When Is the Best Time to Drink Water?

It’s impossible to overstate the importance that water has on our health. That experts recommend we drink at least 8 glasses of the stuff a day should hopefully not be news to anyone.

Best Time to Drink Water

However, did you know that the time of day you take your water can be just as important as the quantity?

Just as there are optimal times to eat, drink, and exercise, there is a best time to drink water. Or several, actually. And the reason why certain times are more optimal than others has to do with how water is absorbed into our bodies.

Why Water Is Important

Most people remember from biology class that the human body is about 60% water. It’s one of those factoids that is so often repeated that it becomes easy to overlook just how significant it is.

Think about it; even if you cared for your body religiously in all other regards, it would never function at its peak if you’re not taking in enough of the resource that makes up all of your vital symptoms. Hence why dehydration has been linked to a host of negative short-and long-term consequences and this is the best time to drink water is also beneficial for your skin.

How Time Factors

Short term dehydration can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, and headaches. For chronic dehydration, the consequences can be dire, including the likes of hypertension, kidney problems, and increased risks for cancers.

So getting enough water is critical. And an oft-overlooked aspect of that is not just drinking water but ensuring that your body is in a good position to absorb and utilize it.

And that’s why it’s important to take stock of what time of day it is and what activities you are participating in. Doing so will help ensure that you’re reaping water’s benefits instead of just making a lot of extra bathroom visits.

So What Is the Best Time to Drink Water?

So the key is drinking more water when your body is set to readily absorb it. Conversely, this means that there are also times when it’s preferable to put off taking a drink.

Here are all the best and worst times to drink water softener work.

DO Drink Water First Thing in the Morning

Taking your first glass of water should be the first thing that you do when you get up in the morning is the best time to drink water. Ideally, you’ll have just had an uninterrupted night’s sleep. That also means that you haven’t had any water for hours and your body is all but crying out for some.

Why Drink Water in the Morning?

Plus, your stomach will be empty first thing in the morning. This means that water can be more readily absorbed. For optimal results, try to avoid eating anything for 30-40 minutes afterward to give yourself ample time to soak up all that water.

DO Drink Before You Eat

As we just alluded to, you’ll absorb water most efficiently when there’s nothing else in your stomach and also tea is needed for your stomach. But there are benefits to drinking before eating that go beyond just staying hydrated.

Benefits of Drink Water Before Eat

For one thing, sending some water down the pipe helps prep the stomach and intestines for the coming meal. Drinking before meals can also help prevent overeating, as the water coats the walls of the stomach and causes you to feel fuller faster time to drink water.

On a related note, if you find yourself feeling peckish between meals, try reaching for a drink instead of a snack. When you’re dehydrated, your stomach sends out signals very similar to those it would if you were hungry, which causes many people to confuse the two impulses and this to drink water.

DO Drink Before and After a Workout

Naturally, your body will dehydrate much faster during strenuous exercise than it would at rest, so preparing for that in advance is important. And afterward, you’ll want another top off to replace all the fluids that you’ve lost through sweat and respiration.

Benefits of Drink Water After Workout

What you should avoid doing is drinking a lot during the workout. Keep yourself hydrated, sure, but excess water consumption can reduce sodium concentration in your body and deplete your reserves of electrolytes. This will cause you to tire faster, leading to a less effective workout.

DON’T Drink A Lot During Meals

The most common mistake that people make is downing a ton of water during or immediately following mealtimes. This is a mistake for a couple of reasons.

It Create the Aforementioned Tendency of Your Body

One is the aforementioned tendency of your body to absorb water best on an empty stomach. If you’re drinking more than necessary while eating, a lot of that water will essentially go to waste.

More significantly is that excess water can dilute your stomach’s digestive acids. In high enough amounts, this can cause digestive issues. So at your next mealtime, remember to drink well beforehand, and only take small sips when needed best times to drink water.

How Does Water Quality Factor?

So water is important and drinking it at optimal times equally so. But that’s it, right time to drink water?

As it happens, no. Because on top of everything else, not all water is created equal. While any clean water source will do in a pinch, there are better choices available than just drinking from the tap.

The problem usually boils down to the methods used to render water safe for consumption.

Tap Water, for Instance

It is chloridized during processing to kill harmful pathogens. While this process is essential, very few municipalities go to the added expense of removing the chlorine afterward. And chlorine, along with heavy metals that can seep into the water supply from the municipal system, can have long-term health effects.

Drinking bottled water has a similar problem, in that harmful chemicals used in cheap plastics can easily seep into the water over time. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, powerful reverse-osmosis filters purify water completely, including removing beneficial minerals and antioxidants.

For these reasons, we can comfortably say that the best water in the world is ionized alkaline water. It represents the best of both worlds, being free of chlorine, heavy metals and plastics while still being full of healthy minerals and antioxidants. Getting this top-quality water requires a specialized filter, but the health benefits are well-worth the investment.

A Hydrated Body is a Healthy Body

Taking enough water daily is one of the best things that you can do to help improve and preserve your health. And taking advantage of the best time to drink water can help you to maximize the benefits of being properly hydrated.

But of course, keeping hydrated is just one factor in keeping healthy. For more on how to live your best, healthiest life, be sure to keep up with our web guides blog.