Better Hydration for a Long Winter’s Nap the Night Before Christmas (and Every Night)

It’s that hectic time of the year again with everyone rushing around to get holiday gifts and making sure everything is ready for visiting guests and holiday meals. This is why so many people find it to be the most stressful time of the year. Of course, when people experience stress, they may not pay close attention to their self-care and often tend to have a harder time getting a good night’s sleep. Although the holiday season is a busy one, it’s important to make sure that you still get your sleep. Discover better hydration for a long winter’s nap the night before Christmas (and every night).

Water is essential for human health and even slight dehydration can disrupt sleep. Dehydration can cause a number of uncomfortable symptoms including muscle spasms or cramping, headaches, dry mouth and thirst. The lack of sufficient sleep can result in tiredness, lethargy and fatigue. In fact, one recent study states that the evidence so far suggests that there is a relationship between hydration and sleep, with shorter sleep durations associated with lower hydration. 

It’s normal for the body to have water loss during the night due to perspiration and simply through breathing, yet there is no fluid intake during sleep to make up for it. Therefore, the body produces a hormone called vasopressin which promotes water retention during the latter part of sleep. However, if sleep is interrupted or shortened, this natural process may be disrupted. Thus, a cycle can begin where symptoms of dehydration can make it difficult to sleep and insufficient sleep can increase the chance of being dehydrated. 

The simple way to help keep this cycle away is by maintaining adequate hydration throughout the day. Be sure to have fresh, filtered water readily available to sip on regularly, and avoid sugar, caffeine and alcohol containing beverages for your primary beverages. Alcohol and caffeine can have a diuretic effect, and at night they can interfere with your sleep cycle and quality. In order to stay hydrated without frequent wake ups at night for urination, reduce the quantity of fluid consumption in the hour or two before bedtime and go to the bathroom before bed. Additionally, since increased perspiration can mean extra water loss, make sure that the bedroom is not kept too hot and sleep in light, loose and comfortable clothing.

Brita PRO filtered water not only helps to eliminate harmful contaminants, but clean filtered water also tastes better than standard tap water. Brita PRO’s whole home filtration improves the quality of water with a high-capacity reverse osmosis system. Learn more about the Brita PRO difference at www.britapro.com.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!