When should you drink water

Despite getting annoyed by the increase in the number of urgent trips to the bathroom, most of us are aware of how important water is for our bodies to work and, hence, stay hydrated.

The rest of us know, too, but are probably trying to refrain ourselves from making those extra trips.

An important point to consider should be when is the best time to drink water, you know, to get the most out of it.

What is just right? When is it too little? Can it be too much?

On an average, the recommended daily water intake is 2.5 to 3.7 litres for men and 2-2.7 litres for women.

The body loses approximately 2.5 litres of water per day through sweat, urine, faeces, and exhaled air. Your body is intrinsically capable of producing and, hence, compensating for 0.3 litre of lost water.

About another 0.7 litre is compensated for through your food intake (Yes, food contains water, too). So, what you really need to be worried about is making up for that extra 1.5 litres (in the least) so that your body can at least run on neutral. Following the recommend intake values (which are higher than 1.5 litres) guarantees you better health.

Coming to the real question, when should you drink water…

When you wake up

Before playing any outdoor sport, you need to warm up your muscles to avoid injury.

Drinking water (particularly warm water) as soon as you wake up is like a warm up for your body. This is also a good practice for breakfast skippers.

Drinking water first thing in the morning (preferably before sunrise)…cleanses your body, boosts your immunity, and kindles your digestive fire for the rest of the day.

It is also preferably done before you brush your teeth as overnight accumulated saliva is believed to have medicinal properties. Also, you will avoid drinking fluoride from toothpaste you did not rinse away.

Before, during, and after your meals

Drinking water before a meal will prevent overeating, will clear your mouth of any remnant food particles from your last meal, tobacco, or alcohol, and will sting your taste buds alert.

However, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that drinking water 30 minutes before a meal will aid in digestion.

Drinking a few sips of water while eating stimulates saliva production, helping in the physical and chemical breakdown of food. Moistened food (basically balls of mush) can be broken down and transported easily down your digestive tract.

After a meal, drinking water will help wash down any remaining food. It will also help soften your stools, preventing constipation.

Between meals

It is always a good idea to keep a water bottle handy and keep taking a couple of swigs from it between meals.

More often than not you may mistake hunger for thirst. So, if you find your mind drifting off to hot dogs with French fries just an hour after breakfast, see if a glass of water can do the trick.

Before, during, and after workouts

It is only but common sense to hydrate yourself when losing excess water through sweat.

But be warned. As already mentioned, over hydration or hyponatremia is a thing. Professional athletes, marathon runners, and people indulging in high intensity workouts need to be particularly careful.

The excess water in your system decreases the effective like sodium concentration in the blood. This in turn causes cells to swell and kidneys to feel overburdened. All in all—not good news.

Before bedtime and a shower

The claims that drinking water before bedtime prevents strokes and before a shower lowers blood pressure are merely myths. Let's withhold that discussion for another time.

It's not rocket science.

All you have to do is be attentive—attentive to your thirst signals. Drink water when you're thirsty. It's as simple as that.

Also, keep a look out for chapped lips, a dry throat, fatigue, and dark yellow urine. They're indicating your body needs more water.

Get used to saying this…

CureJoy