Have you ever wondered about the best time to drink water? Maybe you have heard that drinking water and staying hydrated is a form of self-care but you are unsure of a water drinking schedule that will work for you?
If you answered yes to either of those questions you are in luck! I am a huge proponent of simple self-care activities and drinking water is one of the simplest activities I know of! Ready to learn how to enjoy the benefits of drinking water efficiently and effortlessly? This is your ultimate guide for creating a water drinking schedule that will keep you hydrated and feeling healthier! Let’s get started, shall we?
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What are the benefits of drinking water?
While most people only think to drink water because of thirst, there are so many more benefits that a cool glass of refreshing water offers. The most widely known and best reason to drink water is that it helps you stay hydrated. This is so essential because over water makes up over 60% of your body. As such, let’s dive deeper onto the benefits of drinking water below:
Lubrication for your joints
The first benefit we’ll discuss about daily water intake is the cool fact that it helps provide the building block for the lubrication of your joints. Each joint has what is called cartilage which is found in nearly every joint and then there are the discs of the spine which need about 80% water for their survival. The idea here is that water helps reduce dehydration which can lead to shock in your joints and more.
In other words, drinking water acts as a shock absorber which help joints become more stable and strong. This, therefore, reduces joints pain and such risk of inflammatory processes like arthritis.
Help form mucus and saliva
Water is also the building block for saliva and mucus. Saliva and mucus are essential to digestion and maintaining moisture in your mouth, nose and eyes. This is essential in preventing friction and damage in areas like nose which can be painful and lead to sores.
As a dentist, I have to mention that drinking water (over drinking other liquids such as juice, sodas, and other sugary drinks) can help prevent tooth decay as it has a cleansing and/or rinsing effect in the mouth.
It’s an excellent source of oxygen
Water is the perfect source of the best air you need for essential body functions. Imagine such vital body functions like detoxification and you will realize they all cannot take place perfectly without enough water in the body. As such, water gives your body about 90% of oxygen which is needed for the blood system.
Drinking water is a potent beauty therapy
There are many different tips shared throughout the internet on beauty. But one of the most consistently beneficial beauty hacks is to drink water. Increasing your water intake is perfect way to help your skin glow and become radiant. Drinking water boosts hydration rates and helps the skin to better defend itself from infections.
Water provides an excellent cushion for many body parts
Your brain is prevented from shock by water in your body. This function is called cushioning which water plays for body parts such as spinal cord, brain and other sensitive tissues.
Water is also involved in other functions such as the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. The latter are what your body uses to transmit pain to different parts of your body and more. Without enough water, most people can suffer thinking and reasoning impairments.
Water regulates body temperature
Once you drink water, it is stored in the middle layers of your skin and comes to the surface when you sweat. As this happens, water evaporates and cools your internal temperature.
It is also noted that when there is a significant sustained decrease in the amount of water present, there is a significant increase in heat storage and can lead to people suffering from heat tolerance strain and more.
Drinking Water is essential for digestion
If you are finding it difficult to use the loo, it’s time to drink water! Being consistent with your drinking water schedule is imperative to proper bowel function. Low water consumption can lead to more than just constipation. You may find that there is increased risk of ulcers and heartburn.
Additionally, consistent water drinking can help flush out wastes in your body. Through sweating, and other waste removal processes.
Drinking water is associated with weight loss
Think about people who struggle with body weight management and imagine the many unhealthy ways available that are used in today’s world to entice you to spend money. One of the beautiful benefits of drinking plenty of water can be weight regulation and loss. Water helps you lose weight through the process of preloading which is the art of helping create a feeling and sense of fullness.
Additional benefits of consistently remaining hydrated include:
- Can help with regulation of blood pressure
- Aids in circulatory system
- Helps with the flow and distribution of minerals and nutrients
- May help with prevention of injuries
What is a good water drinking schedule?
Whether you enjoy filtered, iced or water infused with fruits, it is paramount to make sure you are enjoying enough water for your body. One of the best self-care rhythms you can have is to drink more water. But how often should you drink water?
Well the short answer to this is, often. Drinking water is key to proper functioning of nearly every system in your body, and as such, it is important to be hydrated regularly instead of binging on water at only a single time during the day. Let’s take a look at some tips for a good water drinking schedule.
When you wake up, drink a glass or two of water
Rather than following typical schedules where people wake up and drink coffee and tea, start your day with two cups of water to wake up your cells. Because when we sleep, our entire body system slows down and we can become dehydrated, it is imperative to start the day rehydrating your system.
