7 benefits of drinking water before bed

7 benefits of drinking water before bed

Drinking water veforebefore bed has many known benefits
Drinking water before bed has many known benefits

Water is the most important component that the human body needs to function properly throughout the day. Apart from the common function of making our body hydrated, drinking water is essential for effective weight management, waste removal out of our body and improving mental fitness. But, the number of times that we should drink water has always been a matter of debate. One such general question related to water consumption is about drinking water before bed. When you sleep, the body loses water in breathing, sweating and digesting the food that you take.

The most advantageous thing you can do for yourself is drinking a glass of water. People spend much concentration on making themselves hydrated throughout the day. But there’s not any doubt that most people don’t drink the required amount of water they should have to stay hydrated. As soon as they don’t feel thirsty, they don’t feel the need to sip some water. Overnight hydration is equally important for your body’s overall health and it is highly overlooked. If you are wondering about the reality of drinking water for you, this article will show you 7 benefits of drinking water in avoiding nightly dehydration to give you reason why you should start drinking water before bed. Read along to find out :-

It detoxifies your body

Drinking water before bed helps in detoxifying your body
Drinking water before bed helps in detoxifying your body

Along with the usual benefit of making your body stay hydrated, drinking water before bed is helpful for the whole body cleansing. More particularly, drinking a glass of warm water can detoxify your body by increasing the blood circulation within. By drinking warm water, you make your body sweat more and make it remove toxins and excess salts. Water leads to your skin cells loosening up making it a lot easier for the cleansing process. You can also add lemon to the water for a tangy flavor.

Helpful in temperature control

Drinking water before bed helps in temperature control
Drinking water before bed helps in temperature control

One common problem that many people face while sleeping is their body temperature. Their body is either too overheated or it is too cold that makes it harder to fall asleep. You will find yourself taking lots of tosses and turns. This problem can be easily solved by drinking some water before bed. Water is better known for its body temperature controlling capacity. Drinking water before going to sleep avoids your body from getting too hot or cold and keeps it under a normal range. Try having warm water for more benefits.

Good for the heart

Drinking water before is good for the heart
Drinking water before bed is good for the heart

Our heart pumps blood to whole different parts of the body. Drinking water before bed can be very helpful for keeping a healthy heart. By sipping water in adequate amount, you are making it hydrated. The blood will be circulated all around the vessels in an easier manner in a hydrated body. The heart pumps better and doesn’t face any stress in it’s proper function. It is always advised to have a healthy diet good for your heart along with having water throughout the day (also before going to bed) as a better lifestyle habit.

Makes your skin glow

Drinking water before bed makes your skin glow
Drinking water before bed makes your skin glow

The best time for taking care of your skin in nighttime. Your skin cells are more aware during nighttime, as such a little step in making it better will give you a healthier and glowing skin. If you have habits like washing your face before bed and brushing your teeth, one more healthy habit that you should adopt in your lifestyle is drinking water before bed. Treat your skin at night by sipping a glass of cold water along with washing your face. The hydrated skin will look plump and refreshing while you wake up at morning and you will avoid any chance of getting premature wrinkles.

Improves mood

Drinking water before bed improves your mood
Drinking water before bed improves your mood

Your sleep cycle is directly related with your mood. A bad mood can negatively affect your sleep. Water can play a big role in this case. A person suffering from dehydration feels irritated and bad and this negative mood affects the slow wave sleep cycle. Even proved by researches, drinking water before bed can be very helpful in improving your mood. Increasing your water intake by drinking before going to sleep leads to an increase in peacefulness, satisfaction and positive thoughts. Falling asleep becomes very easy when your mind is calm and positive.

Helps in weight loss

Drinking water before bed can be helpful in weight loss
Drinking water before bed can be helpful in weight loss

Drinking water before bed can prove worthy if you want to lose weight. Losing weight is influenced by the calories your body burn. Your body needs to burn calories in order to warm up the water you consume. As such, when you drink water before going to bed, your body actually burns more calories than it would otherwise. Water also boosts metabolism by hydrating you. So, it is advised to drink plenty of water especially before bed along with focusing on your exercise and healthy diet if you are concerned about losing weight.

