Why Is it Important to Drink Water Before You Go to Sleep?

Drinking water is vital to having a healthy body. Your body is approximately 60 percent water. You use water to flush toxins out of your body, to transport nutrients to your cells and to keep the tissues of your nose, throat and ears sufficiently moist. Drinking water throughout the day is ideal, but there may be reasons to drink water before you go to sleep.

Taking time to drink some water when you get home after a night of heavy drinking may prevent a hangover. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it makes you urinate more, which increases your chances of becoming dehydrated. Drinking two to three glasses of water before you attempt to sleep it off can prevent dehydration, plus headaches and achiness, according to Go Ask Alice, a service of Columbia University. Limiting your alcohol intake to three to four drinks within a 24-hour time frame, avoiding mixing liquors and eating before you drink and with drinks can also help you prevent hangovers.

Dehydration can make you feel drained and tired, but not in a way that helps you sleep. Drinking water throughout the day replenishes the water your body loses through sweat, urination and bowel movements. Breathing also causes you to lose water. Feeling thirsty indicates that you are already on your way to becoming dehydrated. If you are thirsty at night, it means your body needs water, and you should not put it off until morning. The exact amount of water each person needs per day to prevent dehydration is unique. A general rule of thumb is to drink eight to nine cups per day, but your doctor can best advise you.

Many people like to work out at night. Your body's need for water increases during and after workouts. Drink water after workouts to rehydrate and re-energize. Go Ask Alice recommends 8 ounces of water within 30 minutes of finishing a workout, but that is assuming you drank sufficient water before and during your workout. Generally, you should drink 8 ounces of water during your warm up and every 10 to 20 minutes while exercising. So even if you just want to go to sleep, drink some water first.

Drinking a glass of water or warm milk may help soothe you to sleep, according to Dr. Oz, though water is preferable. However, drinking water right before bed may cause you to wake up to urinate during the night, possibly more than once. This could prevent you from getting enough rest to function optimally the next day. If you find this to be a problem, drink enough water throughout the day up until two hours before bedtime so that you are already well hydrated when it is time to go to bed. Then, drink a full glass of water first thing in the morning.

Article reviewed by J. Betherman

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