It is recommended to drink sufficient amounts of water daily, but are there certain times when it is recommended to drink water? Important information about when to drink water is in this article.
Drinking water times: when and why?
1. When you get up in the morning: to activate your organs
- Activate the internal organs.
- Expelling toxins and waste from the body and stimulating the gastrointestinal tract to excrete solid waste.
It is preferable that the water that is drunk in the morning is cool.
2. Before meals: to improve digestion
Although some people may drink water before a meal in order to lose weight, which may make sense since a full stomach can't hold much food, this is not the reason why drinking water before meals is recommended.
This timing of drinking water may make the digestion process smoother, and to achieve this benefit, the following are recommended:
- Drink a glass of water an hour before meals.
- Avoid drinking water during the thirty minutes prior to eating, as drinking water during this period may impair the ability of the digestive juices to perform their function.
It is also recommended that the water that is drunk before a meal be cold, as cold water may contribute to curbing the appetite.
3. Before bathing: to lower blood pressure
One of the recommended times to drink water is the period before you shower, as it is believed that drinking a glass of warm water before showering may contribute to lowering high blood pressure.
Warm water may help warm the body from the inside, which may help stimulate the blood vessels inside the body to expand in conjunction with the expansion that may occur to the blood vessels near the surface of the skin during bathing, which may help reduce high blood pressure.
4. Before bed at night: to prevent clots
The period before bed is one of the times of drinking water during which commitment to drinking water may benefit your body. Drinking a glass of water before going to bed may help:
- Reducing the chances of developing serious health problems, such as: heart attack and stroke.
- Replacing fluids that the body has lost during the day.
It should be noted that drinking water at this time is not intended to drink a glass of water a few minutes before going to bed, but rather it is preferable to drink a glass of water an hour before going to sleep.
Drinking water at night: Important notice
Drinking water at night sometimes causes harm, as drinking water before bed can trigger nocturia, a condition that means the frequent need to get out of bed at night to urinate, which may have many negative health and life consequences, such as:
- Disturbing sleep quality, which may negatively affect: mood, psychological state, and concentration.
- Increasing the chances of developing certain diseases, such as: depression, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
These are some of the factors that may increase the chances of developing nocturia: old age, diabetes, overactive bladder, constipation, heart disease, and taking certain medications.
Therefore, groups prone to nocturia recommend that the last glass of water be drunk several hours before bedtime.
5. Before and after exercise
Athletes should make sure they get enough water, especially if exercise causes excessive sweating.
Before exercising: It is recommended to drink a glass of water thirty minutes before exercising.
During the exercise session: It is recommended to take separate sips throughout the exercise period.
After you have finished exercising: It is recommended to drink enough quantity to replace the fluids that were released due to sweating.
"You should drink 8 glasses of water a day", you must have come across this phrase, and although this "8 glasses of water" rule is common, it is unknown and may not be true, as the body's water needs vary from person to person. Depending on factors, such as:
- Diet food.
- body size.
These are some indicators that you may be drinking enough water: light-colored urine, not feeling thirsty.
Factors that may make you need more water than usual
It is recommended to drink more water than usual in cases such as:- When you have health problems, such as: diarrhea, fever, and kidney stones.
- during pregnancy and lactation.
Recommendations to drink more water
To be able to stick to drinking enough water, the following are recommended:- Take breaks while working to drink water.
- Put a glass of water on your desk to sip water while you work.
- Take a water bottle with you wherever you go.
- Drink water at the times of drinking water mentioned above.