Water and hydration: how to properly distribute water consumption during night release deployments and overtime?

Night work on projects, hotfixes before deadlines, and crunch times severely disrupt a person's natural circadian rhythms. Under conditions of severe stress and sleep deprivation, metabolism changes, and the nervous system experiences overload. Many developers try to cheer themselves up with liters of coffee or energy drinks, completely forgetting about plain water, which leads to a sharp deterioration in well-being by morning.

At night, metabolism slows down, but the brain continues to actively process information, solving complex logical tasks. Dehydration during night hours occurs faster due to the consumption of caffeine and stale indoor air. This manifests as brain fog, irritability, slower reaction times, and heaviness in the stomach. Proper hydration helps maintain alertness gently, without the sharp pressure spikes provoked by energy drinks.

Organizing the drinking process during night overtime should be done in such a way as to not disrupt the process of falling asleep after work is finished. You should not drink large volumes of liquid all at once right before going to bed, otherwise the morning will start with swelling and fatigue.

To maintain optimal water balance at night, follow these recommendations: