Dehydration Dilemma and Night Shift Grievances
I unfortunately had been sick from about last Thursday the 16th through yesterday the 21st, with this killer cold that has been going around. I don't get sick often, but when I do, I tend to fall hard. I thank the Lord this one dissipated faster than the cold I got last year, which kept me down and out for about 2 and 1/2 weeks!
Anyway, I returned to work last night feeling mostly better, and everything went fine despite the occasional sneeze or sniffle. I was exhausted this morning but feeling mostly ok. Took the requisite and very relaxing shower, fed and walked Bubba the dog, downed some melatonin and Arbonne sleep spray, and the two of us drifted off to sleep by about 10am...
Before going further - a bit of background. I have this ongoing issue with dehydration. I generally feel as though I'm running dry, especially after sleep if I am ABLE to sleep for a good amount of hours without disruption. The rule is supposed to be, drink half your body weight in ounces daily. For me, this is approximately 2,700 mL. THAT'S A LOT. I can usually get about half that down in a work night because I get very parched running around helping my patients and take huge swigs whenever I am back in the nurses' station, but I'm just busy enough to not have time for a refill, especially toward the end of the shift, and so I forget to do the second half before settling in for the night (day). Other charming side effects - my skin is always dry, my lips always peeling - I can never apply enough moisturizer or chapstick...(and it makes it difficult to wear lip COLORS and not have them look terrible, or to have that dewy, glowy, happy skin any girl desires. As a makeup lover, this simply will not do...)
So tonight, I wake up at about 5:15pm with a horrible headache. POUNDING. And a very dry mouth. My assumption was just that I was dehydrated, and I promptly downed 2 full glasses of water. Within about 10 minutes, I felt overwhelmingly queasy, and my headache seemed even worse, so I finally took a couple ibuprofen 200mg tabs (which I'm sure didn't help feeling queasy, being that I had a completely empty stomach, save for the water). The finale of this came to a head about 10 minutes later, when most of it came up into our guest toilet. :(
Aaaaaand the headache continues even now, 5 hours later...So now I'm wondering. IS it dehydration? Or did I catch another illness on the heels of my cold?
UPDATING THIS AT ALMOST 5AM: And still, the headache continues, nearly 12 hours later. Realistically, I'm starting to realize that maybe what has been going on these past couple of weeks is my body is starting to put its foot down with the strange, hodge-podge sleep schedule I have to keep while working nights...? It's the only other thing I can think of. I usually get headaches after waking up from sleeping during the day post-all-nighter...maybe it's not dehydration, maybe my body is literally rejecting being nocturnal? I have a hard time getting to and staying asleep during the day, even when I drug myself with "whatever-PM" or adequate doses of melatonin, 5-HTP, or Valerian root, or some combination - when I do sleep, it's restless, and I'm up usually anywhere between 1 and 5 times during the day. When awake, I'm constantly in a fog, find it hard to concentrate, feel like a total zombie - and I'm pretty sure my friends and family have started noticing I'm not exactly "all there" when trying to have normal conversations or remember conversations and events. Even on days off I rarely have the energy to do much. I think my body is "just saying no."
If you're reading this, I appreciate copious prayers that a day shift position for me will open soon so we can get on with normal, healthy living and hopefully with our fertility journey without this thing standing in the way of those things.
Also, if you have great suggestions for staying consistently hydrated, I'll take them!
XOXO,
Cat
Anyway, I returned to work last night feeling mostly better, and everything went fine despite the occasional sneeze or sniffle. I was exhausted this morning but feeling mostly ok. Took the requisite and very relaxing shower, fed and walked Bubba the dog, downed some melatonin and Arbonne sleep spray, and the two of us drifted off to sleep by about 10am...
Before going further - a bit of background. I have this ongoing issue with dehydration. I generally feel as though I'm running dry, especially after sleep if I am ABLE to sleep for a good amount of hours without disruption. The rule is supposed to be, drink half your body weight in ounces daily. For me, this is approximately 2,700 mL. THAT'S A LOT. I can usually get about half that down in a work night because I get very parched running around helping my patients and take huge swigs whenever I am back in the nurses' station, but I'm just busy enough to not have time for a refill, especially toward the end of the shift, and so I forget to do the second half before settling in for the night (day). Other charming side effects - my skin is always dry, my lips always peeling - I can never apply enough moisturizer or chapstick...(and it makes it difficult to wear lip COLORS and not have them look terrible, or to have that dewy, glowy, happy skin any girl desires. As a makeup lover, this simply will not do...)
So tonight, I wake up at about 5:15pm with a horrible headache. POUNDING. And a very dry mouth. My assumption was just that I was dehydrated, and I promptly downed 2 full glasses of water. Within about 10 minutes, I felt overwhelmingly queasy, and my headache seemed even worse, so I finally took a couple ibuprofen 200mg tabs (which I'm sure didn't help feeling queasy, being that I had a completely empty stomach, save for the water). The finale of this came to a head about 10 minutes later, when most of it came up into our guest toilet. :(
Aaaaaand the headache continues even now, 5 hours later...So now I'm wondering. IS it dehydration? Or did I catch another illness on the heels of my cold?
UPDATING THIS AT ALMOST 5AM: And still, the headache continues, nearly 12 hours later. Realistically, I'm starting to realize that maybe what has been going on these past couple of weeks is my body is starting to put its foot down with the strange, hodge-podge sleep schedule I have to keep while working nights...? It's the only other thing I can think of. I usually get headaches after waking up from sleeping during the day post-all-nighter...maybe it's not dehydration, maybe my body is literally rejecting being nocturnal? I have a hard time getting to and staying asleep during the day, even when I drug myself with "whatever-PM" or adequate doses of melatonin, 5-HTP, or Valerian root, or some combination - when I do sleep, it's restless, and I'm up usually anywhere between 1 and 5 times during the day. When awake, I'm constantly in a fog, find it hard to concentrate, feel like a total zombie - and I'm pretty sure my friends and family have started noticing I'm not exactly "all there" when trying to have normal conversations or remember conversations and events. Even on days off I rarely have the energy to do much. I think my body is "just saying no."
If you're reading this, I appreciate copious prayers that a day shift position for me will open soon so we can get on with normal, healthy living and hopefully with our fertility journey without this thing standing in the way of those things.
Also, if you have great suggestions for staying consistently hydrated, I'll take them!
XOXO,
Cat
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