{"id":25370,"date":"2022-06-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/benefits-of-drinking-water-for-sleep\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T16:44:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:44:35","slug":"benefits-of-drinking-water-for-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/benefits-of-drinking-water-for-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Drinking More Water Throughout the Day Improve Your Quality of Sleep?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You know that drinking water is important. After all, your body is made up of up to 75% water.\u00a0<sup>[2]<\/sup>\u00a0However, sometimes it can be difficult to stay hydrated during the day as you go about your busy life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But did you know dehydration can actually disrupt your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/what-is-sleep-quality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">quality of sleep<\/a>? Dehydration can lead to sleep deprivation, leg cramps, high blood pressure, and more symptoms that can mess with your shuteye.<sup>\u00a0[3, 4, 5]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn about the benefits of drinking a glass of water before bed and get our top tips to help you stay hydrated so you can get a better night\u2019s sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-staying-hydrated-all-day-can-positively-affect-your-quality-of-sleep\">How staying hydrated can improve your sleep quality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you stay properly hydrated during the day, you won&#8217;t have to worry about dehydration negatively impacting your sleep. Here are some of the top ways adequate hydration can help improve your sleep quality: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthyweight\/healthy_eating\/water-and-healthier-drinks.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Regulate your body temperature:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0If have trouble falling asleep because you\u2019re too hot or too cold, drinking water may be able to help you fall asleep faster. If you sleep hot, drinking cold water before bed may help lower your body temperature. On the flip side, drinking warm or hot water may help keep you warmer throughout the night if you sleep cold.\u00a0<sup>[6]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prevent nocturia and other symptoms:&nbsp;<\/strong>Nocturia is the term for frequently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/peeing-middle-of-night\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">urinating in the middle of the night<\/a>.<sup>&nbsp;[7]<\/sup>&nbsp;Whether you have an overactive bladder or drink a lot of water before bed, this can&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30395316\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disrupt your sleep duration<\/a>.<sup>&nbsp;[5, 7]<\/sup>&nbsp;Consistently drinking water throughout the day (rather than guzzling a ton of water at night) may help prevent nocturia, bladder infections, and overactive bladder symptoms.&nbsp;<sup>[7]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mental health improvements:<\/strong>\u00a0Better quality sleep may also assist in improving your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/sleep-and-mental-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mental health<\/a>.<sup>\u00a0[8]<\/sup>\u00a0By staying hydrated, you may also find you have more energy in the morning and aren\u2019t as prone to sleepiness throughout the day.<sup>\u00a0[9]<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-side-effects-and-health-issues-associated-with-sleep-and-dehydration\">Side effects and health issues associated with sleep and dehydration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re not drinking enough water, you can become dehydrated. Here are just some of the ways being dehydrated can interfere with a good night\u2019s sleep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/leg-cramps-during-sleep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nighttime leg cramps<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Dehydration increases your risk of leg cramps. The risk is especially high if you exercise a lot or live somewhere very hot. The more you sweat, the more fluids and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/electrolytes-and-sleep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electrolytes<\/a> you lose\u2014and that can cause your muscles to cramp up.\u00a0<sup>[3]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/how-to-deal-with-snoring\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Snoring<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019re not drinking the correct amount of water throughout the day, your nasal passages can get pretty dry.\u00a0<sup>[10] \u00a0<\/sup>This can cause mucous in your nose and upper airway to become thicker than normal, which can impair airflow and lead to snoring.\u00a0<sup>[11]<\/sup>\u00a0(If you or your partner has a serious snoring issue, check in with your doctor to make sure you don\u2019t have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/sleep-apnea-guide\/\">sleep apnea<\/a>, a potentially dangerous sleep disorder and health condition.\u00a0<sup>[21]<\/sup>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/sleep-high-blood-pressure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">High blood pressure<\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>Sometimes dehydration can cause you to have high blood pressure. Your blood vessels have to work harder to pump out blood when you\u2019re dehydrated\u2014and that can cause trouble falling asleep. Consistently staying hydrated can also help prevent heart disease and irregular blood sugar levels because your heart won\u2019t have to work as hard to get blood to other parts of the body.