Health and Wellbeing
Hydration and Sleep Quality: What's the Link?
Water plays such an important role in helping you to get restorative sleep. In this blog post, I’ll explain why something as simple as drinking more water can help you to rest more peacefully, and why even mild dehydration can be so disruptive for your sleep – especially as we get older.
So, pour yourself a glass of water, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and settle back into an Oak Tree Mobility rise and recline chair as we explore the link between hydration and sleep quality.
Key takeaways:
- Sleep and hydration are closely connected.
- Even mild dehydration can affect sleep quality.
- Older adults are more vulnerable to dehydration and disrupted sleep.
How are hydration and sleep connected?
Our bodies are so complex and intelligently designed. If we go back to our evolutionary roots, we were born into water, and this is where our dependence on water's life-giving properties was originally inherited.
Your brain, the vital control centre for your sleep, is only around 2% of your total body weight, but it receives around 18 to 20% of your blood circulation. If you’re dehydrated, this can trigger the brain’s stress responses and cause hormonal disruption, making it difficult to achieve the deep, restorative sleep that you deserve.
Being well hydrated doesn’t just affect your sleep but also your overall health. Each cell requires a certain amount of water for optimal body temperature control, efficient blood circulation, cognitive function, and hormone regulation.
How does dehydration affect sleep?
When you are dehydrated, your body can feel more physically uncomfortable with a range of symptoms, including:
- Dry mouth and throat
- Increased body temperature
- Muscle cramps
- Elevated heart rate
- Headaches
You may also experience ‘flutters’ at night. When you’re dehydrated, the body can read this as a survival situation and produce more of the stress hormone adrenaline, which can cause heart palpitations.
Dehydration can also impact your breathing at night and worsen snoring.
Can dehydration cause insomnia?
Dehydration isn’t a direct cause, but it can exacerbate insomnia and other pre-existing sleep conditions. However, symptoms such as thirst, headaches, dry mouth and throat can make it harder to fall back to sleep easily or truly relax into deep rest.
If you are experiencing chronic insomnia, click here for my expert tips on how to beat it naturally.
Why may older adults be more affected?
Reduced thirst sensation
As we age, the thirst response can become blunted, so that you lose your ability to notice that you need to drink.
Here are also some more ways to boost your body’s hydration easily:
- Drink water throughout the day, not just waiting until you are thirsty.
- Use your favourite glass and keep sipping. This way, you can gauge how much you are drinking per day.
- Eat ‘juicy’ foods that are high in water content, e.g. yoghurt, fruit and vegetables.
- Top up your intake if it’s hot or you’re exercising.
- Keep an eye on the colour of your urine. If you are well hydrated, it will be pale yellow or clear.
Health conditions
People aged 60 and over are more likely to have long-term health conditions, such as weakened kidney function. Over time, failing to drink enough water can lead to kidney stones or a build-up of toxins in the blood, which can place additional strain on the kidneys.
Medications
Certain medications can disrupt the thirst mechanism, causing increased fluid loss or a blunted thirst response. H3: Increased risk of disrupted sleep
Older adults are naturally more prone to lighter sleep, fragmented sleep and frequent awakenings. To learn more, read my recent blog post about the consequences of lack of sleep in the elderly.
Should you drink water before bed?
There are potential benefits of drinking water before bed, including:
- Preventing overnight dehydration.
- Reducing a dry mouth or throat.
- Supporting temperature regulation
- Improving comfort during sleep.
When should you stop drinking water before bed?
I want to reassure you that it is totally normal to need to go to the bathroom once or even twice a night. However, nighttime urine production does increase as we get older – whether due to individual medical conditions or simply as a natural part of ageing.
If you do experience a weaker bladder at night, I recommend not keeping all fluid intake until the evening and hydrating consistently throughout the day. If you do experience a dry mouth or throat at night, keep a glass of water beside you and take small sips when needed.
Other ways to improve sleep quality
Drinking least one litre to a litre-and-a-half a day should do the trick to help reduce awakenings and disruptions caused by dehydration – but that’s only part of the puzzle.
If you’re struggling to sleep, click here to read my five simple yet effective methods, a.k.a. my ‘non-negotiables’, for a deeper, more nourishing rest.
Our relationship with sleep is unique, and the more we cater to our individual needs, the more comfortable the rest can be. That’s why I always recommend Oak Tree Mobility’s adjustable beds, which offer unlimited sleeping positions to help you get the best sleep possible.
FAQs: Sleep quality and hydration
Does dehydration affect sleep quality?
Dehydration absolutely impacts sleep quality. Even mild dehydration can make your sleep less restful and can cause headaches, muscle cramps, dry mouth and throat, increased thirst, and exacerbate underlying health problems.
Does drinking water before bed help with weight loss?
Drinking more water in general, not just before bed, can help with weight loss by suppressing appetite, especially if you drink before meals. However, it isn’t a magic solution and is likely to be more effective if paired with exercise and diet.
Can dehydration cause insomnia?
If you experience insomnia or sleeping difficulties, dehydration can be a factor that will contribute to and exacerbate them.
What are the signs of dehydration before bed?
Signs of dehydration before bed include a dry mouth or throat, highly coloured or pungent urine, increased thirst, headaches and fatigue.
When should you stop drinking water before bed?
Ideally, you should stop drinking water 1-2 hours before bedtime, but make sure you are drinking water throughout the day.
Why are older adults more likely to become dehydrated?
Older adults are more susceptible to dehydration due to a reduced thirst mechanism. As we age, our kidneys also become less efficient. Some medications and chronic health conditions can also cause dehydration.
Can dehydration cause interrupted sleep?
Yes, dehydration affects temperature regulation and can cause headaches, restlessness, muscle cramps, palpitations, and dry mouth and throat, which can disrupt sleep.
Sources and further reading
1. The consequences of lack of sleep in the elderly
2. A sleep expert’s 5 non-negotiables for better sleep.
3. Dreading bedtime? Forcing sleep won’t help. Here’s Dr Nerina’s fix.
