Hydration
·
Strategic hydration timing
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5
min

Morning 500

Replaces what you lose overnight. Starts the day hydrated.
Use this when
Every morning, before coffee, your phone, or anything else. Your body has been without water for 7 to 8 hours.
After this
Your brain and body start the day at baseline rather than already behind. The mid-morning clarity problems linked to mild dehydration become less likely.
You will need
500ml of water, about two standard glasses.
The why
Overnight breathing and perspiration cause consistent fluid deficits of 200 to 500ml (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Research from Loughborough University found that drinking 500ml within 30 minutes of waking improved cognitive performance for the entire morning. Starting the day hydrated means you are not spending your most alert hours catching up from a deficit.
Reseach

Benjamin, C. L., Norton, E. P., Shirley, B. M., Rogers, R. R., Williams, T. D., Marshall, M. R., & Ballmann, C. G. (2021). Fluid restriction negatively influences perceived morning alertness and visuomotor ability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 370. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010370