It’s the first day of blissful Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, and is marked by a period of fasting before dawn to after sunset period. During this period of time, Muslims can’t drink or eat anything.
More than 60% of our body is made up of water. And our body is usually prone to dehydration while fasting. Dehydration can cause weakness, dizziness, headaches, and tiredness. So, you want to stay hydrated during your fasting period. It probably seems a little bit challenging. Because you have a limited period of time to drink enough water. But, actually, it’s not really that hard.
Studies have produced varying recommendations regarding individual needs for water. The answer to the question is varying depend on your health condition, your day-to-day activeness, and the climate condition of where you live. The most common suggestion for drinking water is 8 glasses per day. It’s one of the most reasonable goals and applies also during your Ramadan fasting.
We suggest you arrange your water-consuming time during Ramadan in this pattern:
- 1 glass before eating sahoor.
- 1 glass after sahoor.
- 1 glass on iftar.
- 1 glass after Maghrib prayer.
- 1 glass after dinner.
- 1 glass after Isya prayer.
- 1 glass after Tarawih.
- 1 glass before sleep.
You might want to adjust the pattern and add more of water in sahoor time if you have an active lifestyle during the day. We also suggest you avoid drinking coffee and tea during fasting, on sahoor, or iftar. These two beverages contain caffeine that has a diuretic effect which can make you pee and go to the bathroom multiple times. You should also avoid drinking soda or any sugary-packed beverages on iftar because it can lead to sugar cravings after fasting.
You should also add more watery food to your meal plan. A soup, watery fruits like watermelon and papaya, or homemade juices that contain a huge amount of water. This type of food and fruit can add up your daily consumption throughout the day and make you stay hydrated during Ramadan fasting.
Happy Ramadan and don’t forget to stay hydrated!