Why You May Want to Drink Water Before Coffee in the Morning

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Before reaching for that cup of coffee in the morning — or even your breakfast — you may want to drink a glass of water first, experts say.

When we wake up, our bodies are dehydrated after a full night’s sleep. Not only will you quench your body’s thirst, but also give your digestion and metabolism a boost. Coffee, on the other hand, can further dehydrate you.

“Our bodies are pretty dry when we wake up in the morning,” Angela Lemond, national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told USA Today. “Drinking a couple glasses of water to allow the body to rehydrate allows for better digestion when you do eat. It also helps with moving the lower bowels for regularity in the mornings.”

The average adult body is about 50 percent to 65 percent water, so making sure you’re hydrated is vital to your body’s function. If you don’t drink enough water, your body processes do not work as well, Lemond explained.

Drinking water can also help keep your bad cravings and munchies at bay. Often, when your body is dehydrated, it will mistake that sensation with hunger, which can lead to overeating.

In addition to the many metabolic benefits, drinking water first thing in the morning — and not coffee — can actually increase your levels of alertness.

“One of the biggest indicators of lethargy or low energy is that you are dehydrated,” Rania Batayneh, MPH, a nutritionist and the author of “The One One One Diet,” told Business Insider. “Because water aids in both body regulation and brain function, it is also closely related to balancing out our moods.”

So place a glass of water at your bedside at night to really start your day off right; your body will thank you for this replenishing morning ritual.

Related: Caffeine May Prevent Age-Related Inflammation

Danielle Tarasiuk

Danielle Tarasiuk is a multimedia journalist based in Los Angeles. Her work has been published on AllDay.com, Yahoo! Sports, KCET, and NPR-affiliate stations KPCC and KCRW. She’s a proud Sarah Lawrence College and USC Annenberg alumn.

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