How to Help & Prevent Dehydration Headaches

You may be tempted to reach for the aspirin when you have a headache, but if it’s a dehydration headache, you’re only addressing the symptoms, not the source of the problem. For profound relief when you’re really dehydrated, IV therapy offers an effective, fast-acting solution. Learn more about the signs and causes of dehydration headaches—and how to treat them so you can feel better.

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Does Dehydration Cause Headaches?

You get dehydrated when your body loses fluids—and that’s a problem when your body is about 60% water. There are many causes of dehydration:

• Vomiting, fever, or diarrhea caused by an illness such as food poisoning or flu
• Sweating heavily during prolonged sun exposure or intense physical activity
• Medication where dehydration is a side effect
• Chronic health conditions, such as Addison’s disease or certain types of diabetes
• Not consuming enough water over a long period of time

You’re likely to feel a headache once you’re dehydrated. That’s because the loss of fluids in your body makes the brain tissues contract, moving away from the skull. 

You can get a headache from dehydration even with mild fluid loss. The pain will only get worse if the lack of fluids intensifies, so it’s important to treat dehydration headaches as soon as possible.

What Does A Dehydration Headache Feel Like?

Dehydration headaches may feel different for each person. You may have pain in the back of your head while someone else feels it in the front. You generally won’t have pain in the neck, jaw, or face because the source of the headache is caused by the shrinking of the brain. 

The intensity of the pain may also vary. It can be mild, like a normal headache, or it could be severe, almost migraine-like, in the vise-like grip it has on you. 

Dehydration headache symptoms may also include other typical signs that your body lacks fluids. Some common dehydration symptoms:

• Dryness in the mouth or on your skin
• Extreme thirst
• Fatigue
• Low urine output or dark-colored urine
• Lowered blood pressure
• Elevated heart rate
• Brain fog

Symptoms get worse if dehydration goes untreated. Signs of severe dehydration include fever, delirium, shock, and seizures. To treat serious dehydration and the headaches that ensue, you need a powerful solution.

If you experience dehydration headache symptoms, it’s best to stop whatever you’re doing, whether that means cutting a workout short or going indoors and getting out of the sun for a while. You can try drinking fluids, but you may need to quench your body’s thirst with something more powerful. If you suffered significant fluid loss and have a dehydration headache, the best medicine may be an IV infusion. IV fluids offer fast, effective relief for dehydration headaches.

How to Quickly Get Rid Of A Dehydration Headache

IV therapy offers the best relief for dehydration headaches. That’s because IV fluids are rich in vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes your body lacks when it’s dehydrated. Your brain tissues return to normal when you restore these nutrients and fluids to the body, which reduces headache symptoms.

Consuming water may be helpful in curbing dehydration, but in some cases, you may be too dehydrated and can’t make up for the lost fluids with a few glasses of water. Plain drinking water also doesn’t have the electrolytes and nutrients found in IV fluids. Additionally, IV therapy gets to work quickly because the fluids are infused into your bloodstream. A sports drink or oral pain medication, on the other hand, would first need to travel through the digestive system, which lessens absorption and effectiveness. 

This potency also makes IV therapy a good solution when you want to know how to get rid of a dehydration migraine. There are many different triggers for migraines, such as hormonal or chemical imbalances, stress, medications, and even weather changes. But dehydration is a significant trigger, accounting for attacks in about one-third of all migraine sufferers, according to the American Migraine Foundation.

Dehydration migraines may cause pulsating pain in various parts of the head, and that pain worsens with any movement. The pounding sensation of a migraine and the sensitivity to bright light or loud sounds, as well as other typical symptoms, can be mitigated with IV treatment. 

How long a dehydration headache lasts depends on several factors, including the extent of your dehydration and your overall health. An IV can offer prompt relief from headache symptoms, so you feel better as soon as possible. You can also shorten the duration of your symptoms if you get plenty of rest and stay indoors if you live in a hot climate. You may want to consult with your IV provider to see if an over-the-counter pain reliever will help, too. Apply a cooling ice pack or wet washcloth to your forehead while you rest for extra comfort. Your sense of well-being will improve when you let your body relax and let the IV fluids do their job. 

Dehydration Headache IV

The Myers’ Cocktail is one of the most powerful forms of IV therapy, and it’s also an ideal choice to relieve dehydration headaches. This drip IV bag is scientifically formulated with a precise combination of vitamins, minerals, supplements, and electrolytes. It’s renowned for its ability to reduce fatigue and raise energy levels, which is vital when you are trying to rebound quickly from dehydration. 

A Myers’ Cocktail starts with a sterile solution. We offer two choices of IV fluids: 0.9% NaCl (normal saline) and Lactated Ringer’s. Both offer high-quality hydration with plenty of electrolytes to replenish the body. These solutions restore fluid balance to help ease your dehydration headache symptoms. 

The other ingredients in this IV cocktail include:

• Vitamin B12: Your cells become stressed when they don’t have the fluids they need to function. Vitamin B12 supports healthy nerve and blood cells, and it also improves your mood.
• B Complex: This collection of vitamins includes B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), and B6 (pyridoxine). B Complex works well to alleviate pounding dehydration headache symptoms as well as other signs of dehydration, including weak muscles and poor digestion.
• Vitamin C: You’ll get a welcome dose of energy with vitamin C, as well as antioxidant power and immune system support.
• Glutathione: Say you’ve just completed a grueling triathlon and feel really dehydrated. The intense exercise has caused oxidative stress, which can damage DNA and cells, and that stress is exacerbated by dehydration. Antioxidants such as glutathione and vitamin C reduce oxidative stress, thereby decreasing the toll it takes on the body. Research shows fluid replacement can alleviate DNA damage after significant physical activity.
• Magnesium: Dehydration can wreak havoc on your heart rate and blood pressure. Magnesium is a potent mineral that stabilizes your heart activity.
• Zinc: This mineral supports healthy immune and metabolic system function. Zinc is often used in rehydrating solutions to help with fluid retention for health issues such as diarrhea. That’s because zinc deficiency is linked to poor water and electrolyte absorption in the body.

