Hydration, Sleep and Wellness
We all know we should drink water. But why is it important? How much water should you actually drink? And does hydration really impact sleep?
We’re exploring everything related to water consumption, hydration and sleep. First, let’s get the 411 on what hydration is and why it really matters.
If you want to jump to the part about hydration and sleep, click here.
BUT FIRST: Get a glass of water to sip on while you read.
Importance of hydration to wellness
Water is essential to our bodies functioning as they should. It does a LOT of stuff for us like:
Regulating body temperature
Keeping joints lubricated
Maintain cell and organ health
Flush toxins out of your system
Make skin, hair and nails healthier
Maintains proper bowel movement
Help maintain a healthy weight
So much of our body’s health relies on water. So, water, really, IS wellness in a sense. Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to keep your body healthy. . . Aside from sleeping at night.
Facts about hydration and wellness
Did you know…
Blood is more than 90% water
Adult humans are more than 60% water
You actually can drink too much water (hyponatremia or water toxicity)
20% of your daily water intake can take place through food consumption
UrineColors.com is a handy website that looks at what we can learn about our health from our urine. Their guide on hydration and urine colour is super handy.
How much water should you drink
This is the universal question. It used to be 8 cups of water. Then it was, “whenever you’re thirsty”. Others think you should sip water often throughout the day, regardless of whether you’re thirsty or not.
In reality, a lot of factors impact how much water you should drink. Things like:
How hot it is and how much fluid you are losing to sweat
How active you are throughout the day
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding
What medications you are taking or other health conditions you have
If you’re consuming liquids in other forms like fruits or vegetables
As a general rule, try to drink at least 6 - 8 cups a day just to make sure. The best way to tell if you’re properly hydrated? Monitor your urine. The colour can tell you everything you need to know.
Telling your hydration levels from your urine
The urine of a hydrated person is clear, not foggy, and will be more clear than yellow. Completely clear urine is a sign you could be drinking too much. Urine that is yellow could be a sign you are dehydrated. If your urine is very dark and has a strong odor, you are most likely dehydrated and need to drink more water.
If you’re concerned about your water consumption and hydration levels, reach out to your doctor.
Is sparkling water hydrating?
Yes! Sparkling water is a great alternative to replace pops and sugary drinks with. The bubbles come from carbonation but do not impact the hydration abilities of the water itself. So, drinking sparkling water is a way to stay hydrated.
But what does all of this mean for sleep?
Hydration and sleep
Hydration impacts sleep in three main buckets: When you are hydrated properly, when you are dehydrated and when you are over hydrated. Each of these has its own impacts, pros and cons. Looking at hydration and sleep in these three buckets is the easiest way to help you understand the impact that water consumption has on sleep.
Being too hydrated
One of the biggest ways that being too hydrated can impact your sleep is waking up to use the bathroom. Frequent urination and waking up at night (nocturia) is especially challenging for sleep quality if you struggle to fall asleep in the first place.
The best way to avoid waking up to use the bathroom is to stop drinking water two hours before bed. Make sure you use the washroom right before bed as well.
Being dehydrated
Dehydration can increase your risk of insomnia by reducing the level of melatonin your body releases. Chronic dehydration can actually throw off your sleep cycle, making it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Being dehydrated can impact your sleep by causing headaches, muscle spasms and cramps – all of which can make it hard to fall asleep.
Dehydration also leads to:
Daytime sleepiness
Fatigue
Lightheadedness
Dry mouth, lips and eyes
Feeling thirsty
Uncomfortable days can lead to restless nights. Restless nights lead to more dehydration.
Like most things when it comes to sleep, dehydration and sleep can lead to a vicious cycle where nothing breaks until something changes. The best way to break this cycle? Increase your water consumption and pay attention to your sleep habits..
Chronic dehydration
If you have moderate to serious dehydration symptoms, you need to seek medical help because IV fluids may be needed to rehydrate you. These symptoms can look like:
Confusion
Dry and sunken eyes
Muscle cramps
Loss of skin elasticity
How sleep impacts hydration
The relationship is in fact a two way street. The same way that how much you drink impacts how you sleep, the quality of your sleep impacts your state of hydration.
A study of about 20,000 people in the USA and China found that those who slept 6 hours or less a night were more dehydrated than those who slept 8. They’re not sure why this is, but there is one thing that stands out as a potential cause:
We lose a bunch of water naturally while we sleep.
The average person loses about 300 - 400 ML of water a day by breathing (numbers change depending on if you breathe through your nose or mouth). At a certain point in your sleep cycle, your body produces a hormone called vasopressin which promotes water retention and helps to balance water levels in your body.
If you’re cutting off your sleep, waking up, interrupting this natural hormone occurrence and not drinking enough water, it could result in higher levels of dehydration. Especially if this cycle continues and becomes a chronic condition. Dehydration drives further dehydration.
This example is just one more amazing case of our bodies doing amazing things while we sleep.
Top tips to get hydrated before bed
We found this bottle on Amazon.
Obviously you can’t drink water while you sleep, so good hydration depends on practicing proper water habits throughout the day. Here are our top tips to keep hydrated.
1. Drink Water
This may seem obvious, but water for many of us is not a go-to beverage. People move from coffee, to a second coffee, to pop, to iced coffee, to wine, to tea, to bed. Simply drinking a glass of water before your coffee and with your lunch and dinner can really up your hydration.
In fact, many people keep a glass of water by their bed at night, not to drink during the night, but to drink first thing in the morning. It can help wake you up, too.
2. Opt for a water bottle instead of glasses
Water bottles that are filled at the beginning of the day act as a great visual reminder of how much water you’ve had that day. Filling glass by glass can make to harder to track. There are even water bottles with reminders on it to have drunk X amount by a certain time of day.
3. Get water from other sources
Water is found in vegetables and fruits. Eating a diet high in these foods can increase your water intake without you even knowing.
Some great foods for hydration are:
Celery
Cucumbers
Strawberries
Spinach
Watermelon
Grapefruits
Eat well and hydrate!
Conclusion: Hydration and sleep are best friends
Believe it or not, your water consumption and your sleep habits go hand in hand. So, drink water, get proper rest and sleep well. Your entire body will thank you.