Khaberni - Everyone knows the importance of maintaining body hydration, but new research sheds light on its importance for another health factor, sleep.
The experiment revealed that in case of dehydration, participants slept about an hour longer than their basic average sleep hours, but they reported facing significant difficulty in sleeping, and felt more fatigued the following morning.
The research was conducted by researchers from the University of Texas, involving 18 university students who spent 4 consecutive days in a sleep lab.
The experiment
On the first day, participants maintained a baseline hydration level, then increased hydration on the second day, decreased below the baseline level on the third day, and returned to normal food and drink levels on the fourth day.
The researchers tested hydration status indicators, such as urine density and dissolved substances, and participants completed a questionnaire about the duration and quality of their sleep each night, answering questions about the time it took them to fall asleep, whether they woke up throughout the night, and whether they experienced dreams.
The researchers said that the level of dehydration experienced by the participants was similar to what we see in people.
Dehydration and sleep difficulties
According to "Medical Express", the researchers found a link between body dehydration and reduced sleep quality, including difficulty sleeping and fatigue the following morning.
The researchers said: "You may not know why you feel tired all morning, or why you have difficulty sleeping at night, and some of that may be related to your usual daily habits of fluid intake."
