Are you looking to drink more water, improve your health, and sleep better? Well, all three of these things are linked. Drinking more water can improve your overall health and sleep quality. Longevity Live Paid Content.
Want to learn more about the link between water and a good night’s rest, and how you can drink more water?
Keep reading as we discuss the benefits of drinking more water and the best ways to incorporate water into your daily routines.
Why Is Water Important For Your Sleep Health?
If you’re suffering from poor sleep health, this could be because you aren’t drinking enough water. Here are some of how dehydration can affect your sleep quality and sleep health:
- Increased fatigue – when you’re not drinking enough water, this can cause you to become fatigued. If you’re sleepy, you may feel like you aren’t sleeping properly. So, you may not feel fully rested unless you drink more water.
- Dry mouth – if you wake up with a dry mouth in the morning, this can make you feel less fresh and alert. If you’re dehydrated, you’re more likely to suffer dehydration, leading to a feeling of grogginess in the morning.
- Insomnia – If you are severely dehydrated, this can cause insomnia. Your body relies on fluid to transport sleep hormones and control your circadian rhythm. So, if your body is dehydrated, you will not receive as much of the sleep hormone you need to get a good night’s rest.
- Inactivity – fatigue caused by dehydration can cause you to move less throughout the day. If your body is less active during the day, you will not be as tired by nighttime, and you may not feel tired. Physical activity is essential for a good night’s sleep.
So, if you’re not getting enough water, the above issues could affect your sleep. You’ll need to incorporate more water into your daily routine to improve your sleep health and feel more alert during the day.
How To Include More Water In Your Daily Routine
If you want to include more water in your daily routine and stick to good habits, read the tips below.
1. Creating a Water Intake Diary
To keep yourself accountable for your daily water intake, you need to know precisely what you’re drinking daily. To do this, you can include a section in your daily planner that measures how much water you’ve had each day. Or you can download a water app. There are many hydration apps to choose from, and they will send you daily reminders to drink water. This way, you can set goals for yourself and stick to them daily. Soon, you’ll notice that your sleep quality is much improved.
2. Drink Water With Every Meal
One of the best ways to ensure you’re getting your daily water intake is to incorporate water into your daily eating habits. You should have a glass of water with each meal you consume daily to establish a routine around your drinking habits.
3. Consume More Hydrating Foods
You don’t have to drink water to increase your hydration levels constantly. There are plenty of foods with a high water content that you can consume to stay hydrated each day. Here are some examples of hydrating foods:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Soup
- Smoothies
By incorporating these excellent hydrating foods into your diet daily, you will become more hydrated simply by eating.
4. Consuming Fewer Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks are terrible for your health and do not combat dehydration. Since your body needs more water to process the sugar in the glass, you won’t hydrate your body enough by drinking sugary drinks. Sugary drinks lead to many other health problems, such as tooth decay, kidney problems, diabetes, and weight problems.
By cutting out the sugary drinks, you will notice a feeling of improved health and better sleep, and you might even lose weight in the process!
Making Water More Fun!
Many of us avoid drinking water because we find it plain or boring. Or, we may dislike the taste. However, choosing alternatives with more delicious flavors can make water more fun. Here are some of the ways you can make drinking water more fun and improve your hydration levels:
- Flavored water – try experimenting with infused water in different flavors to get your daily water intake without feeling bored or dissatisfied. Sugar-free flavored water will do wonders for your hydration and sleep quality.
- Tea – so long as you don’t add sugar, a nice herbal tea will soothe you and give your body the hydration and nourishment it needs. You can even enjoy a herbal sleep remedy before bed to get you feeling drowsy when it’s time to go to sleep.
- Add fruit to your water – you can add fruits like citrus, berries, and exotic fruits daily to make water more fun. And you can eat the fruit when you’re done! If you’re tight on time, you can freeze chunks of lemon, lime, and orange so that you don’t need to chop them up every time you’d like a glass of water.
- Coconut water – did you know that coconut water can hydrate you while supporting your metabolism? This sweet drink is super hydrating and comes right from nature.
The possibilities are endless for making your water consumption more fun. Find the solution that best suits you, and stick with it to see your sleep quality improve.
Summary
If you’re struggling to sleep at night or keep waking up feeling groggy and disoriented, it might not be your sleep schedule causing the issue. Try drinking more water to see if dehydration is at the heart of your sleep problems. If you don’t like drinking water, there are plenty of ways to make water more fun and enjoy improved health with higher levels of hydration!