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Everybody knows that we feel better during the day if we keep our hydration levels up, but have you ever considered how it might affect you while you sleep?
If you don’t drink enough water during the day it can significantly affect the way you function and feel. A lack of fluids can make you feel lethargic and even frustrated – leaving you completely off your game. Our hydration levels also affect our quality of sleep. In actual fact, hydration plays a vital role in how well we sleep at night. If you haven’t drunk enough water during the day it could result in a terrible nights sleep for you. When you don’t sleep well, it leaves you with similar feelings of being unable to function during the day – and thus a vicious circle is created.
If you feel sluggish and irritated for no good reason when you wake up in the morning it might well because you’re dehydrated before you sleep. It really can disrupt your quality of sleep more than anyone realises. If that sounds like you, then increasing your water intake might just be the answer to your sleep issues. Try increasing your intake to the recommended levels for 2 weeks and just see the difference it makes to the way you feel.
What are the common symptoms of dehydration?
If you’re even slightly dehydrated it can cause the mouth and nasal passages to become dry. This gives you a parched throat and causes snoring, which further disrupts your sleep (and your partners!) Just breathing in our sleep causes us to lose body fluids and leads to dryness. Breathing through your mouth rather than your nose leads to additional dryness.
If you ever wake in the night with cramps in your legs, this could also be due to dehydration. Cramping disturbs your sleep and keeps you awake. And we all know a broken nights sleep leaves you feeling terrible in the morning.
Gout is caused by crystalized uric acid crystals in the joints. It particularly attacks the big toe. It’s super painful and if you have an attack at night it’s sure to keep you up. The risk rises at night and in the early morning. Dehydration can lead to gout, as it prevents the flushing out of uric acid in the urine.
The brain, like every other organ, needs water to function. Therefore, a lack of water can affect your cognitive function. The body and brain detoxify at night and water is necessary for this process. Sleeping whilst dehydrated has been scientifically proven to affect the detoxification process, which could easily cause some of the mental effects of sleep deprivation you experience the following day.
If you want to wake up feeling rested and refreshed then you need to do more than just guzzle a bottle of water before going to bed. There are a few things you can do to ensure you stay properly hydrated throughout the day and get that quality shut-eye we all crave.
Tips for staying hydrated
Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning. As mentioned, we lose a significant amount of water when we sleep through respiration, so it’s important to immediately replace that when we wake up. Starting your day with a delicious, ice-cold glass of water can help to motivate you to keep up with your hydration needs throughout the day.
Spread your fluid intake throughout the day to maximise the odds of sleeping soundly at night. If you wait until bedtime, you’ll probably be setting yourself up for multiple night time bathroom trips. This will make it difficult to achieve quality sleep and tougher to wake up in the morning.
If you want a restful sleep, avoid drinking caffeine as much as you can. Caffeine should be avoided particularly before bed. It is a stimulant which interferes with sleep and it also dehydrates you. A cup of coffee before bed is a recipe for disaster!
Eating foods with a high water content is a great way to maintain an appropriate level of hydration. Many veggies and fruits have a high H2O content, including watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, celery, oranges and spinach.
Consider a counter top water cooler in your home or office. Don’t we all prefer our water chilled? A water cooler is a great way to improve your fluid intake, as you have easy access to deliciously chilled water whenever you want it. Give us a call at Cooleraid today if you’d like to discuss your options. Start your journey towards better sleep today!
