Dealing with hydration for working out in the evening

Question

when I work out during the day, I usually drink about 1.5L of water during my workout. However, sometimes the only time of day when I can work out is late in the evening and, with such a quantity of water, nocturia can wake up me and preventing me go back to sleep.

My question is: if you are accustomed to working out in the evening, how do you deal with hydration?

A possible solution I have thought is to drink more during the day and less in the evening. What do you think about drinking more during the day and less in the evening (despite the workout routine)? Example:

• good hydration during the day
• 1L of water before training
• just 0.5L during training

There would be more time to micturate before going to sleep. Do you think this level of hydration could be acceptable for good muscle recovery (by considering also the importance of the good sleep quality)?

Answer 1

I would just drink less during the workout. If you don't feel like to need to drink 1.5L of water during the workout but are forcing yourself to do so anyway, then the solution is easy - just stop forcing yourself to drink more than what your thirst naturally drives you to drink. Or if you feel that you need to drink so much during your workouts as a temperature management strategy, then consider other options such as using a wet towel, fans, or drinking a smaller quantity of iced water. However if you're drinking due to legitimate thirst, then that's trickier.

Post-workout protein is also a concern, as protein shakes will definitely increase urine output. This isn't really avoidable unless you can ensure that you can always finish your workout early enough to be able to consume a protein shake afterwards and urinate sufficiently before bed. Going to bed without eating anything after working out isn't a good idea, and your body needs to be refuelled at that point, and not doing so could hugely impair the benefits of the workout.