The effects of too short a sleep are multiple, including daytime sleepiness, mood disorders and even metabolic disorders. This study from the Pen State highlights a new harmful effect of lack of sleep, dehydration. Work, presented in the journal Sleep Health, which shows the association of less than 6 hours of sleep per night with the risk of dehydration.
In practice, these results suggest that after a night of poor sleep or after sleep deprivation, it is recommended to stay well hydrated.
Researchers studied the impact of sleep on hydration and the risk of dehydration in more than 20,000 American and Chinese adult participants. In both population groups, adults who reported sleeping 6 hours per night showed urinary markers of dehydration vs. participants reporting sleeping about 8 hours per night. Specifically, too short a night's sleep is associated with a 16-59% increased risk of dehydration.
The body's hormonal system regulates hydration: vasopressin, a hormone, is released to help regulate the body's hydration status. This hormone is released throughout the day, but both earlier and later in the sleep cycle. “So waking too early reduces the window for optimal release of the hormone, which disrupts hydration in the body,” says lead author Dr. Asher Rosinger, professor of biology at Penn State.
The Consequences of Dehydration: Dehydration negatively affects many body systems and 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.
Admittedly, this is an analysis of observational data and cross-sectional studies, so the results do not demonstrate the cause and effect relationship. However, it reveals a strong association between sleep and hydration.
A sufficient duration of sleep is associated with a good regulation of the hydration of the body and, after an insufficient duration of sleep, it is therefore quite simply recommended to think about hydrating.
