COURTESY TOI NOV 8

Shorter sleep can lead to dehydration
Washington:

Adults who sleep just six hours per night — as opposed to eight — may have a higher chance of being dehydrated, a study has found. The findings, published in the journal Sleep, suggest that those who do not feel well after a night of poor sleep may want to consider dehydration — not simply poor sleep — as a cause, and drink more water.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University in the US looked at how sleep affected hydration status and risk of dehydration in US and Chinese adults.

In both populations, adults who reported sleeping six hours had significantly more concentrated urine and 16-59% higher odds of being inadequately hydrated compared to adults who slept eight hours on a regular basis at night.

The cause was linked to the way the body’s hormonal system regulates hydration. A hormone called vasopressin is released to help regulate the body’s hydration status. AGENCIES