How much water should we drink early morning

The phrase "simple is better" feels especially pertinent when it comes to anything happening in the morning between "opening your eyes" and "breakfast." Thankfully, the first thing registered dietitian Brigitte Zeitlin, RD,  founder of BZ Nutrition in New York City, thinks you should do right after waking up is incredibly simple: Drink water. "Water is an essential nutrient, which means our bodies require it but cannot make enough of it on its own and so we need to get it from our diet," she says. "Water plays a huge role in our moods, cognition, body weight, skin health, and body temperature," she says.

Zeitlin recommends having at least eight to 16 ounces of water before breakfast, and consistently drinking water throughout the day. "A good rule of thumb is to aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water during the day," she says. (And have more if you're exercising or if it's super hot outside.) And you can have that H2O almost any way you like. "Plain, cold, hot, lukewarm, lemon, lime… all your call," Zeitlin says, with the caveat that it's probably best to avoid carbonated water first thing. "Carbonated water can lead to bloat from the bubbles since they are tiny bubbles of air," she says. "It can also leave you with a false sense of 'fullness' from the air bubbles so that you may not eat enough breakfast and end up feeling hungrier sooner."

Drinking water at any time of day is generally pretty healthy for you. But why first thing in the morning? Read on to learn more about why Zeitlin encourages her clients to drink one or two glasses of water right after waking up. (She adds that the claim that drinking water first thing in the morning makes you healthier is based on anecdotal evidence and personal preferences, not clinical studies.)

1. It helps boost your brain power

Don't worry, you don't have to outright replace your cup(s) of coffee or matcha with water. But instead of making that the first thing you sip on, drink some water. "One main benefit is the boost in mental cognition that water helps give our brains," Zeitlin says. Conversely, dehydration has been associated with decreased alertness and increased grogginess and confusion... doesn't that sound like you in the morning? "When we are tired and groggy, just waking up, a little extra mental assist goes a long way. So, for that reason alone, you should start your day with a tall glass of water," she says.

2. It may help get you ready for breakfast

"Some people feel as though a glass of water in the morning 'wakes their body up' and gets them ready for breakfast," Zeitlin says. It's true for her and many of her clients, although she admits there isn't any robust clinical research backing up these anecdotal experiences. "If you are someone who never feels hungry for breakfast and you often skip it, then I would suggest a glass of water first thing in the a.m. and seeing if it does in fact get you more in the 'mood' for breakfast, because eating a balanced breakfast has been clinically shown to help improve overall health in many studies."

3. It supports a better mood

TBH who couldn't use a little help being less cranky in the morning? All it may take is a big glass of water. Indeed, a small 2014 study found that people who typically didn't drink much water enjoyed significant improvements in their mood, especially when going to bed and waking up, after increasing their water intake. "We tend to be cranky and more irritable when we are dehydrated, which we can be after going six to eight hours without drinking anything," Zeitlin says. "Starting the day with water can help you kick the day off in a better mood."

4. It'll perk up your skin

If you notice that your skin looks the way reading an Ayn Rand novel feels—AKA hopelessly dull—after a night of drinking alcohol, fill up your cup with some water.  "If you have dry skin, or drank alcohol the night before, water will help bring back a healthier, softer, dewier look and feel to your skin, as alcohol dries out our skin and can cause it to look red and inflamed," Zeitlin says. "Eight to 16 ounces of water can help bounce your skin back to looking brighter."

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Takeaway:One of the best things you can do after you wake up: drink at least 16oz (500mL) of water. Water fires up your metabolism, hydrates you, helps your body flush out toxins, gives your brain fuel, and may even make you eat less.

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 3s.

Imagine not drinking any water, tea, or any other liquids for the next eight hours.

Well, that’s essentially what you do while you sleep. While you sleep, your body slowly becomes dehydrated because it needs fluid to operate. Naturally, you don’t drink water while you sleep because, well, you’re sleeping!

I’m reducing my body fat from 17% to 10% for a productivity experiment, and drinking a huge glass of water right after I wake up is something both my personal trainer and dietician recommended to reduce my body fat. Especially this week, when I’m being a complete slob in the name of productivity, it’s helping my energy levels a ton.

• It fires up your metabolism. Drinking a large, cool glass of water after you wake up has been shown to fire up your metabolism by a whopping 24% for 90 minutes!1
• You’re dehydrated when you wake up. You just went 7-8 hours without drinking any water! Even if your body isn’t telling you that it’s thirsty, it probably is.
• Water helps your body flush out toxins. “Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate”, according to Kenneth Ellner, an Atlanta-based dermatologist. Getting fluids into your body right after your wake up will help your body flush out toxins first thing in the morning.2
• Your brain tissue is 75% water. When you’re not properly hydrated, your brain operates on less fuel, and you can feel drained, or experience fatigue or mood fluctuations.3
• You’ll eat less. One study showed that people who drink a glass of water before every meal lost 4.5 pounds over a three-month period, because “it fills up the stomach with a substance that has zero calories”, and people “feel full as a result”.4 Especially after I’ve eaten a big breakfast, drinking a lot of water in the morning has also helped me avoid the temptation of snacking before lunch.

Your body is 72% water, and you don’t have enough water in you when you wake up. Drinking a big glass of water first thing in the morning is a great way to rehydrate, and start kicking ass from the moment you wake up.

A great tip by S.J. Scott in the comments: if you’re not a fan of drinking water right after you wake up, reward yourself  after you drink the water (like with tea) to make the habit stick!

1. Source: http://www.myfit.ca/foods_that_speed_metabolism.asp ↩

2. Source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water?page=2 ↩

3. Source: http://www.dorchesterhealth.org/water.htm ↩

4. Source: http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/august/clinical-trial-confirms-effectiveness-of-simple-appetite-control-method.html ↩

Written by Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey has written hundreds of articles on the subject of productivity and is the author of two books: Hyperfocus and The Productivity Project. His books have been published in 34 languages. Chris writes about productivity on this site and speaks to organizations around the globe on how they can become more productive without hating the process.

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