Drink water before a meal
One way to teach your body how to regulate hunger is by drinking a glass or two of water before you enjoy your meal. While water plays a role in managing your weight, health experts say drinking water before a meal helps you feel full which is an excellent consideration to preventing overeating especially when working on starting a new healthy lifestyle and losing weight.
Drink water after a meal
Remember our discussion earlier on how excellent water is at supporting our digestive system? Well lets use that super H2O fact to help us create our water drinking schedule. After enjoying a meal, be sure to follow your food and kickstart digestion by drinking a glass or two of water. Eating a super fibrous meal?
Consider drinking water as your drink of choice during your meal as well! This is because these foods can be a huge culprit when it comes to constipation. Water can help regulate that.
Drink water before, during and after working out
Our next stop on our list of best time to drink water roster is anytime surrounding a workout. We can lose a lot of water while exercising. Staying hydrated throughout this process can ensure that we stay safe while practicing physical self-care in our fitness routines.
Several fitness experts agree, the best way to gain results from exercises is focus on hydration after exhaustion. This is because once you are dehydrated, there is a high chance of reducing your performance and hurting your ability to gain strength or even hurt some parts that function well with water.
If you’re enthusiastic about workouts such as jogging, speed walking, and biking, its recommended that the best time to drink water is about an hour or half earlier and then have a few sips throughout the process. This will ensure your body is constantly hydrated.
Drink a cup or two before sleeping
Incorporating water into your nighttime routine can be an amazing way to top off your daily intake. Want to turn your nighttime water drinking up a notch? Consider trying an infused water warmed up. This may feel a little like drinking a spa like infusion with so many amazing benefits.
Is it better to drink water in the morning or night time?
So many people argue about when to drink water, and its understandable. When it comes to a habit that has so many benefits, you want to make certain that you are doing it correctly. But sadly, I am not going to give you a very direct answer, because at the end of the day it sort of depends and also it doesn’t really matter. Here’s why.
The biggest issue that many of us face when learning about how to drink water is the fact that in general we are not getting the proper amount of water in the first place.
Additionally when we think about many of the benefits of drinking water they are best actualized when we drink water consistently throughout the day, instead of binging on a gallon of water first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.
So when determining when you should drink water consider this. Try drinking a 6-8 ounces of water on the hour every hour you are awake. If you are the typical modern human, you sleep 6-8 hours a day, so that’s on average 17 times a day that you could be drinking at least 6 oz of water.
How amazingly hydrated is that!!
How can I start drinking more water?
In addition to understanding how often to drink water, learning how to drink more water is an art and there are a few simple hacks that can help you achieve this goal. However, since there are many opinions about how to drink more water, here are a few easy ways to increase the number of glasses of water you consume each day.
Set a timer
One of the easiest and least intrusive ways to drink more water is to set a timer and consider the drinking water method I mentioned before where you would drink 6-8 oz of water on the hour every waking hour. This would allow you to drink upwards of 102 oz of water a day! Which is significantly more than the average person drinks. A note here, because everyone one requires different amounts of water you can tailor this to your personal needs.
Using a water drinking app
If you struggle with the DIY method, then this tip may be a more viable option for you and your journey to drinking more water. As you can imagine, a water drinking App comes with a schedule and timer which work to ensure you do not miss the best time to drink water. Some of the water drinking apps I have tried and enjoy include:
Get a water drinking schedule bottle
Like the App, a schedule bottle will help encourage you to drink water consistently and will ensure you always know how much water you should be drinking. This is essential if you’re an individual who enjoys working out or just looking to enjoy the benefits of drinking more water consistently. Most water drinking schedule bottles comes with a water drinking chart which you can follow religiously for your drinking water training.
What I love about this bottle is its not super intrusive. I’ve tried the gallon bottles, but they are just SOOOOO big and disheartening when you continually don’t finish. This bottle makes it much more attainable to drink water consistently.
Flavor your water
Perhaps you are someone who doesn’t like the taste of water. If plain water isn’t appetizing for you, you can consider drinking unsweetened herbal teas or carbonated water with fruit. This will allow you to increase your fluid intake without adding a ton of sugar-sweetened drinks.
Create a drinking water schedule for better health
Drinking water is generally one of the best ways to maintain health. However, when wrongly done, drinking water may lack the best benefits you may be looking to get. That said, be sure to know the many great times to drink water, the benefits of drinking and the best ways or means to help you drink more water. I hope this guide has been helpful! Lets get hydrated my friends!