Should one drink water before, during or after a meal? No one seems to agree on this. Some people believe that water should be drunk before the meal, allowing time for the stomach to remove the chill before eating. In 1928 managers of several large restaurants instructed their staff not to serve water until the rest of the meal had been eaten. They claimed that drinkin water before the meal would chill the stomach and cause gas and indigestion. Or perhaps the clever restaurateurs thought a client would order more food if his stomach was empty. In the same year Dr. Meter. Golob claimed that drinking water during a meal was unhealthy. He believed that water would stretch an already loaded stomach unless it was empty. Furthermore, he claimed, water diluted the digestive juices.
I believe that you should drink water whenever you body tells you to, whether before a meal or during or after. The body knows best when it needs more liquid. It might be mentioned though that drinking very cold water is not advisable, since it may cause indigestion by solidifying fats and oils. It also forces the stomach to heat the cold water, a wasteful use of body energy.
I feel it is a good idea to drink several glasses of water when you wake up. This helps cleanse the digestive system after a nights rest. I always do this and have developed the habit of keeping a quart of water at my bedside. When I retire for the night I have a glass and if I should wake up thirsty in the night the water is right there.