Better immune system

Drinking water before bed improves your immune system
Drinking water before bed improves your immune system

Your immune system gets more healthier when you start taking adequate amount of water. Drinking water before bed will help your body to release all the bacteria that have been stuck in your bladder through urine. A dehydrated person in on risk of urinary tract or other types of infection. But water flushes the bacteria out from your immune system making it more clean and healthy. Drinking water before bed can also avoid any chance of cramps in the stomach that makes you start your day in a much happier way.

Disadvantage of drinking water before bed

There's also some bad points about drinking water before bed
There’s also some bad points about drinking water before bed

Drinking water before bed is loaded with many benefits but there are still a few risks associated with it. People who normally drink enough water whole day, if drink water before going to sleep they can suffer some serious sleep issues. Water can disrupt your sleep schedule especially if you have a bad urinary bladder hold. Drinking water before bed is associated with increased number of bathroom tours during the night. The increased need to urinate at night by drinking extra water is called nocturia. This will make your sleep wake time gets much less. You’ll start your day in a stressful way. Lack of sleep even leads to major health issues like high blood pressure, weight gain and high cholesterol levels. Drinking excess water can even lead to hyponatremia, a dangerous condition where extra water goes into your cells and makes them to swell.

What is the best time to drink water?

If drinking water before bed is not good, what's the best time to have it?
If drinking water before bed is not good, what’s the best time to have it?

Drinking water at any time of the day, and that includes before bed gives you all the benefits. You can drink water before bed until you feel any disturbance in your sleep. If you feels need to urinate at night, stop drinking water before right bed. You can drink water one or two hours before bed and notice your body. All what’s important is keeping your body hydrated by providing it enough water. Note that the need of each body is different and so the water requirement. If you’re eager to know what amount of water you should drink, here’s a quick info –

You should drink eight glasses of water per day, that’s what the regular point of view says. The need of every person is different and so the amount of water required by different people is also not the same. Some certain factors affecting water intake are:-

Age – Generally, younger people need more water than older people. Older people need slightly less water to stay hydrated but it’s still necessary to drink enough water.

Flu – People suffering from cold or flu needs more water to make their body function smoothly than people who are in a healthy state.

Exercise – The amount of water intake is also affected by exercise intensity. The higher you exercise, the more your body will increase sweat and the more water you will need to avoid dehydration.

Climate – People who live in a place with a hot and humid climate will need more water to operate as their body will increase more sweat in that climate.

Drinking water before bed can give you many benefits whether it’s detoxifying your body, maintaining proper temperature, helping in sleep by improving your mood or promoting immune system. But, it has been noted that the amount of water you drink is more important than the time when you drink it. You should drink water throughout the day and that includes before going to bed also. However, if you have a bad urinary cycle, it is best advised to drink water at least 2 hours before going to sleep.

101 Flossing tricks : How often should you floss

101 Flossing tricks : How often should you floss

Flossing is the best way to control plaque formation for cleaner teeth
Flossing is the best way to control plaque formation for cleaner teeth

Flossing is the one term in dental care that everyone has heard of, but almost no-one knows the importance about. As merely brushing your teeth twice in a day doesn’t provide your teeth the care that they deserve, flossing is one way to make them get clean and brighter. Since the plaque formed on your teeth (particularly around the area between two teeth) is sometimes very difficult to remove by brushing, flossing gets an added importance.

It is required to control the plaque growing on your teeth for a great oral care. This plaque gets hard if you leave it alone. You will face issues like bad breath and yellow teeth along with major problems like gum diseases. Brushing alone is not enough to control that plaque formation and that’s where the role of flossing comes in. If you’re also looking forward to improve your oral health by flossing, keep reading the article as we make clear your every doubt relating to flossing.

What is flossing?

A string used for flossing the teeth
A string used for flossing the teeth

In oral hygiene, flossing is a highly recommended habit. As the food you eat gets stuck between the teeth that is difficult to remove with just brushing, flossing helps in easy removal of such food strain. As your teeth gets cleaner, the chances of bacteria and plaque formation reduce incredibly. Even after knowing about it’s such an importance, there is only a small population who have included flossing in their dental care routine.

How to floss?

