Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
AtaLoss.org
  
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Contact us Donate
  • Twitter
Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • What we do
    • Our Needs
    • Our Impact
    • The Team
      • The AtaLoss Team
      • AtaLoss Trustees
    • Supporters
      • Our Patron
      • Ambassadors
      • Associates
      • Major Funders
  • Find support
    • Bereavement Services
    • Bereavement Resources
    • Counsellor Live Chat
    • Information
      • Practical advice
      • Support for family & children
        • Children, young people & bereavement
          • Losing a child
          • Supporting a bereaved young person
          • Young People & Traumatic Bereavement
          • Parenting after your partner dies
        • Learning disabilities and bereavement
        • Bereavement in old age
        • Supporting Others
      • Wellbeing & Bereavement
        • Looking after yourself
        • Counselling : What you need to know
        • The benefits of gardening when coping with grief
        • Befriending
      • Nutrition when you are grieving
        • Keep hydrated when you are grieving!
        • Nourish your body when you are grieving
        • Why we can't stomach food when we are grieving
        • Rosemary for Remembrance
    • Bereaved during the pandemic?
      • Impact of the pandemic on bereavement
  • Helping Organisations
    • Training to Support Bereaved Young People
    • Churches & Bereavement Friendly Communities
    • Work with us
    • UK bereavement research
    • List your service
  • Ways you can give
    • Different ways to support us
    • Tell us what you think
    • Create a Tribute page
    • In Memory Appeal
    • Donate a Funeral Collection
    • Leave a gift in your will
    • Fundraise for us
      • Fundraising ideas
      • AtaLoss.org Fundraisers
  • Get Involved
    • Friends of AtaLoss
    • Volunteer with us
    • Jobs and other opportunities
    • Sign up for our newsletter
  • Shop
  • 07976646644
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Top tips to keep well-hydrated when grieving

Top tips to keep well-hydrated when grieving

‘You need to drink’ was the very first advice I heard after my husband died. And I am pretty sure you have heard this piece of advice often enough yourself.

However, even non-grievers tend to not know the first thing about a healthy fluid intake, for example that we shouldn’t drink anything cold, especially before, during and after a meal.

I can hear you ask: ‘Why is that?’

The reason is simple. Drinking anything cold constricts blood vessels and diverts blood away from your stomach. Just think of what it feels like to down a glass of iced tea or chilled beer!

Cold drinks douse your digestive fire, i.e. your stomach acid, and without adequate levels of stomach acid, the food you have just eaten simply sits in the stomach and starts to rot. Something we want to absolutely avoid!

Whereas sipping warm liquids such as herbal teas throughout the day ‘keeps the fire burning’ AND ensures that your body doesn’t get dehydrated.

 

And it is not just forgetting to drink that can make our body too dry. Crying, diarrhea, vomiting, dry(ing) food, caffeinated drinks, alcohol, or excessive sweating and peeing can also contribute to dehydration.

So, what can we do to keep drinking the right amount, i.e. around 2 litres, every day? Well, here are some tips on how you can keep your hydration levels in tip top shape:

  • Have a tall coconut water – banana smoothie for breakfast. Try the recipe HERE. Both ingredients contain electrolytes which help maintain proper water balance in the body.
  • Make preparing a 500ml flask of herbal tea part of your morning routine.
  • Take this flask with you to work and sip from it whenever you don’t need to talk or move about.
  • Take a flask with you when you are going places and there is little chance of you getting something warm to drink while you are out.
  • Eat a good-sized bowl of soup once a day. It also counts as a liquid.
  • Drink a tall glass of room temperature water with a wedge of lime and a pinch of rock salt 30 minutes before a meal. Salt helps to retain water while sour taste helps with the production of saliva and other digestive juices needed to break down food properly.
  • Find a good alternative to coffee or black tea. Mine is fresh ginger tea with a bit of lemon juice.
  • Always drink coffee with a glass of water at room temperature.
  • Have a warm cocoa drink made with almond milk as a healthy pick-me-up in the afternoon.

And here is a link to a short YouTube video if you prefer a more visual way of learning more about proper hydration and why it is important, especially when we are grieving. CLICK HERE

Is drinking enough not your only problem and are you also struggling with eating and getting into a new daily meal routine? Have a look at other articles on this website that will help.

Author: Sabine Horner, Nutritionist and AtaLoss Ambassador

www.sabinehorner.com 

Published: 16th May, 2022

Updated: 28th June, 2022

Author: Jane Woodward

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Bereavement benefits to be given to families with children where the couple were unmarried

    Bereavement benefits to be given to families with children where the couple were unmarried

    Around 10,200 parents bereaved before 6 April 2017 will be able to make a retrospective claim for Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) dating back to 30 August 2018 following a parliamentary vote in January to correct a significant injustice.

  • The legacy of the Covid pandemic

    The legacy of the Covid pandemic

    If you were bereaved during the Covid pandemic in 2020-2022, chances are you will still be suffering with your grief and could benefit from some support. Read more HERE.

  • The Bereavement Journey - Feltham

    Run over 6 - 7 weeks, The Bereavement Journey is a great place to talk and will help anyone coming to terms with a bereavement.

  • The Bereavement Journey - Upton

    Run over 6 - 7 weeks, The Bereavement Journey is a great place to talk and will help anyone coming to terms with a bereavement.