\u00a0<sup>[12]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Excessive thirst:&nbsp;<\/strong>You may wake up thirsty in the middle of the night if you don\u2019t drink enough water during the day.&nbsp;<sup>[16]&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/sup>This can lead to a lack of sleep and interrupt your sleep-wake cycle if it happens regularly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Brain fog:<\/strong>&nbsp;When you don\u2019t down enough H2O, expect to feel sluggish the next day. Tracking your fluid intake throughout the day can help you improve your alertness and energy levels the next day.&nbsp;<sup>[1, 13, 15]<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-signs-you-may-not-be-drinking-enough-water\">Signs you may not be drinking enough water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Potential sleep problems aside, pay attention to these other signals you may need to up your water intake. The human body needs a lot of water throughout the day to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/sleep-and-immune-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">support your immune system<\/a>&nbsp;and help you get enough sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may not be drinking enough water if you have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dark urine or low urine production:<\/strong>&nbsp;This is a telltale sign of dehydration. This is how your body tells you it\u2019s time to replenish your water supply.&nbsp;<sup>[1]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dry skin:&nbsp;<\/strong>Even if you use moisturizer, your skin may remain dry if you\u2019re not properly hydrated. You may also experience a dry mouth throughout the day if you\u2019re dehydrated.<sup>&nbsp;[1]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Trouble focusing:<\/strong>&nbsp;Dehydration has a negative impact on the blood supply to your brain. Since water helps to improve blood circulation, you may become foggy-headed and unable to concentrate for long periods of time if you\u2019re dehydrated.&nbsp;<sup>[15]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Headaches:<\/strong>&nbsp;These are also linked to blood supply issues and can be caused by dehydration.&nbsp;<sup>[16]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fatigue:\u00a0<\/strong>Dehydration makes the heart work harder to pump blood out to muscles, which can lead to fatigue and sleep deprivation.\u00a0<sup>[1, 14]<\/sup>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-drink-enough-water-without-waking-up-to-pee\">How to drink enough water (without waking up to pee)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ve probably heard that you need to drink around eight glasses of water a day. But your exact fluid intake will vary based on individual factors like your body size and activity level.\u00a0<sup>[16, 17]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to tell if you\u2019re drinking enough water is to look at the color of your urine. If you\u2019re properly hydrated, your pee should be a very light yellow color\u2014almost clear.\u00a0<sup>[19]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are more tips to help you increase your water intake during the day so you\u2019re properly hydrated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Stick to drinking water that\u2019s filtered.\u00a0<\/strong>Some cities across the U.S. have water with unsafe lead levels.\u00a0<sup>[20]<\/sup>\u00a0To truly reap the health benefits of staying hydrated, you should try to drink filtered water as frequently as possible.\u00a0<sup>[20]\u00a0<\/sup>Try a filtered water pitcher for your refrigerator.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brita.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brita<\/a>\u00a0makes great ones!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use your water bottle to keep track of how much you\u2019re drinking. <\/strong>If you\u2019re a visual person,\u00a0you may benefit from investing\u00a0in a water bottle with lines to tell you how much you need to drink by a certain time of day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set reminders.<\/strong>\u00a0Your phone can help you remember to continue drinking water throughout the day. Try using a water-tracking app that has a calculator to help you figure out how much H2O you need daily. These apps also allow you to set up push notifications to nudge you to refill your water bottle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that drinking too much water late at night can lead to middle-of-the-night bathroom trips\u2014and those can hinder your sleep just as much as dehydration. (And while we\u2019re on the topic of drinking, here\u2019s how\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/does-alcohol-help-sleep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alcohol messes with your sleep<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-faqs\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-does-lack-of-water-affect-sleep\">Does lack of water affect sleep?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A lack of water can lead to dehydration, causing dry nasal passages and snoring, high blood pressure, excessive thirst, and nighttime leg cramps. All of these things can affect the quality of your sleep and how fast you fall asleep.<sup>\u00a0[1, 3, 10, 12, 16]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-when-should-you-drink-water-to-maximize-sleep\">When should you drink water to maximize sleep?