Is drinking water before bedtime harmful?

Is drinking water before bedtime harmful?

Have you ever had the experience of wanting to drink water before bedtime, but being afraid that drinking water before bedtime will cause nocturia and swelling the next day? There is even a saying that drinking water before bedtime is more harmful than eating late night snacks. Can you drink water before bedtime?

The main reason for feeling thirsty before bedtime is due to the stimulation of nerves by the brain’s biological clock. Because after entering deep sleep, the body will excrete a large amount of water. In order to avoid dehydration, the human brain will “urge” us to drink water before going to bed.

Should I drink water before going to bed? In fact, this issue cannot be generalized because different groups of people have different constitutions and physical conditions, and the effects of drinking water before bedtime are also different. However, there are three types of people who suggest drinking water in moderation before bedtime:

Cardiovascular patients: Cardiovascular patients often have high blood viscosity. Drinking an appropriate amount of water at night can dilute the blood viscosity in the body and achieve the goal of relieving the condition.

Diabetics: Compared with ordinary people, the blood of diabetics is more viscous. Drinking an appropriate amount of water at night is conducive to maintaining the balance of blood sugar.

Elderly people: Due to age, various bodily functions deteriorate, and the water excreted at night increases the viscosity of blood in the elderly, which can easily lead to sudden dangers such as myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and cerebral thrombosis. Drinking moderate amounts of water at night can effectively prevent these situations from occurring.

It should be reminded that some people are not suitable to drink water before going to bed, such as patients with heart failure, renal insufficiency, etc. These patients often have abnormal water and sodium metabolism, and drinking water can easily worsen the disease. Therefore, do not drink water just for the sake of drinking water.

As for the statement that ‘drinking water before bedtime is more harmful than eating late night snacks’, there is no need to pay too much attention to it, because there is no comparability between the two. After all, drinking water before bedtime and not drinking water at all vary from person to person.

But it must be emphasized that eating late night snacks does have some drawbacks, the most obvious of which is that it can lead to obesity, because the demand for food and the speed of metabolism will decrease at night. Eating too much at this time naturally makes it easy to gain weight. In addition, eating late night snacks can increase the risk of stomach diseases and reduce sleep quality.

So, when it comes to eating late night snacks, everyone should try not to eat as much as possible; And drinking water depends on everyone’s specific situation!