Related

  • Prince Harry's story of unresolved grief

    Prince Harry's story of unresolved grief

    AtaLoss CEO, Yvonne Richmond Tulloch has been considering Prince Harry’s newly released autobiography, ‘Spare’ and finds it to be all about unresolved grief.

  • Nobody should die in poverty

    Nobody should die in poverty

    The cost of living crisis is causing many facing a terminal illness to die in poverty. This shouldn't happen to anyone in the 21st century. Marie Curie is leading a campaign to highlight their plight and demand more support for terminally ill people and their families. READ MORE AND SIGN THE PETITION HERE.

  • Funeral Directors call for bereavement awareness to be on the national curriculum

    Funeral Directors call for bereavement awareness to be on the national curriculum

    We agree. Sign the petition to get bereavement awareness incorporated into the National Curriculum. READ MORE

  • A Heart that Works by Rob Delaney

    BOOK An intimate, unflinching and fiercely funny exploration of loss by a man who lost his toddler son to a brain tumour.

  • Coping with a tragedy

    Coping with a tragedy

    When a death is senseless, involves multiple losses or children, or when it could have been avoided, there is a deeper sense of trauma and grief.

  • How to cope with a tragedy

    How to cope with a tragedy

    Every death brings its own trauma to survivors. When there are multiple deaths or involve young people or could have been avoided, the sense of loss is heightened. READ MORE HERE

  • Supporting grieving young people training

    Supporting grieving young people training

    AtaLoss provides training for any professionals working with and helping young people and children who have experienced loss of any type.

  • Tell Us Once

    A Government service which informs central and local government services of the death all at one time.

  • *Bereaved by addiction or substance abuse

    *Bereaved by addiction or substance abuse

    Finding support and how to give support to anyone bereaved by addiction and substance abuse

  • Sands Bereavement Support App

    APP: Bereavement Support app for anyone who has experienced the death of a baby.

Most read

  • Talk to a Bereavement Counsellor

    Talk to a Bereavement Counsellor

    Click here to find out more about and access this free service.

  • All about AtaLoss

    All about AtaLoss

    The UK's signposting service for finding local and national bereavement support services and information tailored to suit bereaved people

  • Contact Us

    Contact details for AtaLoss.org

  • How to deal with someone's belongings after they have died

    How to deal with someone's belongings after they have died

    Most of us value our relationships far more than our possessions. When a death robs us of an important relationship, their belongings can assume great significance for us and others. Here are some helpful tips if you are needed to help sort them out.

  • Why we can't stomach food when we lose a loved one

    Why we can't stomach food when we lose a loved one

    Sabine Horner considers the impact of bereavement on our digestive system and offers some advice to help. FIND OUT MORE.

  • Sands - Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity

    Sands - Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity

    SANDS is a charity that provides support for parents and research following the death of a baby.

  • The Bereavement Journey - Nationwide

    The Bereavement Journey - Nationwide

    Run over 6-7 weeks, The Bereavement Journey is a great place to talk and will help anyone coming to terms with a bereavement.

  • Looking after yourself

    Looking after yourself

    How to take care of you when you are bereaved. READ MORE HERE.

  • Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland

    Bereavement counselling and telephone support across Scotland

  • Facebook Covid-19 Support Groups

    Facebook Covid-19 Support Groups

    During the Covid 19 pandemic a number of Facebook support groups were set up and are still providing on-going support. We have listed as many as we can find here.

Tag cloud

Article Biography blog Children Factual Novel Poetry Reflection Story website
Tell us what you think

Tell us what you think

Your feedback will enable us to provide the best possible service. Please take a few minutes to complete our feedback form HERE Read more

Published: 1st January, 2019

Updated: 10th November, 2022

Author: Jane Woodward

Help us help bereaved people find support and well-being.

Help us help bereaved people find support and well-being.

Make a one off or regular donation to help bereaved people find support, or in memory of someone you have lost. Read more

Donate Fundraise

Published: 1st October, 2019

Updated: 23rd January, 2023

Author: Jane Woodward

Latest tweet

  • RT @HornerSabine: Self-Care When Grieving https://t.co/twtCpV3DYX via @YouTube https://t.co/ZtoJGLyjk2

    2ndFebruary, 2023 @atalosscharity
  • RT @Learnaboutgrief: It can be tough when a loved one dies, and many plans, hopes, and opportunities with them may have ended. Do know t… https://t.co/LarwLx50N0

    2ndFebruary, 2023 @atalosscharity
  • Bereaved during the pandemic? Please consider seeking bereavement support https://t.co/KbNXlROGFj can help you with… https://t.co/vobT3XBKTa

    2ndFebruary, 2023 @atalosscharity
Back to top

Sign up for our newsletter

We provide the UK's one-stop-shop for signposting bereaved people to support
For information about how we use your data please see our Privacy Policy

Find us

Registered Office
AtaLoss.org
PO Box 824
CHICHESTER
PO19 9WW

[email protected]

Links

  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Report a website problem

Follow us

  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Registered as Charity number 1169269  
Donations to charities can be gift aided which allows us to claim an additional 25% of the donation amount from HMRC at no cost to donors

Manage Cookie Preferences