Are you skipping this crucial after-sex habit? Discover why you should drink water after sex and how this ritual can make a big difference in your overall health and wellbeing.
KEY POINTS:
- Drinking water after sex can help to clean out the bladder and serve as prevention for UTIs.
- It helps one to prevent dehydration and replenish lost body fluids.
- It increases energy levels and relieves fatigue.
Water is essential for the healthy functioning of every system in the body. Drinking clean water is the best way to quench thirst and promote healthy digestion.
According to a 2020 study, drinking water regularly can help you to prevent dehydration – a condition that can impair memory, trigger the body to overheat, and result in constipation and kidney stones.
In the same vein, when used in place of calorie-containing beverages like sugary drinks or soda, water can help with weight loss and calorie restriction.
5 benefits of drinking water:
- Water aids to regulate the body temperature.
- It soothes and lubricates the joints.
- It safeguards the spinal cord and other sensitive body structures.
- Water helps to move nutrients around the body
- It is utilized to foster bowel motions, sweating, and urination to eliminate waste.
On why you should drink water after sex, research reveals that the body produces stress hormones when it’s dehydrated.
By limiting blood flow and shrinking arteries to various sections of the body, these stress hormones (also known as cortisol) interfere with the body’s natural hormone levels and how it responds to sexual activity.
Most individuals find it hard to understand how drinking water is related to having sex. For starters, a lot of people sweat during sexual intercourse, which can be quite an exercise. Thus, drinking water is a very important thing to do after engaging in sexual activity.
Top 3 reasons why you should drink water after sex
1. Cleans out the bladder:
It is medically advised to urinate before and after sexual activity in order to clear pathogens from your urinary tract.
By drinking water after sex, your frequency of urination will most likely increase. This aids in the removal of microorganisms from the urinary tract before an infection develops.
Hence consuming water post-sex helps in the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
2. Prevent dehydration:
During sexual intercourse, the body undergoes physical exertion and sweating, which can lead to a loss of fluids.
If these fluids are not replenished, it can lead to dehydration, which can cause symptoms such as thirst, dry mouth, and dizziness.
By drinking water after sex, you can help replenish the fluids lost during the act and prevent yourself from being dehydrated, thereby helping you feel more refreshed and energized.
3. Increases energy levels and relieves fatigue:
Sometimes, a sex session can be as intense and energy-sapping as working out. A very recent study notes that 25 to 30 minutes of sexual engagement is similar to running 4.8 kilometres.
Therefore, post-sex energy decline is a true fact. So, drinking enough water increases the rate at which the body metabolism recovers this energy loss.
Additionally, taking water can also help to fight the tiredness that comes with sex and will make you feel more energised.
Not being adequately hydrated can interfere with the body’s natural energy-generating processes, leaving you with less stamina and even muscle cramps.
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- How to practice safe sex and sexual responsibilities.
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Other things to do after sex
Apart from drinking water after sex, there are many other things you can do after sex to help you take care of your body as well as promote physical and emotional wellness, such as:
Cleanse the genitals
Cleaning the genital area after sex is essential for maintaining good hygiene and preventing the spread of infections.
Therefore, it’s important to take a few minutes after sex to clean your ‘privates’ thoroughly with warm water and mild soap, paying special attention to the folds of the skin and the anus. This simple step forms an important part of after-sex care.
To prevent the transmission of bacteria, women should wipe from front to back. Simply rinse the vulva and let the vagina take care of cleaning itself.
In the same way, men should give their genitals a mild tepid rinse to avoid any semen builds up or infection risk.
Check the condom (if your partner used one):
It is ideal to examine the condom used after sex for rip or puncture to determine whether you need to get tested for STIs or to take post-sex pregnancy preventive measures. Another top reason to check the condom after sex is to ensure that it has not been compromised or damaged.
Clean your sex toys
If you and your partner use sex toys, be sure to clean them up after your sexual encounters. In addition, washing them properly gets rid of any germs or bacteria as well as gets them ready for your subsequent use.
Depending on the type of material used by manufacturers, each sex toy will come with distinct instructions. Products made of platinum-based silicone that don’t have motors can be sterilized using very hot water.
Completely waterproof products can be cleaned with liquid antimicrobial soap and warm water.
Wash the area of any product that comes into touch with bodily fluids or skin with liquid antibacterial soap and a washcloth dipped in hot water if the product has no cleaning instructions.
Don’t forget to always have a glass of water handy after sex. All that perspiration and fluid loss during sex can leave one thirsty, exhausted and spent.
References.
Centers for disease and control and prevention. (2022). Water and healthier drinks. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/water-and-healthier-drinks.html
Deanna deBara. (2018). How to clean up after sex. https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex/clean-up-after-sex
Jayne Leonard. (2020). What to know about cleaning up after sex. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-clean-up-after-sex
Laderer Ashley. (2022). How many calories does sex burn? What the research says and how to burn more. https://www.insider.com/guides/health/sex-relationships/how-many-calories-does-sex-burn
National Library of Medicine. (2023). Water. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Water
Rahul Gambhir. (2022). Should we drink water just after sex? Answered by a sexologist. https://manmatters.com/blog/should-we-drink-water-just-after-sex/
Vaidyanathan Uma. (2020). Just got laid? Don’t forget to follow these 4 absolutely essential post-sex habits. https://www.healthshots.com/intimate-health/sexual-health/what-to-do-after-sex/
Vanessa Raymond. (2018). Sex, drugs & cranberry juice: What you need to know about UTIs. https://www.uwmedicine.org/sites/stevie/files/2018-11/Sex%2C%20Drugs%20%26%20Cranberry%20Juice_%20What%20You%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20UTIs%20_%20Right%20as%20Rain%20by%20UW%20Medicine.pdf
World Health Organisation. (2016). Be smart drink water. https://apps.who.int/rest/bitstream/retrieve
World Health Organisation. (2017). Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edition, incorporating the 1st addendum. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549950
Zawn Villines. (2020). What can cause dizziness to occur after sex?. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dizziness-after-sexAli, M. A., Kazzam, E., Amir, N., Nyberg, F., & Adem, A. (2013). Effects of dehydration and blockade of angiotensin II AT1 receptor on stress hormones and anti-oxidants in the one-humped Camel. BMC Veterinary Research, 9, 232. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4225509/
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