Why is hydration so important when free flying?
There are basic biological imperatives to drink fluids: help deliver nutrients to cells, support heart health and function, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, improve sleep, aid digestion, and more. There are even studies showing that chronic dehydration may make you more susceptible to chronic illness later in life – an important consideration if you’re always flying dehydrated.
Most important in the context of free-flight, though, hydration helps:
- regulate your temperature (keeping you warmer in cold conditions and cooler when it’s hot!)
- keep your organs functioning properly (including your brain!)
- improve cognition, memory, and mood – all of which are extremely important when operating any aircraft.
To fly your best you want your brain to be clear and fully functioning (and definitely no headache!), no unnecessary stress (gotta love those low cortisol levels), to feel relaxed (low heart rate, good mood, no anxiety), and healthy muscles (no cramping or tiredness). All of these rely on proper hydration!
Dehydration of your brain (which is 73% water) can negatively affect reaction time, concentration, and memory; personally, I really like having all of these things while flying. Improved cognition from proper hydration means you are thinking more clearly and making better decisions, both of which will improve your flying – helping you fly further, manage risk better, and land more safely. Who wouldn’t want that?!
[Sidebar: I started drafting this article at a competition in Colombia. On the very first day two pilots had bad landings: both were attributed, in large part, to dehydration!]
How do we – as pilots – get dehydrated?
Your body doesn’t just lose water when peeing, you also lose it when sweating and even just breathing. You want to replace that fluid when you’re flying, especially if it’s a long flight or you’re under any sort of stress. Do you ever get dry mouth when flying? That’s your body’s reaction to stress, and a great reminder to drink some water!
And hydration doesn’t start once you take off, or even while on launch: you should start your hydration routine at least the night before your flight! At dinner, alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water. Be sure to drink some more water before bed. In the morning, have some water with your breakfast, and bring water to drink while waiting on launch.
Why should we drink while flying?
Beyond replacing fluid, even just the act of taking a drink of water can trigger your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you relax and prepare to deal with stress more effectively. And don’t wait until you’re getting a headache, or even until you’re thirsty; those both mean you’re already dehydrated! A great rule of thumb is to take a drink of water for every thermal you climb: you’ll build a good habit and regularly give your parasympathetic nervous system a little boost to prepare you for whatever is next.
Also, don’t forget that your body doesn’t just need pure H2O – it wants minerals and salts. That’s why there are so many electrolyte products out there for us to make hydration-water. Some are liquids, some are powders or drops to add to your water, some have sugar, some are flavored: pick the one that you will actually use! I like to drink some hydration-water in the morning when I get up, and bring more to drink on launch before flying. Some people load up their in-flight drinking water bladder with hydration-water, but watch out for products with sugar: you need to do extra thorough cleaning of the bladder afterward (the sugar feeds microbial growth faster than plain water).
Between search engines and AI queries it’s easy to find a lot of information out there about the importance of hydration. Here are a couple of quick reads: