Drinking a glass of water that has stood bedside overnight

Nobody with a combi boiler has cold water coming from a tank in the attic anymore. With modern systems all cold taps are fed from the mains, so supply drinking water.

I use a bottle of water or a sippy cup.ok
Stopped using a glass after I knocked one over and the drawer beneath was partially open. That was a mess and a half.

Don't know where the 'ok' came from.

I refill a plastic bottle with water every night and most mornings it is at least half empty. I don't remember drinking it but if |I have no water will wake up with a dry mouth!
I read somewhere that if you drink water before bed you are less likely to have a heart attack in the night, or maybe I dreamt that.
I have drunk water with a fly in it more than once. I have also had water bottles so long that I have discovered a kind of green moss in the bottom, before I disposed of them. As you can see I am still here.

Riverwalk I think that the water in the glass reacts with the air to absorb CO2 which makes it taste stale. Water in the pipes would not have contact with the air. This probably explains why water from the tank in the loft tastes different from water directly from the mains.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. I am pleased that nobody has had any ill-effects from my potentially dangerous habit. ? I think I will carry on drinking my overnight glass but keep an eye open for floating debris, live or dead!

I always take a small bottle of water to bed, lasts me 3/4 nights,, I only have a little when I get back in to bed from toilet breaks ? and still fresh as lid on tight. ? happy all ok round

Simple. I use a refillable sports water bottle. Change water daily. Put in dishwasher often.

Keep a small bottle by the bed....

I have taken water to bed for years because I have sinus trouble and also take meds that give me a dry mouth. So I wake up with a very dry mouth and throat in the nights. Also have to take painkillers sometimes for my back. I have always used a covered beaker to prevent insects or dust getting in the water, and to help avoid spillages. My 35 year old daughter does this too. I drink it during the night but I don' t usually drink it once I get up, after about 7.30. It does seem a bit stale by then.

I always take a small glass and a carafe of water to bed, so my sips in the night are freshly poured, even in the dark, you can tell the level of water from the sound it makes.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I take a glass to bed for the same reason as lots here; dry mouth, early tablets etc. I keep it covered in case of spiders but I’ve never worried about freshness or CO2 and I’m still here. I remember the ‘bathroom water comes from the attic’ era because it used to worry me when I was brushing my teeth but nowadays it’s all from the same piping.

Oh Sudonim I remember that thread so well! Yuck.

I take two glasses of water up to bed. One for me (which I cover) and one for the cat. She won't drink from her water bowl but does like water from a bedside glass.

I've pondered over this. I keep a bottle of water in the car and sometimes forget to change it. So if I'm out somewhere and thirsty, is it safe to drink, after, say, 3 days? (after it has been opened).

I take mine in a bottle now. It lasts for days!! (Use it for morning tablet)

Always take water to bed at night as I frequently wake up thirsty, but I have it in a bottle so its covered

I always have a glass of water by my bed, as I get very thirsty during the night. After I found a couple of small flies and a moth (separately - not a suicide pact!) drowned in there, I decided it was time to cover it. I discovered that the lid on the smallest size of Nutella fits perfectly on top of most tumblers, (or tins, if you only use half and want to save the rest in the fridge overnight) and, actually, the smallest Nutella jar makes a good tumbler - in fact, most of our everyday glasses are Nutella jars! You don’t shed any tears if they get broken either.

Phoebes, Thanks for the Nutella idea. We don’t have it but I know my daughter does. Excellent recycling too.

I always need water in the night, I think people who tend to sleep with their mouths open or snore get very dry and need a drink,

I always put a saucer thing on top to keep the spiders out as I drink a little of it in the dark. I need it to wash down my Gaviscon Liquid,

I used to take a glass of water to bed with me. One night, I had a swig from it and felt something moving in my mouth. Yuck! Not a nice feeling. I spat it out, put the light on and found a moth had got into my water. I now take my water to bed in a bottle.

I remember seeing a video many years ago which, microscopically, looked at the surface of water that has stood overnight. It was covered in dust mite faeces, material fluff, dander from pets (if you have them), tiny bits of cobwebs, and other sources of dust (including things that had come in through the window); everything that's floating in the air settles on it overnight (think about what happens when you dust a piece of bedroom furniture - what's on the cloth is what's going in the water). After that, I've never kept a glass of water by the side of the bed without covering it (only in case I need it in the night). And, if I get through the night without needing it, it goes straight back to the kitchen and down the sink. Then I have a glass of FRESH water.

If you feel thirsty in the night...dry mouth etc it is probably because you have not drunk enough in the day.

I always had a glass of water by the bed until one night I heard something peculiar. I put on the light and my cat was drinking the water! I now take a bottle of water to bed.

it does taste a bit off when left by the bed .like dusty...not suprising as millions of dust particles fall every day. i take a drinking water bottle to bed now .