Elite athletes curb water intake after 4 p.m. — a top nutritionist explains why you should consider it too

• Good hydration can improve your energy, mood, and focus, but timing is important.
• An elite sports nutritionist explains how much water you need, and when to drink it.
• Look for three key signs of dehydration, and eat more hydrating foods with electrolytes.

Hydration plays a huge role in performance, mental focus, physical stamina, and recovery. That's true whether you're an NBA star or a weekend warrior.

The pros have mastered the art of optimal hydration, according to Matt Jones, a sports nutritionist who advises supplement brand Cadence and worked with the Boston Celtics during their 2024 NBA Championship-winning season.

"It's those routines that allow them to perform to the best of their ability, because ultimately the most important thing with any nutrition intervention is the consistency part," he told Business Insider.

After years of experience coaching elite athletes and military professionals, Jones has 5 key tips to get enough water and electrolytes for better focus and energy throughout the day.

Use a three-part test for dehydration

Drinking enough water is crucial to keeping your brain and body performing well in the office or on the basketball court, according to Jones.

"It can impact your mood, your decision making, it can impact the way you just go about your normal life," he said.

A key part of his job is being able to tell whether athletes need to drink more water, which he does using a gold standard test. You can use the three steps to see if if you're dehydrated:

• Waking up thirsty. You can lose fluids overnight, so morning thirst is a good sign to start drinking water.
• Daily weight changes. Slight changes in your daily weight are normal, but if decreases by 1% or more overnight, you could be low on fluids.
• Dark urine. Normal urine is pale or transparent yellow, so a color closer to amber can indicate dehydration.

How much water you should drink in a day?

Jones said the gold standard recommendation is one milliliter to 1.5 milliliters per calorie of energy expenditure.

For example, a person who burns through 2,000 calories a day would need about two liters or eight cups of water per day — the advice you probably heard as a kid.

If you have higher calorie needs because you're more active or weigh more, your hydration needs will be proportionally higher.

Drink most of your water by 4 p.m.

Being well-hydrated can backfire if you drink water too late, since frequent bathroom trips disrupt your sleep.

Jones said the solution for his athletes, including the Celtics, is to drink 80% of their fluids for the day before 4:00 p.m, so their bodies have time to process all that liquid before bedtime.

Hydrate with fruit, coffee, and tea

Plain water is your first priority for hydration and a healthier choice than sugary juice or soda, but other drinks and even foods can count toward your daily total.

For instance, your daily morning coffee can help keep you hydrated. It's best in moderation to avoid the side effects of excess caffeine.

"Caffeine itself can be a diuretic, but when consumed in the form of coffee or tea, the net effect is a net gain in fluid," Jones said.

Hydrating foods like fruits and veggies also provide electrolytes to regulate the fluids in your body.

We need sodium, or salt, but most of us probably get enough in our diets already. Jones said it's better to focus on getting the right amount of potassium for balance and to offset the side effects of too much sodium, like high blood pressure.

Good sources of potassium include bananas, avocado, coconut water, pomegranate, and watermelon.

Start drinking before you're thirsty

It's ok to sip water when you feel like it during the work day, but if you wait until you're thirsty during a sweaty workout, you'll already be dehydrated.

"During intense exercise, particularly in warm environments, thirst is not a good indicator of hydration status," Jones said. "People are often chasing their tails a little bit."

You can calculate your sweat rate to estimate just how much water you need to replace during exercise, like Jones does with the pros.

Prevent a dip in performance by drinking water at regular intervals.

"The first priority as soon as your big toe hits planet earth in the morning is to rehydrate," he said.