We all know we have to drink the right amount of water every day to stay properly hydrated, but when are the best times to drink water? There are some key times of the day that you should have a glass of water. Those times are related to activities during the day, such as exercise or eating. Getting these timings right is important but your main objective (in addition to drinking enough water every day) is spreading out your consumption over the whole day.

Taking regular glasses of water over the course of your day is the best way to stay hydrated.

Key Times For Drinking Water

Here are some of the key times that you should have a glass of water:

• When you wake up – your body uses water while you sleep so this replenishes your system. It also helps your body remove toxins.
• Before meals and snacks – you should have a glass of water about 30 minutes before you eat. This helps you to eat less and it helps your digestive system.
• Before taking a bath – to help regulate your body temperature
• Before exercise – you will lose more water during exercise than you can replenish by sensible drinking, so you should drink a glass of water before you train
• After exercise – to replace the water lost during the physical activity

Benefits Of Drinking Water Throughout The Day

When you drink water throughout the whole day your body will be better hydrated. The benefits of this include:

• Generally feeling better – you will have higher energy levels
• Better mood – you will feel less tired and irritable
• Improved concentration – cognitive performance will improve
• Better physical performance – your joints and muscles will work better
• Aids digestion – particularly when you drink before meals and snacks
• Keeps hunger away – makes you feel fuller
• Helps metabolism – improves fat metabolism

Tips

So, you should drink regularly throughout the day. The real question now is how. Here are some tips:

• Keep water handy – if you don’t have access to a tap and glasses throughout the day carry a water bottle with you
• Add taste – if you struggle with the taste of water you should try infusing it with fruit to give it a more interesting taste. This will motivate you to keep you coming back for more.
• Get reminders – use WaterMinder app to track your water intake and give you reminders to drink throughout the day.

Drinking water should become a natural and regular part of your daily routine. This will help your hydration and keep you healthy.

How much water should you drink every day? What type of drinks should you consume to stay hydrated and what drinks are harmful or unnecessary? When should you drink? These are just some of the questions that are often asked about hydration. Unfortunately some of the answers to these questions are simply wrong. Here are four common hydration myths debunked.

Myth – You Should Drink Eight Glasses Of Water A Day

There is no way to determine a general figure for the amount of water that we should drink each day. Just think about how different we all are. We are different sizes and weights. Some people are athletes, while others will live in dry or hot climates. All of these things impact on the amount of water that you need to drink every day to stay hydrated.

The fact is that for many people eight glasses of water a day is not close to being enough. You need to look at your own lifestyle and needs – and you need to look at the color of your urine. It is still the best indicator of how hydrated you are. Ideally, it should be a pale lemonade color. If it’s not, you will need to increase your daily water intake.

Myth – You Need To Drink A Sports Drink After Exercise

It doesn’t matter how hard you train, water is probably the best option post-exercise. The exception is if you are doing an endurance event so are training for longer than an hour. When this happens your body will need to replace the electrolytes that you lose during exercise, which sports drinks contain.

For most people, however, water is better. You probably don’t need the electrolyte replacements, and by drinking water you will avoid the sugar and additives that are found in most sports drinks.

Myth – You Can Catch Up On Hydration

If you have forgotten to drink regularly throughout the day you can’t catch up by drinking a large amount of water in one go. Your body doesn’t work like that – it will simply pass on through. The best approach is to drink frequently and at regular intervals throughout the day.

Myth – Coffee Dehydrates

This is possible as caffeine does dehydrate, but not when you drink coffee in moderation. Therefore it is not the coffee that you drink that dehydrates, but the quantity of coffee. So, how much is too much? Most people can drink about two cups of coffee a day and not see any dehydration effects.

One fact that is not in dispute is that you need to drink regular cups of water every day to stay hydrated. At least we know that one is true.

A lot of debate has taken place recently, primarily on the internet, about drinking to thirst. The theory is that you don’t need to worry about dehydration if you simply drink when you are thirsty. It sounds almost too good to be true, doesn’t it?

