to be as healthy as possible. This is why you make sleep, nutrition, and exercise a priority in your life. In order to do so, you’ve outfitted your bed with a supportive and high-quality mattress, as well as breathable sheets and a comfortable pillow that cradles your head and neck properly. Others may have more individual needs, like an adjustable bed base or weighted blanket. Is that it, though? Is a comfortable sleep system the only thing you need to sleep well and be healthy?
Not quite. You also need to consider your bedtime routine. Beyond avoiding screen time and reading a good book instead, you should pay attention to what you’re consuming close to bedtime. Obviously, you would never drink a big cup of coffee and then try to sleep. Is there anything you should drink? Should you drink water before bed?
4 Benefits of Drinking Water Before Bed
Should you drink water before bed? This question has been asked many times before. The truth is that there is no clear-cut answer. However, there are a few things you should know about staying hydrated throughout the night in order to get the best sleep possible.
You’ll keep yourself hydrated.
Dr. Michael Breus of The Sleep Doctor points out that we lose roughly one liter of water per night just from breathing. Staying hydrated is crucial to functioning properly throughout the day. Instead of downing a liter of water right before you climb into bed, it’s best to drink water regularly throughout the day and to avoid dehydrating fluids such as alcohol. While a glass of red wine before bed may make you sleepy, alcohol can make you become dehydrated. Swap it for some water and you’ll be doing your body a big favor.
Your body needs water.
There are quite a few health benefits associated with drinking water before bed. Doing so aids in weight loss, improves your mood, cleanses your body, and fends off headaches.
It replaces the water you lose through sweat.
Many people sweat when they sleep. Sweating leads to dehydration if you’re not replacing it with new water. If you find you’re losing too much water from sweating more than you should, you may want to consider sleep products, like a cooling mattress, made especially for hot sleepers.
It can improve your mood.
According to a 2014 study, water deprivation can negatively impact your mood, which could affect your overall sleep-wake cycle. The study examined both high and low fluid volume intake subjects. People who normally drank a lot of water weren’t as calm and didn’t feel as many positive emotions when they couldn’t drink as much as they normally did. Those with a low fluid intake showed an increase in positive emotion, satisfaction, and calmness when they increased their water intake.
A Few Healthy Options
Who says a glass of water before bed has to be bland and boring? Drinking hot water has many proven health benefits, including relaxation and improved digestion. Drinking hot water before sleep aids your digestion by breaking food down easier and reducing constipation and bloating. A glass of hot water before bed expands your blood vessels, which helps with circulation. This will help relax your muscles and fight off Restless Legs Syndrome, which allows you to fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer.
Go ahead and put a lemon in it! Lemon water before bed tastes great and offers all of the same benefits, plus more! It also improves your skin quality, aids in weight loss, adds much-needed Vitamin C to your diet, and prevents kidney stones.
One Last Thing...
Sleep is absolutely vital to good health! While drinking water before bed may be healthy, having your sleep disrupted certainly is not. Have you heard the phrase “too much of a good thing''?” Don’t drink so much water that you need to wake up multiple times throughout the night to use the restroom. Nocturia is the increased need to urinate at night. When a person’s sleep is disturbed by Nocturia, it can have a significant impact on their quality of life. This interrupted sleep is not the same thing as eight full hours of sleep, because you’ll be stopping your sleep cycle.
Rather than drinking a glass of water right before you shut the lights off, drink a glass an hour or two beforehand, in addition to throughout the day. Just before you decide to call it a night, go to the bathroom one final time. You should be ready to sleep deeply, all night long.
Drinking water at night has many proven health benefits that can improve your daily life in more ways than one. If you’re ready to sleep better and wake up feeling fantastic, drinking the right amount of water throughout the day and evening will make this possible. Your body needs water!