Dehydration Headaches and How to Beat Them

Do you ever get nasty, stinging headaches that feel like part of your brain is on fire? Those might be dehydration headaches, and they're caused by not getting enough liquids on a daily basis, and can be made worse by drinking alcohol and smoking.

I used to get dehydration headaches on a regular basis. I hate water, and because I'm on a diet and trying to reduce my calorie intake, I didn't drink much during the day. I have a couple cups of coffee, some juice and some silk, and that's about it. Unfortunately, this isn't nearly enough hydration for the day, and it caused me to have headaches.

Fortunately, I have come up with a few little tricks for getting enough water, and I thought I'd share it with you. I know I'm not the only person that hates water, and I can't see the point in buying flavored water or fitness water when I can get the pain stuff right from the tap for free.

One thing you can do to make water taste better is to filter it. You can get a filter pitcher at most super stores, and they aren't all that expensive. Using one of these will make most tap water taste better. After you filter it, put it in a bottle and store it in the fridge. Being extremely cold will also make the water taste better, and may make it easier to drink.

Now, if you're like me and you really can't stand drinking a lot of water all at once, and hate that a portable water bottle gets warm after a while, there's another option. Keep a small plastic bathroom cup with you. If you're at home, have one in each bathroom, and when out have one you can carry around, or if possible leave in the office bathroom in some sort of container. Every time you go to the bathroom, swig down a couple cups of water.

I work from home, so I keep a 3 oz. cup in my bathroom. Every time I go, I drink 2 cups. I can easily get about 24-32 oz. of water a day doing this, and as I have gotten more into the habit, I find it a lot easier to remember, and I get fewer headaches. It helps to run the tap for a few seconds to get the water cool enough to be palatable, especially on hot days when the pipes might be warm.

Another way to fight dehydration headaches is to get other liquids into your body. If you don't like water, you can try decaffeinated tea or juice. Soda and coffee don't make good hydration liquids because of the caffeine. You can also eat veggies and fruit that have high water content to help your body stay hydrated. Watermelon, lettuce, kiwi, berries, celery and cabbage are good choices. You can also try soups to get more hydration.

Dehydration can be uncomfortable and a danger to your health, so it's always a good idea to do what you can to stay properly hydrated. And don't forget that drinking alcohol and smoking can dehydrate the body very quickly. Hangovers are basically dehydration sickness. So if you're going to drink or smoke, be sure to get extra liquids into your body to stay healthy.