A former NFL coach is telling millions to chug Sprite Zero before bed. The bizarre reason why it works involves just two specific chemicals

The newest viral craze has people chugging soda before bed, but not for the sugar rush. We’re talking about the “Sprite Zero sleep trials,” where millions are trying to use the drink as a bizarre hydration hack to stop waking up and needing to pee in the middle of the night.

This whole trend kicked off back in September 2025, thanks to former NFL coach Pratik Patel. Patel published a post on X claiming that drinking a Sprite Zero before hitting the pillow prevents him from having to get up and urinate in the middle of the night. He called the specific combination in the drink a recipe for “elite hydration.”

This won’t ever be the best healthy soda, but it’s the mix of water, sodium citrate, and potassium citrate, all without any caffeine to mess up your sleep cycle. These two specific chemicals are electrolytes, and they are the key to this unexpected sleep solution.

Maybe you need more soda before bed, not less

This actually makes sense from a basic science perspective, which is a top-tier feature for an internet hack. Hydration experts have long emphasized that you need more than just plain water to keep your body functioning well. Your body needs electrolytes like salt, which is sodium, and potassium, to properly absorb and retain the water you drink.

If you skip those necessary electrolytes, the water you consume just flows straight through your kidneys and out the other end. That’s why people are finding they wake up less frequently with an urgently full bladder after drinking the Sprite Zero. The electrolytes help your body hold onto the water throughout the night. So there is some science behind the idea. It sounds like skyscraper soda science, but it is science.

While the Sprite Zero trial is cheap and accessible, there’s a predictable catch that has led to some user skepticism. Coach Patel also used his viral moment to peddle his own supplement called “PreSleep.” A lot of people are tired of former sports personalities trying to sell them magic powders, but they certainly latched onto the cheap soda idea instead.

Whether or not PreSleep helps further, or if there are unexpected side effects from regularly consuming the soda, real scientists will have to figure that out. For now, the internet is not waiting for lab results. You can definitely expect to hear more about the bizarre and surprisingly effective Sprite Zero sleep trials as more people try to achieve that “elite hydration” before bed.