9 Best Times To Drink Water

Dr. Ankit Sharma, PhD

Best Times To Drink Water

Every cell in our body needs water, which is essential for the function of our heart, lungs, brain, and digestion. It is advised to take your body weight in pounds (lb), divide that amount by half, and then drink that many ounces (oz) of fluids, including water, each day (if you weigh 140 lb, that’s 70 oz of fluids, which is the equivalent of nearly 9 cups of fluids), and know the best times to drink water.

This also depends on your level of activity, whether you’re in the heat, and whether you’re pregnant, nursing, or ill, all of which necessitate that you increase your fluid intake. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommend that men consume at least 13 cups of fluids per day, and women should aim for 9 cups of fluids or more.

When Should You Drink Water?

Best Times To Drink Water

1. First Thing In The Morning

One of the best times to drink water is immediately upon waking up. After a full night of sleep, your body is naturally dehydrated because it has gone without water for several hours. Drinking water first thing in the morning is essential to jump-start your metabolism, rehydrate your body, and restore your energy levels.

Upon waking, the body enters a state of minor dehydration due to the long period without water intake. This dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, and difficulty focusing. Drinking water can alleviate these symptoms and ensure that your body’s cells function optimally.

Drinking water in the morning also aids in flushing out toxins that have built up overnight, promoting a healthy digestive system. Furthermore, it can kick-start the body’s metabolism, helping you burn calories more efficiently throughout the day.

For those seeking to improve their skin health, drinking water in the morning is beneficial. It helps hydrate the skin from within, reducing the appearance of dryness and dullness. Additionally, it can help maintain healthy kidney function by flushing out waste products from the body.

2. Before Meals

Drinking water before meals has a significant impact on digestion, appetite control, and overall meal satisfaction. It helps prepare the stomach for digestion and enhances the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. By hydrating before eating, you also optimize the function of the digestive enzymes in the stomach, aiding in the breakdown of food.

In addition to supporting digestion, drinking water before meals can help control hunger. For those trying to lose weight, it can reduce the sensation of hunger and prevent overeating. Water creates a feeling of fullness, which can reduce portion sizes and help manage calorie intake.

Research has shown that drinking about 500 milliliters of water before meals can significantly aid in weight loss by promoting satiety and reducing food intake. Moreover, drinking water before meals ensures that the body is adequately hydrated while processing food. Dehydration can slow down digestion and cause discomfort, such as bloating and indigestion.

By drinking water beforehand, you reduce the likelihood of digestive issues, ensuring that your body can efficiently break down food and absorb nutrients.

3. During Physical Activity and Workouts

Hydration is particularly crucial during physical activity. Whether you’re engaging in light exercise or intense workouts, your body loses water through sweat, which needs to be replenished. Knowing the drinking water at the right time during exercise helps regulate body temperature, lubricate joints, and maintain energy levels.

When you exercise, your muscles generate heat, which causes sweating to cool the body down. As you sweat, you lose not just water but also essential electrolytes, which are vital for muscle function. Drinking water during exercise ensures that the body maintains its fluid balance, preventing dehydration that could impair physical performance.

For endurance athletes or individuals engaging in long workouts, drinking water at regular intervals is essential to prevent dehydration. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, cramps, dizziness, and impaired concentration. Keeping hydrated throughout a workout can help maintain focus and stamina, allowing you to perform at your best.

If you’re engaging in more intense exercise, consider incorporating an electrolyte drink to replenish lost minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. For most workouts, however, plain water is sufficient to keep you hydrated.

4. After Meals

Drinking water after meals aids digestion by helping the body break down food more efficiently. It also plays a role in absorbing nutrients and flushing out waste products. While it’s important to drink water before meals, drinking a small amount of water after eating ensures that the digestive process continues smoothly.

One common misconception is that drinking water immediately after a meal can dilute digestive juices and hinder digestion. In reality, drinking a moderate amount of water after eating can assist the digestive process by softening food and making it easier for the stomach to break it down. It also promotes the absorption of nutrients and helps move food through the digestive tract.

Additionally, drinking water after meals helps maintain hydration levels, especially after consuming salty or spicy foods. Water acts as a neutralizer for the high sodium levels in food and helps regulate the body’s internal fluid balance.

5. Before Bedtime

Though it is one of the best times to drink water, drinking water before bed may seem counterintuitive, as many people worry it will cause them to wake up frequently during the night to use the bathroom.

However, consuming water in moderation before bed can be highly beneficial for your health. The body continues to lose water through sweat and respiration while you sleep, and staying hydrated ensures that you wake up feeling refreshed and energized.

Drinking a small amount of water before bed can also help prevent dehydration, which can lead to morning headaches and a dry mouth. For individuals who suffer from dry skin, drinking water before sleep helps hydrate the body, reducing the chances of waking up with irritated or flaky skin.

