When Should You Stop Drinking Water Before Bed?

The urge to urinate at night can disturb your sleep. And if this happens often, your health can suffer. So you should make sure that you do not drink so much before going to bed.

Drinking a lot of water is essential. Everyone knows that by now.

Many processes in the body require sufficient hydration. And drinking water is considered an excellent way to lose weight.

If you overdo it, it can have the opposite effect. For example, frequent urination affects the quality of sleep.

 Sleep deficiency weakens the immune system.

Larger quantities of water before going to bed made you urinate during the day.

This is not only annoying; it can also have serious health consequences.

Chronically disturbed sleep weakens the immune system in the long term and can hurt gastrointestinal health, digestion, and brain functions.

The Quality Of Sleep Is What Counts:

A good night’s sleep is not about quantity or how many hours per night, but how much time it is REM sleep.

If the urge to urinate is strong, you wake up. And this can interrupt the deep sleep phase. 

If this happens regularly, the damage is inevitable and hard to recover from, even if you get more than eight hours of sleep.

Also, you suffer during the day because of a lack of energy and concentration. 

The Science Behind Urination At Night: 

The medical term for increased urination at night is nocturia. 

Studies have shown that this condition is associated with reduced physical and mental health and even lower quality of life.

A study from Boston with more than 5,500 test persons was also able to show that nocturia is associated with developing symptoms of depression.

The risk of developing nocturia increases with age and is higher for women than for men.

Tips For A Healthier Routine:

The urologists recommend stopping drinking three to four hours before going to bed. However, this is not an excuse to drink less; on the contrary.

Drinking a large glass of water first thing in the morning is highly recommended. And throughout the day, you should also ensure a continuous supply of liquids.

But in the evening, you should only drink something when you’re thirsty. 

In this case, the experts advise going to the toilet immediately to prevent waking up later due to the bladder’s pressure.

Other Reasons For Frequent Visits To The Toilet:

However, frequent urination at night (or during the day) can also have other causes. For example, illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes, or taking heart medication can also affect urination frequency.

 An overactive bladder can also be the cause.

Three Signs Of An Overactive Bladder:

  1. the excessive urge to urinate (when you have to go to the toilet eight times or more often during the day or twice or more frequently at night)
  2. Sudden and strong urge to urinate
  3. the urge to urinate, which is not always controllable.

If you have already reduced your water consumption before going to bed and are still have a problem, you should consult your family doctor or urologist.