One of the main concerns of proponents of this approach are athletes who over hydrate. This involves drinking large amounts of water before an event or intensive training. In extreme cases this can dilute the levels of sodium in their bodies which in turn can lead to very dangerous conditions like hyponatremia or water intoxication.

Most of us are not athletes, however. Yes we exercise, but our lives do not revolve around training sessions or high intensity events. So, should you only drink when you’re thirsty?

There are three reasons why that is not a good approach but before discussing those it is important to say that it is possible to drink too much water. Everyone needs varied amounts of water every day depending on your gender and weight. The amount and type of exercise that you do also affects how much water you need to drink, as does the climate.

It is possible to drink too much, though. As with everything that we put in our bodies, moderation is the best approach.

Here is why drinking only when you’re thirsty doesn’t maintain optimum hydration levels.

Regularity

The best way to stay properly hydrated is to drink in moderation, but also regularly throughout the day. This includes when you wake up, before you eat, before you exercise, after you exercise, and before you go to bed.

Thirsty Usually Means You’re Already Slightly Dehydrated

When you feel thirsty your body is telling you that it is already feeling the impact of dehydration. The dehydration is only slight, but it is dehydration nonetheless. The better way to manage your hydration levels is to drink before you become dehydrated.

You should also remember that your body’s ability to send signals when it is dehydrated – like making you thirsty – diminishes with age. The older you are, the more important it is that you plan your hydration over the course of a day.

Hectic Lifestyles

Drinking only when you’re thirsty sounds simple, but the realities of hectic modern lifestyles quickly get in the way. The better approach is to spread your water intake throughout the day.

So, should you only drink when you’re thirsty? Or, should you drink in moderation but regularly throughout the day, whether you are thirsty or not? The latter option is the healthier and more effective way to stay hydrated.

Hydration is all about balance as your body needs water for a number of different bodily functions. This includes everything from lubricating joints to helping your digestive system to keeping your skin healthy. What happens when you’re dehydrated, though?

Here are seven things that dehydration does to your body.

1. You feel fatigued – water is a source of energy in your body so without it you will feel more tired and fatigued.

2. Higher blood pressure – your blood becomes thicker when you’re dehydrated. This creates resistance in the flow of your blood which increases blood pressure.

3. Problems with digestion – your digestive system needs water to operate effectively. Without it you can develop digestive problems such as ulcers.

4. Your body is less able to control its temperature – when you’re dehydrated you don’t sweat as much, which keeps heat trapped inside your body.

5. Brain functions are impaired – you can lack concentration or become forgetful when you are dehydrated. You can even feel confused. Overall you will feel sluggish and unable to make good decisions.

6. Joint pain – water lubricates joints so when you are dehydrated they can feel painful

7. Premature aging – dehydration makes your skin look wrinkled and leathery, making you appear older

Symptoms Of Dehydration

The best way to avoid dehydration is to drink regularly throughout the day so that your body remains in balance. It is important that you know and recognize the symptoms of dehydration, though.

Mild dehydration symptoms include:

• Thirst
• Dry mouth
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Not going to the toilet as often as normal
• Dry skin
• Skin that is not as elastic as normal
• Dark colored urine
• Constipation
• Feeling dizzy
• Feeling lightheaded
• Muscle cramps
• Bad breath
• Feeling grumpy or cranky

Severe dehydration symptoms include:

• Rapid breathing
• Rapid heartbeat
• Severe dizziness
• Feeling severely lightheaded
• Feeling delirious
• Fainting or falling unconscious
• Not urinating
• Very dark colored urine
• Very dry and shrivelled skin
• Eyes that have a sunken appearance
• Extreme feelings of thirst
• Low blood pressure
• Not sweating when normally expect to

One way you can test for moderate and severe hydration is by doing a skin turgor test. It involves pinching the skin on the back of your hand. If the skin returns slowly to its normal state you are probably dehydrated. Slowly means it takes longer than a couple of seconds.

Dehydration can have short term and long term impacts on health, so the best advice is to maintain the water balance in your body and stay hydrated.