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than drinking a ton of water at night, try consistently drinking water throughout the day to help prevent nocturia, bladder infections, and overactive bladder symptoms and to maximize sleep.&nbsp;<sup>[7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Medline Plus. Dehydration. https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/dehydration.html<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Riebl SK, Davy BM. The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance. ACSMs Health Fit J. 2013;17(6):21-28. doi:10.1249\/FIT.0b013e3182a9570f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hallegraeff J, de Greef M, Krijnen W, van der Schans C. Criteria in diagnosing nocturnal leg cramps: a systematic review. BMC Fam Pract. 2017;18(1):29. Published 2017 Feb 28. doi:10.1186\/s12875-017-0600-x<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watso JC, Farquhar WB. Hydration Status and Cardiovascular Function. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1866. Published 2019 Aug 11. doi:10.3390\/nu11081866<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rosinger AY, Chang AM, Buxton OM, Li J, Wu S, Gao X. Short sleep duration is associated with inadequate hydration: cross-cultural evidence from US and Chinese adults. Sleep. 2019;42(2):10.1093\/sleep\/zsy210. doi:10.1093\/sleep\/zsy210<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CDC. Water and Healthier Drinks. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthyweight\/healthy_eating\/water-and-healthier-drinks.html<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NIH. Nocturia. https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK518987\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scott AJ, Webb TL, Martyn-St James M, Rowse G, Weich S. Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep Med Rev. 2021;60:101556. doi:10.1016\/j.smrv.2021.101556<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Riebl SK, Davy BM. The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance. ACSMs Health Fit J. 2013;17(6):21-28. doi:10.1249\/FIT.0b013e3182a9570f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Asim M, Alkadi MM, Asim H, Ghaffar A. Dehydration and volume depletion: How to handle the misconceptions. World J Nephrol. 2019;8(1):23-32. doi:10.5527\/wjn.v8.i1.23<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Magliulo G, Iannella G, Ciofalo A, et al. Nasal pathologies in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2019;39(4):250-256. doi:10.14639\/0392-100X-2173<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watso JC, Farquhar WB. Hydration Status and Cardiovascular Function. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1866. Published 2019 Aug 11. doi:10.3390\/nu11081866<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adan A. Cognitive performance and dehydration. J Am Coll Nutr. 2012;31(2):71-78. doi:10.1080\/07315724.2012.10720011<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gonz\u00e1lez-Alonso J, Calbet JA, Nielsen B. Muscle blood flow is reduced with dehydration during prolonged exercise in humans. J Physiol. 1998;513 ( Pt 3)(Pt 3):895-905. doi:10.1111\/j.1469-7793.1998.895ba.x<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AlDisi R, Bader Q, Bermak A. Hydration Assessment Using the Bio-Impedance Analysis Method. Sensors (Basel). 2022;22(17):6350. Published 2022 Aug 24. doi:10.3390\/s22176350<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NIH. Adult Dehydration. https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK555956\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gandy J. Water intake: validity of population assessment and recommendations.&nbsp;Eur J Nutr. 2015 Jun;54 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):11-6.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zhang N, Du S, Zheng M, et al. Urine color for assessment of dehydration among college men students in Hebei, China &#8211; a cross-sectional study. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2017;26(5):788-793. doi:10.6133\/apjcn.052017.09<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kostelnik SB, Davy KP, Hedrick VE, Thomas DT, Davy BM. The Validity of Urine Color as a Hydration Biomarker within the General Adult Population and Athletes: A Systematic Review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2021;40(2):172-179. doi:10.1080\/07315724.2020.1750073<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CDC. Lead in Drinking Water. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nceh\/lead\/prevention\/sources\/water.htm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NIH. What is Sleep Apnea? https:\/\/www.nhlbi.nih.gov\/health\/sleep-apnea<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about the benefits of drinking a glass of water before bed and staying hydrated all night long so you can start improving your sleep habits today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":25371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[389,396],"tags":[],"coauthors":[417],"guest":[],"host":[],"class_list":["post-25370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep-health","category-sleep-food"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25370"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36448,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25370\/revisions\/36448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25370"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=25370"},{"taxonomy":"guest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guest?post=25370"},{"taxonomy":"host","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host?post=25370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}