Is Drinking Water at Night or Before Bed Bad?

(Photo: Boris Trost)

The first stop you do after waking up in the morning might have been to the bathroom and did your morning rituals. Have you ever noticed that the color of your pee is darker than usual? According to the Mayo Clinic, normal urine color ranges from pale yellow to amber. Healthline also added that pale yellow would be the color if you stay hydrated, but if not, it will be darker in color. Chugging water before going to bed might not be a very good idea though.

ALSO READ: 5 Health Conditions You Can Avoid by Drinking Water

Should I stop drinking water before bedtime?

Technically, getting hydrated before sleep is not bad. According to Layla, drinking water is very important. They added that losing 10 percent of body weight through dehydration can put you in grave danger. However, waking up in the middle of the night because you want to urinate? That is also dangerous; especially since COVID-19 is still around the corner.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the immune system's response to viral infections (which happens in COVID-19 infections) has two phases. The first phase is called innate immune response where cells secrete interferons to interfere with the virus's replication. The second phase is triggered where a specific response to the virus is done by the immune system and starts 6-8 days after the infection. Integrative immunologist Heather Moday, M.D., told mbghealth in an interview that the absence of quality sleep can cause a weakened immune system. She added that while the body is resting, the immune system cells can also focus all their efforts and energy on robustly attacking bacteria and viruses. She also emphasized that keeping the immune system strong is vital in the middle of a pandemic.

READ ALSO: 5 Tips to Boost Your Immune System

Mbghealth also mentioned that disrupted sleep could interfere with gut health, which plays a role in brain functioning and digestion. According to the Dana Foundation, sleep deprivation makes an individual moody, irritable, and harms brain functions such as memory and decision making. They added that it negatively impacts the rest of the body.

Nocturia

In some cases, guzzling so much water before bedtime can cause nocturia. According to the Urology Care Foundation, nocturia is when an individual wakes up more than once every night to urinate. If this happens to you often, you might have to consider getting checked. Even though nocturia's cause can be simply be by too much intake of caffeinated, decaffeinated, or even water before going to sleep, Healthline mentioned that underlying condition could cause nocturia such as bladder prolapse, diabetes, or tumor of the bladder, pelvic area, or prostate, and kidney infection.

What should you do?

In an interview with mbghealth, Vanita Simma-Chang, M.D., mentioned that drinking water when you feel thirsty or having a dry throat is good, she recommends having the last sip of water for the day 3-4 hours before bedtime. Sleep Foundation also reminds the ideal intake of fluids (91 ounces for women and 125 ounces for men) and practicing the spreading of fluid intake throughout the day can help maximize your good night sleep. Jess Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN stresses saving the water for the morning to promote positive hydration for optimal gut and overall health. Remember that a good night's sleep will also strengthen your immune system, which should be one of your priorities this pandemic.

Check out more news and information on Sleeping on MD News Daily.