Drinking plenty of water every day is essential for several reasons. Water keeps your body healthy. It helps us maintain the right temperature, facilitates our digestion, keeps the skin smooth, and makes it easier for the body to keep infections away. After all, we are 60% water!
It is common to have a full glass of water close by when we go to bed. That way, you always have water at hand if you wake up a little thirsty.
But is it actually healthy to have a glass of exposed water sitting on your nightstand overnight? Here we have listed five reasons that might make you want to stop – and they’ve more important than you think.
1. Dirty water
If the water is left uncovered overnight in the glass, dust and other potentially harmful microbes can accumulate.
In the worst case, flies and insects can fall inside during the night, which you may not always notice when you are drowsy from just waking up and just want a sip of water.
2. Bacteria everywhere
If you take a sip of water from the glass before you fall asleep, your mouth will leave traces of bacteria on the glass, which will multiply during the night.
When you then drink the same water in the morning, you’ll be drinking these old bacteria as well. Not so fresh, right?
3. Electronics on nightstand at risk
Today, it is quite common to have your phone and smart speaker on the nightstand as well.
During the night, accidentally knocking out the water can be dangerous if it splashes on electronics nearby.
4. Tastes much worse in the morning
Anyone who has drunk water the next morning knows that it tastes worse than it did the night before.
This is because carbon dioxide is absorbed by the water, changing the pH value. This makes the water taste a little more acidic in the morning. It’s not dangerous, but maybe not be as satisfying as a glass of fresh water or a sip from a closed bottle.
5. Water can impair sleep
Having a glass of water by the bed can be useful if you get thirsty overnight, so you don’t have to get up and go to the kitchen to drink.
But drinking water at night can also, of course, make you need to urinate, which means that you might have to get up and visit the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Do you usually have a glass of water on the bedside table? Press that SHARE button below, your friends can switch to bottled water as well!
