The link between hydration & sleep

The link between hydration & sleep

If water is life, sleep is the divine. It’s easy to think of sleep and hydration as two separate needs: one tied to rest, the other thirst. But the two are deeply interconnected, shaping everything from how quickly we fall asleep to how refreshed we feel in the morning. Just as dehydration can disrupt sleep, poor sleep can impact the body’s ability to regulate fluids.

The connection between water and sleep

Because the human body is made up of more than 70% water depending on age, adequate hydration is critical for it to function: it helps lubricate the joints, digest food and absorb nutrients, and it also impacts sleep. Proper hydration helps support the production of melatonin and other sleep-regulating hormones. It is a core part of the body’s thermoregulation process, helping the body maintain its temperature while asleep. 

Good hydration helps our bodies run at their optimum–but if the human body begins to feel dehydrated, it can have both short-term and long-term consequences on an individual’s physical and cognitive health, ranging from dizziness, headaches and fatigue to impaired memory and concentration, to more serious issues like urinary tract infections and kidney stones. 

When the body is dehydrated, our sleep cycle can fall out of balance, resulting in poor-quality sleep. For example, one cross-cultural study of 20,000 people found that inadequate sleep increased the likelihood of dehydration the following day; participants who only slept for six hours were significantly more dehydrated than those who got eight hours of rest.

Should you drink water before sleeping?

Cutting back on coffee and alcohol, maintaining a consistent bedtime and ensuring you drink plenty of water before bed are all an important part of sleep hygiene: the set of habits and routines that can help promote a restful night’s sleep.  

Of course, drinking enough water to keep you hydrated while you sleep – without consuming so much water that you must frequent the bathroom – is a delicate balance. While pregnancy, age and medical conditions can impact the need to use the bathroom at night, the question remains: is it smart to drink water before you sleep? 

The short answer is yes. The long answer? Avoid going to bed dehydrated. Inadequate hydration before bed can prevent you from falling asleep, and can interrupt your sleep once you’ve dozed off, causing issues like a dry mouth, headaches or even muscle cramps and spasms. 

The key to staying hydrated throughout the night is to hydrate consistently during the day. To maintain good hydration means drinking water before you feel thirsty. 

As for how much we should drink each day, this can vary from person to person. While we get some of our water intake from foods, more than 80% comes from drinking fluids. The general consensus by experts is an adult human should drink around 8-10 cups of water per day.

While you should hydrate before bed, less ideal sources include fruit juice and soft drinks, which can include high levels of sugar, artificial additives, and preservatives. Coffee, beer, wine and spirits should also be avoided. These beverages are diuretics containing caffeine and alcohol, which increases urination and make you take multiple trips to the loo. The best source of hydration is always water.

The importance of drinking alkaline water

Because water is such an essential part of quality sleep, it’s important that you chose the right source of hydration. Alkaline water has a higher pH than regular tap water and is a prominent feature of zazen’s unique alkaline water filtration system, which offers delicious water, balanced with natural electrolytes and alkaline minerals. 

Alkaline water has been a continued topic of interest for many medical professionals, especially because of its potential links to sleep quality.

One Japanese study showed that adults who consumed Alkaline water had improved sleep quality; another study of post-menopausal women showed that drinking Alkaline water improved the duration of sleep. While research is ongoing, the key to a good night’s sleep could be the glass of water on the bedside table.