X-ray This picture was taken from the Royal Photographic Society.
For the following eight hours, imagine not consuming any liquids. Surely it would be rather impossible? In fact, your body accomplishes just that while you’re asleep. In the morning, it is crucial that we concentrate on just one thing: consuming a glass of water (16 ounces, to be precise!).
Because your body requires water to function, it becomes dehydrated when you sleep. As you sleep, your body is also purging itself of waste items that have accumulated over the day.
Drinking water as soon as you wake up is a common custom in Japan. Epilepsy, bronchitis, asthma, diarrhea, vomiting, kidney and urine illnesses, menstruation abnormalities, diabetes, meningitis, arthritis, headaches, eye ailments, and even maintaining a healthy weight are among the conditions they think it can help treat and manage.
The majority of people prefer tea or coffee, so drinking water in the morning isn’t the most pleasant thing to do, but there are several ways it can help the body.
Drinking Water in the Morning on an Empty Stomach
As I indicated earlier, the body uses sleep to filter the poisons that have accumulated over the day. By the time you wake up, your body doesn’t have enough water left to flush out all of this waste, so rehydrating your body as soon as you get up will help your kidneys get rid of the toxins that are clogging your system (1).
Additionally, consuming water first thing in the morning will speed up your metabolism. A large, chilly glass of water (500mL, if you want to be particular) after waking up has been demonstrated to increase metabolism by 30% for an hour (2).
Besides, your brain is made up of 75% water. Lack of sufficient hydration causes your brain to function with less energy, which can lead to extreme exhaustion, mood swings, or other problems (3). Drinking water, especially 20 minutes before a meal, will also help you eat less and aid your digestion. It can help you avoid needless nibbling and prolong feelings of fullness.
Even though you might not notice it right away, drinking water in the morning will also help you to replace your dehydrated state. Dehydration impairs our ability to think properly and causes a sharp drop in mental alertness and clarity.
Dehydration causes fatally low blood pressure, which is how it kills. Randall Packer, an expert from George Washington University, states that the more energy you use, the more likely you are to lose water. Every time you release a breath, a small amount of water is lost. Sweating causes you to lose water. When you metabolize food, you do produce some water, but the balance is such that you always need to consume some kind of water (4).
Dehydration in the Morning
The symptoms of morning dehydration are the same as those of any other type. Your body lacks adequate water and other fluids to do its regular tasks when you use or lose more fluid than you consume. Dehydration will result if you don’t replenish lost fluids.
Dehydration symptoms include the following (4):
• Dizziness, weakness, palpitations (heart palpitations), increased thirst, dry mouth and swollen tongue, confusion, sluggishness, fainting, inability to sweat, and decreased urine output
Any of the aforementioned symptoms that you encounter when you wake up in the morning indicate that your body needs more water. Additionally, observe the color of your urine when you first wake up to use the restroom. If it’s a vivid yellow, your body is in dire need of additional water. Actually, you can tell if you’re drinking enough water by observing the color of your urine throughout the day. You can learn more about it here.
What’s Your Morning Water Consumption?
Keeping a glass by my bed so I can consume it as soon as I get up is the most effective method I’ve found for consuming my one liter of water each morning. It’s a simple reminder to stay hydrated, particularly if you’re feeling a little lethargic and still alternating between your waking and sleeping states.
One liter of water should be consumed at least forty-five minutes before to your first meal. Drink the same amount before every meal (I drink one litre before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then another half litre to a litre or so later in the evening, for a daily total of 3.5–4 litres).
If consuming this much water in the morning is difficult for you, start with one glass and gradually increase your daily water intake. Drink two cups the following morning after drinking one the morning before, and so on, until you reach four cups.
Don’t forget to pay attention to your body. Since we are usually more thirsty than hungry, it is common for us to forget to drink water and instead just eat. Therefore, before you eat anything else, make sure you drink some water!