Ramadan Notes #8: Hydration Check - Be Wary of the Caffeine “Drip”

As-salamu’alaykum,

It’s time for Suhoor (the Pre-dawn meal) and I’m all set for work…just waiting for Fajr (the morning prayer) time to come in so that I can pray and head out to work. But I’m feeling somewhat tired because it’s been a busy stretch at work on top of the Ramadan fast so I’m debating grabbing a cup of tea (or maybe a cup of coffee for you) to get that swift caffeine “high” just before the Fajr “bells” go off.

It was a tough call but my Nafs (lower self) ultimately won the battle on this particular morning , so I grabbed my cup of green tea and was promptly jolted to alertness but then the restroom breaks started interrupting my flow of patient rounds and other important tasks every 30 - 40 minutes for the first 3 - 4 hours  of the day and by the end of that stretch of time my energy levels were down again but this time, I didn’t have the option to go back for more…! The rest of the day would have been a complete drag if not for the opportunity to take a walk and get some rejuvenating sun exposure while taking a meeting call. 

The next few days I decided to follow the old adage “once bitten, twice shy”. I knew I needed to recover fast so I went to bed earlier and Alhamdulillah got up earlier to make sure that I had enough time to get in a 14-minute HIIT  workout and continued my hydration through Suhoor until Fajr time. 

The results were dramatically different as you can imagine. Alhamdulillah, I had sustained energy levels and alertness (until it was nap (Qailullah) time of course>>:). My mood was also enhanced throughout the day with fewer restroom breaks and interruptions. The voice of discipline grounded in modern peak performance science had won over my Nafs on this particular day. 

This is a glimpse into the internal conversations and interplay of factors that drive our choices in Ramadan and beyond. The dichotomy here is about the optimal approach to sustained energy levels during the days of fasting - To start with Caffeine or Not to start with Caffeine? This is the question.

My vote is obvious - while alertness is key and we correlate Caffeine with this - Hydration has a stronger correlation to sustained energy levels because it is so integral to our bodies and the underlying physiological processes that drive our performance. The alertness and energy from Caffeine is not sustained.

Allah SWT highlights the central place of water in our creation in this verse from Surah An-Nur v45: “And Allah has created from water every living creature. Some of them crawl on their bellies, some walk on two legs, and some walk on four. Allah creates whatever He wills. Surely Allah is Most Capable of everything.”

Optimal hydration is essential for cognition including maintaining focus, memory, alertness and critical decision-making as well as physical performance and overall wellness which is key for high-functioning healthcare workers especially when fasting the month of Ramadan where opportunities to replenish throughout the day are absent. 

An intentional approach that spreads out hydration from iftar through Suhoor is important with a goal of getting in at least 64 ounces or eight 8 ounce glasses divided as 4-2-2 (iftar time - 1 hour before bed and suhoor time) or for most average sized adults (or more specifically you can use the weight-based formula - 0.033 x Wt in Kg).

Caffeine drains the tank that you have carefully filled leaving many of us close to listless after the initial energy high and comes with withdrawal and dependency not to mention interfering with sleep when taken in the evening altogether negatively impacting our energy levels.

I do get it though and realize that no Caffeine is not an option for many but would advocate for a more intentional approach to our relationship with Caffeine this month where you are leveraging it for high impact situations or at least keeping it to less than half the time and ideally closer to 20% of the time. If you must have Caffeine then be sure to fill your water tanks well so that the diuretic effect does not leave you markedly dehydrated.

May Allah SWT, Al-Qawiyy (the strongest one) bless us with renewed strength each and everyday of this blessed month so that we can maximize the limited time in seeking His countenance and mindfulness. Amin

Sincerely,

Sulyman

P.S. Join like-hearted #HealthCareWorkers on Zoom every Thursday this Ramadan for weekly check-ins at 4.15pm CST/9.15pm GMT/10.15pm WAT . Register and join with this link.

P.P.S. What other suggestions do you have for me and others in this regard? Share in the comments section or reply to [email protected]

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