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How To Stay Hydrated While Traveling on a Flight

Staying properly hydrated should be your first priority in high altitude.

By Kedy SemarkPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Stay Hydrated on Flight

When you are traveling at a height for a long time, you might experience certain issues in your body. It is all because of the problem of dehydration. While you might like traveling on a flight, the dehydration problem can take the whole fun out of it.

So, what do you do at this point? Well, staying properly hydrated should be your priority. It is essential to drink lots of water on long flights, so that you don’t feel the drowsiness or fatigue.

Why Does Flying Dehydrate People?

Has it ever happened to you that you stepped out of place, and immediately felt very ill? Well, sickness is not just the reason for it, but it is dehydration. If you do not drink enough water, then it is possible that you will feel many problems on the flight that you are attending. This is one of the main problems that people have to face when they travel at a certain height such as on a flight.

Some of the common problems that people have to face on a flight are headaches, nausea, fatigue, and so many other problems as well. No other environment is as prepared to drain the moisture out than an airplane.

You could think of it as traveling in a desert where there is sky for the sand. The levels of humidity are not that high. It stands somewhere between 10-20 percent. Did you know that it is drier than the desert in the Sahara? Well, that is all due to the air circulation system of the airplane.

When we are on the ground and in our homes, the levels of humidity tend to be about 30-60 percent, which is the normal range. So, our bodies are used to that kind of humidity and moisture, right? Well, that is one of the reasons why dehydration happens when we fly for a longer period.

The lack of humidity in the cabin of the airplane, along with the air that is oxygen-thin can be the reason why people suffer from dehydration issues. However, during the flight, some people sweat as well. So, there is all that water loss from that. Most men lose about two liters of the water during a flight of 10 hours. The women have it a little better as they lose 1.6 liters. But that is still a huge loss for sure.

How Much Water Is Enough to Prevent Dehydration

Well, now you must be wondering that if dehydration is the problem, then what is the solution? Well, drinking water all the time during the flight will be a very good idea for sure. However, how much water should you drink to feel okay?

Well, that depends on the flight that you are on, and the duration of it. The longer you stay up at a height, the more dehydrated you will feel, and the more water you will need. People need to drink about eight to nine ounces of water. That is for every single hour that they are spending in the air.

However, the shorter flights won’t cause that much of dehydration in people. Still, it is better to be prepared. You need to make sure that you know all about the hydration methods, which will be a help to you when you are above.

One thing that you always need to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t be drinking all the water at once. What we mean to say is if you have a flight of four hours, then you shouldn’t drink a total of 24 ounces of water at once. That would be counter-productive. Plus, it won’t hydrate you. If you drink all the water at once, then your blood will become diluted, and your kidneys will excrete more water, and that's too fast. So, you will be going to the bathroom now and then, and all the water in your body will be gone.

So, say no to chugging down all the water, people!

Make Up For the Drinks You Have

When you are on a flight, then there is a chance that you are going to want something from the drink cart. Who can resist a good Bloody Mary, right? Well, that is all good, but you also need to make sure that you have some water with that cocktail of yours. Also, you need to limit the alcohol content as well, because alcohol acts as a dehydrating agent.

So, you can either drink some water after your cocktail, or you can just avoid the drink altogether. We recommend that you opt for the first option.

Some Other Ways You Can Stay Hydrated

Who says that you only have to drink water when it comes to staying hydrated? There are some other options as well. You have your coffee, which works as a proper hydrating agent. Most people think that coffee dehydrates you, but that is certainly a myth. You could also try out some tea as well.

However, when it comes to our recommendation, we would say that alkaline water is best. The water that enters your body will help in keeping your body hydrated for a long time. Plus, it is a better option than your regular water as well.

So, there you have it, people. Here is how you can easily stay hydrated while you are traveling at a height.

travel tips
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About the Creator

Kedy Semark

A blogger, and editor-in-chief at TheGeneralPost. He writes about balancing life and work. You can connect with him on Twitter.

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