When to drink coconut water: morning, midday, after a workout or before bed.
By Boundless /
There's no single best time to drink coconut water. It depends on what you want from it. After a workout it's an easy way to rehydrate, because it naturally carries electrolytes like potassium. Midday it's a lighter swap for soda. Before bed it's fine for most people, ideally about an hour ahead so you're not up in the night. Boundless makes a coconut water for each of those moments.
What's in a bottle of coconut water?
Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young green coconuts. Real coconut water, not from concentrate, keeps the coconut's naturally occurring electrolytes, mostly potassium, with some magnesium and sodium. It also carries the coconut's own natural sugars, which is why the label matters: Boundless adds no sugar and no stevia to any of its coconut waters. Ours is cold-filled and never from concentrate, and the pure one carries molecular hydrogen.
In the morning
A morning bottle is about routine. Longevity & Beauty (dragon fruit) is the one we built for it: 1,000 mg of fish collagen peptides with 90 mg of vitamin C, which your body needs to make collagen, plus 200 mg of glutathione, 25 mg of ergothioneine, and niacin, zinc and biotin for normal skin, hair and nails. It contains fish, from the collagen.
Midday and the 3 pm slump
Two very different bottles, depending on what you're after. Reach for Weight Management (green apple) if you want a crisp, light swap for soda or sugary juice. It has no caffeine and no added sugar, with 600 mg of green apple polyphenols and 950 mg of soluble fiber. Reach for Energy Recovery (blood orange) if you want a lift: 70 mg of natural caffeine from green coffee beans, less than a regular cup of coffee, paired with 150 mg of L-theanine for smoother focus.
After a workout
This is coconut water's classic moment. Its potassium helps replace what you lose in sweat, and Energy Recovery adds 450 mg of sea salt (177 mg of sodium) so your body holds on to more of the fluid. It also has 480 mg of Montmorency tart cherry, the daily amount that eased post-workout muscle soreness in a small study of resistance-trained men. Because Energy Recovery has caffeine, pick pure coconut water with hydrogen after an evening session instead.
Before bed
Is coconut water before bed good or bad? For most people it's fine. It's light, and it's not a stimulant. The main thing is volume: drink it about an hour before bed rather than right at lights-out. Sleep Remedy (blueberry) is the bottle made for the evening. It's caffeine-free and melatonin-free, with 200 mg of L-theanine, 28 mg of saffron extract, 100 mg of GABA, 80 mg of magnesium and 20 mg of ergothioneine. We break down each of those in natural sleep ingredients, explained.
Any time at all
Sometimes you just want coconut water. Pure coconut water with hydrogen is exactly that, in a 350 mL grab-and-go bottle or a 1.0 L bottle for the fridge door and the team bag.
The cheat sheet
| When | Bottle | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Longevity & Beauty (dragon fruit), 350 mL | Collagen with vitamin C, glutathione and ergothioneine | US$4.49 |
| Midday | Weight Management (green apple), 350 mL | A soda swap with polyphenols and fiber, no caffeine | US$4.49 |
| 3 pm slump | Energy Recovery (blood orange), 350 mL | 70 mg natural caffeine with 150 mg L-theanine | US$4.49 |
| After a workout | Energy Recovery, or pure coconut water in the evening | Potassium plus sea salt, and 480 mg tart cherry | US$4.49 / US$2.49 |
| Before bed | Sleep Remedy (blueberry), 350 mL | L-theanine, saffron and GABA; no caffeine, no melatonin | US$4.49 |
| Any time | Pure coconut water with hydrogen, 350 mL or 1.0 L | Just coconut, plus hydrogen | US$2.49 / US$4.99 |
Prices are planned US launch prices, per bottle. The functional flavors keep 2.1 g of powder dry in the twist-to-mix cap until you twist.
Read the science.
- Levers K, et al. Effects of powdered Montmorency tart cherry supplementation on an acute bout of intense lower body strength exercise in resistance trained males. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2015;12:41. Full text
- Hidese S, et al. Effects of L-theanine administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in healthy adults. Nutrients. 2019;11:2362. PubMed
- Lopresti AL, et al. An investigation into an evening intake of a saffron extract (affron) on sleep quality in adults with poor sleep. Sleep Medicine. 2021;86:7-18. Full text
Six coconut waters, from just coconut to four functional twist-to-mix flavors.