Dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, irritability, dry mouth, visual acuity and in some extreme cases loss of motor function, chronic conditions such as kidney stones and even death. Sleep duration has been associated with kidney function but the association between sleep and hydration has not been fully explored.
The hormone Vasopressin is released in the body in response to hydration status and is also part of a circadian rhythm, increasing in the later period of sleep to ward of dehydration. A study recently published in the journal SLEEP investigated whether shorter sleep periods disrupted this hormone release and therefore disrupting body hydration.
The researchers found that sleeping for only six hours was associated with higher odds of inadequate hydration compared to eight hours sleep.
Journal article:
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/advance-article/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsy210/5155420
