One Simple Habit That Can Impact Your Whole Day

If you want to change your health for the better, there is one simple habit you should add to your morning routine.

Start your day by drinking 1-2 glasses of water as soon as you wake up. 

No, really.

This may seem obvious but the reason why may surprise you!

Curious? Read on...

Why Science Says You Should Drink Water In The Morning

So why do we need to drink water in the morning?

The research shows that our brains clear out toxins while we sleep. 

That’s right! 

While we are fast asleep, our brains are hard at work getting rid of toxins and other waste products (source).

How?

This happens through our glymphatic system. 

The glymphatic system works by cleaning out the toxins and waste products that accumulate in our brain throughout the day.

When we sleep, our brain removes these toxins and sends them to our kidneys, where the toxins are processed and removed through urination.

A key note is that we need water to actually move these toxins out of our body, especially at the beginning of our day.

Without this process, which only happens during our sleep, our brains cannot function normally. This is just one of the reasons that getting a good night’s sleep is so important! 

To read more on getting a good night’s sleep, check out our article,How To Sleep Better In 2019.

Drinking a glass (or two!) of water upon waking allows you to flush out these toxins from your body and begin your day with a clear mind.

How Much Water Do We Need?

Hydration has been a popular topic recently and most of us acknowledge the fact that we need to drink more water. 

So how much water is needed?

In the morning, start off with 1-2 large glasses of water. 

You may have heard that you should drink 64 ounces, or 8, eight ounce glasses of water a day.

But a better method is to drink half of your body weight in ounces each day. So if you weigh 160 lbs, you would drink about 80 ounces of water!

The amount of water needed may increase for those living in dry, hot areas, or for those who have exceptionally active lives. 

Just make sure you’re keeping your electrolytes balanced, to find out how, check out our article,How To Replenish Electrolytes Levels.

What Not To Do

For most of us, when we wake up, the first thing we do is reach for the coffee, tea, or juice.

We really shouldn’t.

Drinking coffee or tea early in the morning can interfere with your cortisol levels (source) and build up your caffeine tolerance, making caffeine less effective for you. 

This results in you needing more coffee to get that caffeine rush. Drink your coffee or tea 3 - 4 hours after you wake up. 

Fruit juices are loaded with sugar and can cause blood sugar spikes, as well as resulting in poor dental health.

Also, ingesting coffee and fruit juices before eating breakfast can cause an upset stomach because both are highly acidic. 

If you rely on caffeine to wake you up, don’t worry! Drinking water can help you wake up, as can stretching, taking a walk, or getting some sunlight. 

These are easy steps to add to your morning routine that can really improve your day.

Conclusion

Our bodies are 60% water. We humans can only survive 3 days without it. Water is literally the most important thing we put in our bodies and most of us do not drink enough of it. 

Drinking enough water is vitally important, so make sure your body is getting enough of it!