A dental floss string for flossing your teeth
A dental floss string for flossing your teeth

Out of that small population doing flossing, only a few know how to do it correctly. Flossing is a very tedious and time consuming activity as you have to do it one by one for every teeth. But don’t worry as we discusses how you can floss rightly using right method and right tools : –

Floss using a string

The most traditional method that most people use for flossing is to use a string. For centuries, people have been using a flossing string to clear food strains between their teeth and undeniably this method works great when done correctly. To floss using a string, all you need is to cut an 18 inch long string and wrap around 1 inch of the string on each side around the middle fingers of each hand. Hold this flossing string tight using your thumb and index finger. Glide this string between your teeth. Rub the string against the teeth. Move around and curve around the gum line so that it remove the plaque hidden around.

Repeat the process for each tooth one by one. While flossing using a string, don’t be too harsh as it may cut the gums.

Using floss threader for flossing

A floss threader is a more convenient option for flossing your teeth as it makes it easier to reach those areas that might be difficult to floss otherwise. This tool is the best option for flossing your teeth if you have bridgework, braces, and orthodontic wires.

Floss threader is a flexible yet sturdy flossing tool made of plastic that can be used with the help of a nylon wire. You simply have to insert the wire into the threaders eye for using it. Using the threader that can bent around the curvy mouth edges, it will get simpler to floss behind the archwires, below the bridgework and beneath the retainer bars. After you’ve done flossing, you can simply pull the nylon wire to release out of the threader.

Try air flosser or water flosser

If you’re bored of the traditional flossing method using a wire, you can use air or water flosser. Air or water flosser is the best way to up your game in flossing teeth. These handheld devices work excellently in removing the food strains without much hassle.

An air or water flosser requires electricity to run. This device shoots a stream of air or water directly between your teeth. You are only required to point the nozzle of the flosser at the front of where two teeth meet. This quick shoot of air or water makes the food stuck get away. This method is great for cleaning deeper under the gums. If using a water flosser, you will need to refill the water tank on a regular basis.

Some tips on flossing

After knowing about the methods of flossing, these are a few tips you should keep in mind.

How often should you floss?

Flossing is one such habit that should be adopted on a daily basis for a brilliant oral care. As a thumb rule, try to floss once in a day. Make it a rule and never miss this one time.

If you’re confused about how much should you floss if you have braces, then the answer is same. Don’t skip the rule of flossing once in a day. Having brace is not an excuse. If you’re worried about how you’d be able to floss below the archware of your brace, you can floss using a floss threader using the method described above.

Don’t reuse the same string

Don’t reuse the same floss. Throw away the string right after using it. Using the same floss will give way to the old bacteria and debris to reenter into your mouth that you removed earlier while flossing with that string.

When should you floss?

If you want the best results, it is advised that you should floss at every night before going to bed. By flossing the teeth at night, you will be able to remove food strains and debris that settle on your teeth overnight. However, if you are more comfortable doing it in morning, that’s not an issue.

You may floss your teeth before or after brushing. It doesn’t matter if you floss teeth before or after brushing, the only thing important is to floss. If you floss your teeth before brushing, you will expose off all the food particles and debris lying between the teeth that will be removed completely when you brush. If you floss teeth after brushing them, you will be able to pick up any leftover food strains. However, as per a few observations, brushing your teeth and then flossing is better.

Don’t overdo flossing

One essential tip you should keep in mind while flossing is to never overdo it. Too much of flossing can damage your teeth. You can damage your sensitive gums. The chances of irritating and damaging gum tissues will get higher. Don’t overdo it and keep flossing limited to just once in a day whether in morning or night.

Don’t run the floss like saw

You should avoid a common mistake that almost everyone makes while flossing their teeth. You shouldn’t run the floss back and forth between your teeth like a saw while flossing, rather you shohld rub the floss against your teeth’s surface. This way, you’ll be able to remove more food strains and debris out of the gums. You just need to glide the floss between teeth and wrap it around the teeth base in a C shape.

Flossing is an important factor in giving your teeth the care it needs. By flossing your teeth properly, you will get benefits like a reduction in risk of cavities by controlling any debris and leftover food particles and preventing gingivitis and other gum diseases. A good oral hygiene practice including flossing is also linked with improving heart health. These reasons are enough to make you believe in the importance of flossing in dental hygiene. Here, we have covered all the doubts related to how you floss, the right method and what tips to follow to avoid any gum damage. However, don’t rely solely on flossing. You should still be brushing your teeth twice a teeth. Combine this flossing thing with your brushing routine and you are unlikely to suffer any dental problems.