The 7 Best Times to Drink Water

It is common knowledge that the body requires eight glasses of water per day to function properly. Do you, however, know when is the 7 best times to drink water:

1. When You Wake Up

Rather than reaching for the coffee with bleary eyes, drink one to two cups of water first. Water can help you get back to your baseline right now. The good news is that it counts as fluid as well, despite the fact that it is a caffeinated beverage, which can dehydrate you.

2. To Regulate Hunger

A cup of water before a meal can make you feel more satisfied and help you avoid overeating. Indeed, a small study discovered that drinking water before a meal made men and women eat less and feel just as satisfied as those who didn’t.

3. Have a Glass of Water to Help Wash Down a Meal

Drinking water with food aids digestion. When eating high-fiber foods, it’s especially important to drink plenty of water. Fiber moves through your digestive system and absorbs water, assisting in the formation of stools and promoting regularity. So, if you’re eating mostly plant-based foods (as you should! ), don’t forget to drink plenty of water.

4. Coffee

Previous research has found that drinking caffeine six hours before bedtime disrupts sleep when compared to a placebo. Reaching for a sugary snack can have similar unwelcome consequences, such as a drop in energy following a spike. Rather than relying on these ineffective solutions, address the underlying problem, which could be dehydration.

5. Have a Headache

According to the National Headache Foundation, a headache can be a sign of dehydration. Furthermore, it has the potential to cause migraines. According to a July 2020 trial in adult women published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, increasing water intake may help reduce migraine severity, frequency, and duration.

6. Hydrate Smartly Before, During, and After Exercise

According to Krieger, hydration should begin a day or two before exercise. You also don’t want to drink a lot of water before a workout in the hopes of staying hydrated; this will likely result in sloshing and bloating as you move. Make sure you drink plenty of water in the days leading up to a workout, especially if it’s a strenuous or sweaty one.

You should start focusing on a hydration strategy the week before an endurance race, as a November 2019 study in Sports Medicine found that even a small amount of dehydration can reduce performance. Moderate workouts (such as a jog outside, a morning speed walk, or hopping on a recumbent bicycle)

7. Before Bedtime

Drinking a cup or two of water before bed will cause you to wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, disrupting your sleep. Bring a glass of water to your bedside, just in case you get thirsty during the night. Dry mouth is a common side effect of many medications, so keeping H20 on hand can be beneficial, according to Krieger.