However, it is important to drink only a small amount of water before bed, as overhydration can disrupt your sleep cycle. Consuming too much water may lead to frequent bathroom trips during the night, which can interfere with rest. The key is to find the right balance that keeps you hydrated without disrupting your sleep.

6. When You Feel Hungry Between Meals

One of the best ways to drink water at the right time is when you’re feeling hungry between meals. Often, what we interpret as hunger is the body signaling dehydration. Drinking a glass of water can help curb this “hunger” and prevent overeating.

When you feel hungry, it’s easy to reach for a snack or an unhealthy food option. However, drinking water first can help fill your stomach and alleviate cravings. Sometimes, the body’s thirst signals are misinterpreted as hunger, and hydrating can help reduce unnecessary snacking.

Moreover, drinking water can help stabilize blood sugar levels, preventing the energy dips that often lead to unhealthy cravings. When you’re properly hydrated, your body can more effectively regulate hunger hormones, making it easier to make healthier food choices.

7. When You Wake Up During the Night

While it’s generally not recommended to drink large quantities of water right before bed, waking up during the night feeling thirsty is a common sign of dehydration. If you wake up during the night, it’s important to drink water to rehydrate your body.

Dehydration during sleep can lead to symptoms like dry mouth, headaches, and dizziness. Drinking a small glass of water when you wake up can help alleviate these symptoms and restore hydration levels. Additionally, hydrating in the middle of the night can prevent you from waking up feeling sluggish and dehydrated in the morning.

It’s important not to overdo it when drinking water during the night. Consuming too much liquid could disrupt your sleep further by causing frequent bathroom trips. Stick to a moderate amount of water, just enough to quench your thirst.

8. When You’re Feeling Fatigued or Lacking Energy

If you’re feeling sluggish, fatigued, or mentally foggy, dehydration could be the underlying cause. When the body is dehydrated, it can lead to decreased energy levels and impaired cognitive function. Drinking water during times of fatigue can help restore both physical and mental energy.

Hydration has a direct impact on the body’s energy production and cognitive processes. When the body is properly hydrated, blood flow improves, and oxygen reaches your muscles and brain more efficiently. This results in better performance and increased focus.

Drinking water during periods of fatigue also helps prevent dehydration-induced headaches and muscle cramps, both of which can further exacerbate tiredness. If you find yourself feeling tired during the day, consider reaching for a glass of water before you opt for a cup of coffee or an energy drink. Water is a natural and healthy way to combat fatigue.

9. When You’re Sick or Experiencing Digestive Issues

During illness, hydration becomes even more important. Whether you’re battling a cold, flu, or digestive issues, drinking water can aid in recovery. When you’re sick, the body loses fluids more quickly, so maintaining hydration helps speed up the healing process.

Drinking water helps loosen mucus and keeps the respiratory system clear, which can alleviate symptoms of a cold or flu. For digestive issues such as constipation or bloating, drinking water can help alleviate discomfort and regulate bowel movements.

In addition to plain water, you can incorporate hydration strategies like herbal teas or electrolyte drinks when you’re sick. These drinks can provide additional support for the body’s immune system and assist in fluid retention.

How To Make A Water Habit Happen

Be aware of how many bottles of water you must consume and the best times to drink water. Counting cups, milliliters, or ounces might be difficult. Telling yourself that you will consume X bottles is a more straightforward way to keep track of your consumption. For instance, you need to fill your 500-ml Swell bottle four times, which equates to four bottles of Coke.

Add some interest to drinking water. Many individuals don’t like the taste of water. That’s OK, but if you want to increase your drinking, you need to put in the effort to figure out how you prefer it. That might be with ice or at room temperature. Either from the tap or filtered, or with orange slices.

Keep a bottle of water near your bed. This is essential for both maintaining hydration and strengthening the habit, as it acts as a visual cue to begin drinking. Additionally, she states that “starting with water makes it easier to continue that habit throughout the day rather than playing catch-up.”

Take up a task. It may be difficult to create new habits and difficult to break old ones. Take on a hydration challenge to keep yourself responsible. You may get guidance during your “self-watering” procedure using entertaining applications like Plant Nanny. Another option is Madefor, which focuses on creating mental connections that make healthy behaviors, like drinking water, instinctive.

FAQ

Q: When is the worst moment to drink water?

A: Stopping water consumption two hours before bedtime is a common recommendation. By doing this, you avoid overhydrating your body, which might lead to an unwelcome nighttime toilet visit.

Q: What is a decent drinking water rule?

A: The average daily intake of water for healthy adults is around 11.5 cups for women and 15.5 cups for men. Depending on additional fluid sources like coffee, tea, juice, fruits, and vegetables, you may only need four to six glasses of plain water.

Q: What role does water play?

A: Maintain adequate fluid in the circulation to pass through blood vessels. Assist in getting rid of waste products from the body’s metabolism, excess electrolytes (such as potassium and sodium), and urea, which is created when dietary protein is processed.

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