Drink water after waking up, not coffee.

What’s the first thing you do after getting out of bed in the morning? Most of us hop in the shower or reach for a cup of coffee to kick-start our brains. If you want the best start to your day, however, you need to get properly hydrated, as your body becomes dehydrated during sleep.

If you manage to get a good night’s rest, that is a minimum of seven hours without drinking any water. And if you live in a dry climate, were at the gym the previous day, or had a few alcoholic beverages the night before, then you would’ve been dehydrated even before going to bed!

During the night, you typically lose around a pound of water through sweat. Even mild dehydration can result in headaches, anxiety and irritability, which isn’t a great way to begin your day.

So how do we effectively rehydrate after waking up? The answer is not to drink coffee, but water.

When you drink coffee on an empty stomach, your bloodstream gets hit incredibly fast by caffeine. As a result, your body releases stress hormones that propel you into your fight or flight mode. To put it another way, waking up with caffeine tricks your body into feeling as though it’s being chased by a lion!

What you should do instead is drink a glass of water with some fresh lemon and a pinch of salt. This will not only rehydrate you but provide essential nutrients and minerals such as potassium, calcium and zinc, making it the perfect way to start your day.