Lack of sleep can cause dehydration

Washington: According to a recent study, adults who sleep just six hours a night – instead of eight – are more likely to become dehydrated.

These findings suggest that those who do not feel well after a bad night's sleep might want to consider dehydration as a cause and drink more water. The results of the study are published in the journal SLEEP.

The researchers studied the impact of sleep on the state of hydration and the risk of dehydration in American and Chinese adults. In both populations, adults who reported sleeping six hours had significantly more concentrated urine and an increased probability of hydration 16-59% higher than adults sleeping regularly eight hours at night.

The cause was related to how the body's hormonal system regulated hydration.

A hormone called vasopressin is released to help regulate the body's hydration status. It is broadcast throughout the day, as well as during the night, what the researchers focused on for this study.

"Vasopressin is released more quickly and later in the sleep cycle," said lead author Asher Rosinger. "So, if you wake up earlier, you may miss that window in which a greater amount of hormone is released, disrupting the body's hydration."

Dehydration negatively affects many systems and body functions, including cognition, mood, physical performance and others. Chronic or long-term dehydration can lead to more serious problems, such as an increased risk of urinary tract infections and kidney stones.

"If you only sleep six hours a night, it can affect your state of hydration," Rosinger said. "This study suggests that if you do not get enough sleep, and feel bad or tired the next day, drink more water.

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