Does Drinking Water Help You Sleep?

It is no secret that drinking water is important for our bodies to function. However, how does staying hydrated impact our sleep? While some worry that drinking too much water can negatively impact our sleep, studies show that staying hydrated can not only help you sleep better, it can also improve your health.

In this blog, we will discuss how our body loses water during sleep, the benefits of drinking water before bed, and how staying hydrated during the day can help us fall asleep.

How Our Body Loses Water During Sleep

Although we are not awake, our body loses water as we sleep. While excessive water intake may increase urination at night and disrupt our sleep, drinking a glass of water before bed can help us wake up less dehydrated and more ready for the day.

Common ways the we lose water while sleeping include:

• Snoring. People who breathe through their mouths during sleep and those with sleep apnea lose more fluids in the night than those who breathe through their noses while sleeping.
• An overly hot or dry bedroom. While asleep, you may not even be aware that your environment is making you sweat. But your body is—and that extra perspiration means extra fluid loss.
• A late exercise routine. An intense workout late in the evening or right before bed without enough hydration can mean waking the next morning dehydrated, as you couldn’t “listen” to your natural thirst response while you were asleep.
• Lowered estrogen levels. For women in menopause or a specifc period during the menstruation cycle, your chance of dehydration rises. The hormone estrogen is linked to the body’s ability to retain fluids, during both day and night.
• Menopause. Additionally, women going through menopause are likely be become dehydrated. The addition of night sweats, severe hot flashes that can drench your pajamas and sheets, can increase the amount of water you lose during sleep.
• Medication side effects. Certain categories of medications are associated with dehydration at night, including antidepressants, antihistamines, as well as various blood pressure and heart disease medicines.

Sleep Deprivation and Dehydration

According to a study published by Penn State, adults who regularly slept six hours or less per night were 16-59% more likely to be dehydrated than those who got eight or more hours of sleep.

Researchers think that a hormone known as vasopressin, which helps regulate the body’s fluid balance, may be the link between sleep and dehydration. While vasopressin is released during both day and night, it’s known to increase during our sleep.

In particular, more vasopressin is released during the late stages of our sleep cycle. So if someone isn’t getting those last precious hours of sleep, their body’s fluid balance gets disrupted. This can lead to dehydration and bring down the rest of our day.

Benefits of Drinking Water Before Bed

In addition to preparing our body for the fluids it will lose during sleep, drinking water before we go to bed has several key benefits that not only improve sleep quality, but how we feel when we wake up.

Feel Sleepier

Water aids in many essential body functions, including temperature regulation. Research shows that our core body temperature can be a key factor in inducing sleepiness. When we go to bed hydrated, our core temperate is better regulated and we are more likely to feel sleepy.

Improve Mood

Drinking water before bed can have an enormous effect on our mood and energy level. Studies have shown that people who drink more water can feel more positive emotions when they awoke from sleep. Not only did participants report being more calm, they also felt less fatigue, confusion, thirst, and tended to be less sleepy after waking.

Reduce Muscle Cramps

Another way that drinking water can help you sleep better is by preventing night-time muscle cramps. Muscle cramps are often caused by dehydration and can be extremely painful. Drinking water during the day can help to prevent these cramps from occurring at night

Less Headaches

Headaches can make it difficult to fall asleep and can also lead to restless nights. Staying hydrated helps to prevent headaches and migraines. Drinking plenty of water can help to keep headaches at bay.

Drinking Water During the Day Improves Sleep

While there are many sleep benefits to drinking water and staying hydrated before bed, dramatically increasing your fluid intake before bed can be a problem. Drinking too much water will increase urination and cause you to make more trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Instead of drinking a large amount of water right before your bedtime, opt for drinking more water throughout the day. Not only will this help you reap the benefits of drinking water before bed, it will also help prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night.

Staying Hydrated With Dripdrop

Regardless of the source of your nighttime dehydration, there’s a simple way to get those fluid levels back to where you need them for the day ahead. DripDrop provides dehydration relief fast in delicious flavors - both hot and cold - and will help restore your fluid balance after a dehydrating night.

To stay better hydrated, try Dripdrop. A perfect blend of electrolytes and vitamins, Dripdrop is a hydration powder with a precise formula that promotes rapid hydration. Tasty and low in sugars, Dripdrop will keep you hydrated before bed.

Get started with our most popular multi-flavor pouch of electrolyte powder for dehydration relief fast. Or, learn more about how you can save up to 25% on every purchase when you subscribe.