We need to drink water every day, as the human body cannot function without it. We often say that "water is the source of life." Under normal circumstances, a person needs to drink at least 8 glasses of water (about 200cc) every day.
Some suggest drinking a glass of water or milk before bed to prevent dehydration throughout the night; others argue that drinking water before bed is bad, as it can lead to nighttime urination and may harm the kidneys. So, is it good or bad to drink water before bed? Let's analyze the pros and cons!
Many people know the wisdom of drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning, but actually, drinking a glass of water before bed is also very beneficial to your health!
Why? As mentioned earlier, people tend to drink significantly less water in winter due to the cold and reduced sweating. Insufficient water intake easily leads to increased blood viscosity, thereby increasing the risk of a series of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Drinking a small glass of water before bed can replenish the water lost through sweating during sleep, while keeping the blood clear and reducing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, which is especially important for the elderly!
Drinking too much water at night can affect sleep. Of course, while drinking water at night has its benefits, it doesn't mean there are no downsides. Luckily, I'm still young and my urine retention is pretty good. Being woken up 20 minutes early in the morning by the urge to urinate isn't too bad. Imagine if I drank too much water at night and woke up three or four times a night, each time dizzy and shivering in the dark to find the toilet—I feel like I can't live like that! How can anyone get any sleep?!
Therefore, the biggest problem with drinking too much water before bed is that it seriously affects sleep quality! If it's an elderly person, whose bladder and kidney functions have deteriorated, they may get up more often at night, and they might also bump into things or fall in the dark, or catch a cold in the freezing cold, which would make the problem even more serious.
Therefore, I strongly recommend that everyone drink water at night, but the amount should be moderate! Drinking about 200 ml of plain water before bed is ideal, which is about half a glass. As for those who like to drink coffee, tea, milk, soy milk, or even alcohol before bed, beverages with a certain concentration or containing alcohol that easily promote urination are not as good as plain water. For your important sleep, just drink some plain water!