In addition to our regular Myers’ Cocktail package, we also offer the Ultimate Myers’ Cocktail. This IV is a supercharged Myers’ Cocktail with five times the amount of vitamin C and glutathione. This premium-quality package is great when you’re really struggling with a dehydration headache.

Sometimes a hangover can be the cause of a dehydration headache. That’s because alcoholic drinks can be dehydrating, especially if you drink too much at once and aren’t drinking enough water during your night out on the town. We’ve developed the Resurrection IV to help address common hangover symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, and dehydration headaches. 

The Resurrection IV package contains ingredients similar to a Myers’ Cocktail but with the addition of medications to alleviate symptoms. For instance, Toradol is a proven pain fighter and can work well in reducing the effects of dehydration headaches. We can help you find the right medication dosage if you choose the Resurrection IV for symptom relief.

Your IV provider may also make recommendations for extra supplements that you can add to your IV based on your condition and symptoms. In some cases, depending on your circumstances, you can also add extra saline to your drip bag if you want extra fluid replenishment. Once you recover and get back to normal, you should remember that prevention is the answer to how to get rid of dehydration migraines and headaches.

Dehydration Headache Prevention

To avoid future dehydration headaches, make sure you have an adequate water supply on hand at all times. Buy a large, refillable bottle that you can sip on throughout the day. This is especially critical if you will be spending a lot of time outdoors in hot weather. Athletes will also want to stay hydrated and may want to look into IV therapy for rebounding from intense workouts where they sweat a lot. 

One of the most important ways to avoid dehydration headache symptoms is to stay hydrated at all times. Remember, you lose fluids through normal bodily functions such as breathing, urinating, and sweating. Replacing those fluids maintains balance in your body and lessens the chance of dehydration. 

You can ensure you get enough fluids with a daily diet that includes water-rich fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cucumber, and lettuce. But the majority of your fluid intake comes from, well, fluids. You can use decaffeinated tea, sports drinks, and juices to boost your fluid intake, but you need to be careful not to consume too many calories. It’s also best to limit caffeinated or alcoholic drinks, which can dehydrate the body. That’s why water is an ideal choice for replenishing your body’s fluid levels. 

There are differing opinions on how much water is enough to drink on a daily basis to stay optimally hydrated. For instance, you could follow the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommendation for 11.5 cups of fluids per day for women and 15.5 cups for men. Meanwhile, Harvard Medical School suggests healthy individuals drink four to six cups of water each day. And then there is the often-repeated advice to aim for eight cups of water daily. Which one you choose depends on your personal preference and health status. For example, pregnant women or physically active people will need more fluids because of the demands placed on their bodies. 

And you’re not just avoiding dehydration and headaches when you stay hydrated. Giving your body the water it needs is beneficial in many ways, such as:

• Detoxifying the bladder from infection-causing bacteria
• Protecting joints, tissues, and organs
• Maintaining blood pressure, heartbeat, and body temperature
• Regulating digestion to better remove waste from the body
• Supporting overall health by supplying cells with oxygen and nutrients

In essence, the best method to get rid of a dehydration headache is to not get dehydrated in the first place with a healthy daily fluid intake. And if you are at risk of dehydration due to illness, prolonged heat exposure, or strenuous physical activity, increase your fluid intake accordingly. You should also stop and rest the moment you experience the first signs of dehydration.

Count On Mobile IV Nurses For Dehydration and Headache Relief

Mobile IV Nurses is known for its exceptional service and IV treatments. We make it easy to get IV therapy whenever and wherever you need it.

We understand how difficult it is to drive anywhere when you have a headache and how uncomfortable it is to sit in a waiting room until a doctor or nurse is ready to see you. That’s why we provide speedy, mobile IV therapy.

Our team of trained professionals comes to your home and takes care of you. They will review your vital signs and symptoms and get an accurate picture of your health history. They use this information to formulate an individualized treatment plan designed to get you the results you need. You’ll find Mobile IV Nurses at locations throughout Florida and Arizona so you can find prompt relief for your dehydration headache. (Learn more about us and our team.)

Once you contact us for an appointment, we will send a registered nurse or paramedic to the location of your choice. They’ll ensure your comfort and safety throughout the process, so you receive a high level of patient care. The typical IV infusion session only takes 30 to 45 minutes, which means you’ll experience relief faster than if you had to travel to a clinic and wait for care. Depending on how you feel after treatment, you can go about your day or simply continue to rest. 

We offer a variety of IV packages that treat a range of symptoms. You may also customize your IV with extra vitamins, supplements, or medications. Our medical professionals can help you create an individualized IV treatment depending on your symptoms. Our team members are educated and experienced in IV therapy, and they use their knowledge to help you reach your desired results. Call on us whether you need symptom relief from a medical condition or want to supplement your regular wellness maintenance routine with IV treatments. 

Headaches are never fun, especially when dehydration is the root cause. Ease the pain with Mobile IV Nurses. Just book online to relieve a dehydration headache today.