Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Water is a substance to which we don’t give much thought. However, water is vitally important to our everyday well-being. How many people do you know who say they don’t want to drink anything before going to bed because they’ll have to get up during the night? In spite of the inconvenience, drinking a glass of water before going to bed has benefits.
Cardiac specialists indicate that the reason people need to urinate so much at night is that gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright. When you lie down and the lower body is level with the kidneys, it is then that the kidneys remove the water more easily.
Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body:
- 2 glasses of water after waking up helps activate internal organs
- 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal helps digestion
- 1 glass of water before taking a bath helps lower blood pressure
- 1 glass of water before going to bed helps avoid stroke or heart attack
Water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a “Charlie horse.” Dr. Virend Somers, a cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic, and lead author of the report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, indicates that most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6:00 a.m. and noon. Having one during the night, when the heart should be most at rest, means that something unusual has happened. Somers and his colleagues have been working to show that sleep apnea is partially to blame.
If you take an aspirin or baby aspirin once a day, take it at night. The reason: Aspirin has a 24-hour “half-life.” Therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the aspirin would be strongest in your system.
Aspirin lasts a really long time in your medicine chest, for years. When it get old, it smells like vinegar. There is now a crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets. Keeping them by your bedside can be beneficial.
There are other symptoms of a heart attack besides the pain in the arm. One must also be aware of intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating. However, these symptoms may also occur less frequently. Please note that there may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack.
The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from a deep sleep. If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. Call 911, phone a neighbor or a family member who lives close by, say, “Heart attack” and tell them that you have taken 2 aspirins. Sit down near the front door and wait for their arrival. Do not lie down.
County 4-H Roundup Reminder
4-H Roundup provides the opportunity for 4-H’ers to showcase their project work through educational presentations, public speaking, food show, fashion show, share-the-fun (talent), and other projects. Tuesday, March 20, the Food Show, Fashion Show, Share-the-Fun, and archery will be highlighted. The action starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends when the final participant is finished. Thursday, March 22, Educational Presentations, Public Speaking, and Consumer Decision Making will be highlighted, again starting at 5:30 p.m. All events will be held at the Extension Office, 1200 W. Houston, Sulphur Springs. We have volunteers lined up to provide feedback in order to help the 4-H members prepare for district 4-H Roundup.
Changing the subject, Multi-county 4-H camp forms are now available at the Extension Office. The camp will take place July 9-11, at Lakeview Baptist Conference Center in Lone Star. A great lineup of activities, workshop sessions, and recreation will keep 4-H members and guests busy. This camp is open to all youth grades 3 thru 12. Contact the Extension office at 903-885-3443 for more information.
Closing Thought
Each day is a gift. Use it wisely.
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
