Monday, June 2, 2008

I'm back....traveling is so dehydrating

Portrait of a businesswoman peeking around a corner in an office setting
served by picapp.com


I flew back from Winnipeg yesterday and I've been fighting what I call a "low-grade" headache since Sunday and the way it's feeling behind my left eye, I'm afraid it may be morphing into a migraine some time today.

When I woke up on Sunday morning with this headache, it felt like one you get when you've had a bit too much to drink the night before - not enough to get drunk but enough to affect your body. The thing was though, I hadn't had anything to drink.

Later that day, I realized it was dehydration. I'm really not good about drinking water and I'm in a constant state of dehydration. I just am not thirsty and don't think to drink fluids. I'll get into a kick and do really well for a few days, but then I revert to my regular habit of having very little to drink throughout the day. I know that this is not good at any time, it's particularly bad when you travel.

Airplanes are horribly dry and most hotel rooms are too. On the plane back yesterday, I spoke with a flight attendant who was chugging from a huge water bottle. She said that the need to drink water was drilled into them during their training and now it was just a habit.

So, this headache is my own fault and even though I know it's from dehydration, I'm still not able to drink enough fluids to get my body back to where it usually is, let alone where it ought to be. I'm just not thirsty and forcing myself to drink doesn't work. How weird is that?

Today on Help My Hurt:

Have chronic pain? You can still have sex.

An extra back pain question answered


Today on Womb Within:

Press release: Is tap water safe for expectant mothers?

Health issues for teen moms


News for Today:

Kids' cancer rates highest in U.S. Northeast: report
Bunk beds pose danger to kids, older teens: study
Seemingly healthy kids are vitamin D deficient: study
Long-term marijuana use linked to brain abnormalities
Earlier diagnosis giving Alzheimer's a new voice

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

2 dehydration ideas ... (one) use a smaller glass (like 6 oz) and just stand there and drink the whole thin ... (two) take a sip every time you check your email or some other routine task.

Also, I've heard that a nice glass of gatoraide can help these kind of headaches go away.

No medical basis ... just things I do to stay hydrated .