During Ramadan, you cannot drink anything, including water, during daylight fasting hours. The fast runs from the first light of dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib), and it covers all food, drink, and sexual relations. Once the sun sets, you can drink freely until the pre-dawn meal the next morning. So the real question most people are asking is: what should you drink during those non-fasting hours to stay hydrated and energized through the next day?
The Fasting Window: Nothing at All
This part is straightforward. From before the first light of dawn until sunset, not a single drop of liquid is permitted. That includes water, juice, coffee, tea, and anything else. Even rinsing your mouth during ablution is done carefully to avoid swallowing water. The fast is absolute when it comes to liquids.
Water Is Your Priority
Between iftar (the meal at sunset) and suhoor (the pre-dawn meal), your main job is to get enough water back into your body. The general target is eight glasses spread across the evening and early morning. A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition tracked drinking patterns during Ramadan and found that people who followed a 4-2-2 pattern, four glasses at iftar, two during the nighttime hours, and two at suhoor, were nearly three times more likely to hit their daily fluid needs compared to other patterns.
Most people actually drink the least water at iftar itself, likely because they’re focused on food. Shifting your habit to front-load water at the evening meal makes a measurable difference. The WHO recommends aiming for 8 to 10 cups of water between iftar and suhoor. Sipping steadily rather than chugging large amounts at once helps your body absorb more of it.
Best Drinks for Suhoor
What you drink right before the fast begins sets the tone for the entire day. Plain water is always a good choice, but drinks with some protein or fat content can help you feel fuller and stay hydrated longer.
- Warm milk: A glass of low-sugar milk provides protein and fat that slow digestion, helping you feel satisfied without heaviness.
- Light fruit smoothies: Blending banana or apple with water and a small amount of yogurt gives you natural sugars for energy plus fiber to slow absorption.
- Creamy tea or milk tea: Adding milk to your tea creates a smoother, more filling drink that can keep hunger at bay longer than plain tea alone.
- Coconut water: Naturally contains electrolytes like potassium and sodium, which help your body retain the fluids you take in.
Why Electrolytes Matter
Plain water is essential, but it’s not the whole picture. When you go many hours without drinking, your body loses sodium and potassium through normal processes like sweating. Drinking only plain water can actually dilute the sodium in your blood further, which triggers your kidneys to flush out more fluid. That’s counterproductive when you’re trying to stay hydrated.
Adding some sodium to your fluids increases water retention in the body and reduces urine output. You don’t need a commercial sports drink for this. A pinch of salt in a glass of water, a bowl of broth-based soup at iftar, or naturally electrolyte-rich drinks like coconut water all help. Soups and salads with some salt content at your meals count toward this balance too. The goal is to pair your water intake with enough minerals that your body actually holds onto the fluid.
Coffee and Tea: Timing Matters
Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production. But according to the Mayo Clinic, the fluid in a caffeinated drink generally offsets the diuretic effect at normal consumption levels. In other words, a cup of coffee still hydrates you on balance. The concern is more about high doses or drinking caffeine close to suhoor, when you want your body retaining as much water as possible.
If you’re a regular coffee or tea drinker, having a cup at iftar is reasonable. The FDA’s recommended daily limit is 400 milligrams of caffeine for adults, roughly four standard cups of coffee. During Ramadan, keeping it to one or two cups earlier in the evening gives your body time to process the caffeine before the fasting window begins. Avoid caffeine at suhoor if you can, and make your final pre-dawn drinks water or milk instead.
Drinks to Limit or Avoid
Sugary drinks are the biggest trap during Ramadan’s non-fasting hours. Sodas, packaged fruit juices, energy drinks, and sweetened beverages deliver a rapid spike in blood sugar followed by a crash. They contain large amounts of quickly absorbed sugars with poor nutritional value. Research links regular consumption of two or more servings per day to elevated fasting blood glucose and increased insulin resistance over time. During Ramadan specifically, that blood sugar rollercoaster can leave you feeling more drained and thirsty the following day.
It’s tempting to reach for something sweet at iftar after a long day of fasting, but replacing even one sugary drink with water or an unsweetened option makes a real difference in how you feel the next afternoon. If you want something flavorful, try infusing water with slices of cucumber, lemon, or mint.
A Practical Drinking Schedule
The hours between sunset and dawn are limited, so having a loose plan helps. Here’s what the 4-2-2 pattern looks like in practice:
- At iftar: Start with two glasses of water before your meal, then one or two more during or after eating. This is also a good time for soup or broth.
- During the evening: Sip two glasses of water between iftar and bedtime. This is when coffee or tea fits best if you want it.
- At suhoor: Drink two glasses of water or milk alongside your meal. Choose hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber, or yogurt to supplement your fluid intake.
Spreading your intake across these three windows is more effective than trying to drink everything at once. Your body can only absorb so much fluid at a time, and overloading at one sitting just sends the excess to your bladder.
Who May Need Extra Fluids
Pregnant women, elderly individuals, people with diabetes, and anyone with kidney conditions face higher risks from the extended hours without water. The WHO advises pregnant women to watch for warning signs like changes in urine color or quantity, persistent vomiting, fainting, or unusually heavy sweating. For people with diabetes, monitoring blood sugar regularly during the fast is important, and choosing water over sweetened drinks at iftar helps keep glucose levels stable.
For these groups, aiming for the higher end of fluid intake (10 glasses rather than 8) between iftar and suhoor provides an extra margin of safety. Hydrating foods like soups, watermelon, and green salads contribute meaningfully to total fluid intake and are worth prioritizing at meals.