Eating
In addition to sleep, you need to eat. And by eating, we're not talking about Twinkies and Reb Bull.  We mean proper nutrition. Plan on having solid protein with at least two meals. If you plan on shorting yourself on sleep, make sure you eat an extra meal and have lots of protein.  I don't mean you have to sit down to a $45 steak dinner (though that would be good).  Head for a Denny's or a Red Robin and grab a big burger or a piece of New York Strip.  Protein bars are a quick fix, but they are hard for the body to digest, and can cause constipation when eaten in large quantities.

So, how do you know if you are dehydrated? Well, the National Institues of Health - National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov) has a web page on dehydration that lists several (highly technical) tests for determining levels of dehydration. However, one test that anyone can do without sophisticated equipment is a simple visual inspection of your urine. Yes, actually *look* at your urine. In a fully hydrated human, urine is almost clear. As you get dehydrated, you will see your urine start to yellow and darken. In severe cases of dehydration, you can also see a drop in blood pressure, inability to sweat, dry eyes (no tear production), dry or sticky mouth, and in extreme cases, lethargy or coma.

Treating dehydration:
So, if you think you are getting dehydrated, you might be inclined to grab the biggest cup of water you can find and chug it down. This is one of the worst things you can do, as it shocks the digestive tract, and can cause severe vomiting. Small doses of water, over an extended period of time will rehydrate the body. If you wish, you can drink a sports drink to help replenish electrolytes that are lost during dehydration. DO NOT drink "Energy Drinks" or "Power Drinks!" Energy Drinks often contain large doses of caffiene, which can dehydrate you further. Also, do not try to rehydrate with alcohol. Alcohol will also dehydrate you.

Your best bet, however, is to avoid getting dehydrated. Fortunately, this is very simple to do. Here are some tips to staying hydrated:
1. Carry a small water bottle and take regular sips off of it. You can refil it at any water fountain between events.
2. If you can't or don't want to carry a water bottle, never pass a water fountain without taking a drink.
3. If you have gone more than an hour without getting a drink, find a vending machine or snack bar. Most carry bottled water.
4. Keep cool. If you are overheated, your body uses up water trying to cool down.

Remember, if you are physically active, you need to drink more water than normal. "Normal" is typically considered 64 ounces of water a day. If you are awake for 16 hours (sleeping 8 hours), then you would need 8 ounces of water every two hours. If you go to the late night/all night raves, then you will need to increase that. These days, more ravers collapse from dehydration than from drug or alcohol use.

Giving blood at cons
At the larger conventions, you frequently find someone holding a blood drive. Sometimes it’s the American Red Cross, sometimes it’s a local group running the drive.  Either way, there are some things you need to know before you tap yourself like a keg.

Now, don’t get us wrong. Giving blood is a great thing. More of us should do it. But there’s a difference between doing it on an ordinary Saturday and doing it in the middle of a convention Saturday.

The human body holds about 7 pints of blood. A one pint donation reduces your body’s available blood supply by fourteen percent. Not a small number is it? Blood loss, even an intentional and charitable loss, is a trauma to the body.  Common side effects are dizziness or light-headedness, nausea and even fainting. Add to that potential sleep deprivation from an all-night rave and maybe a less than stellar dining selection and you are primed to end up on you back and out cold.

The good news is that you can easily prepare and recover from this life-giving act with some simple preparation.

First: Eat well – This is really essential for anyone at any time, but is especially true if you intend to intentionally deplete your blood supply. The American Red Cross recommends you eat before donating (though they say to wait at least an hour after eating) and eat well after donating.

Second: Sleep well – The human mind can exert willpower over the body it controls. However, eventually, even the mind must succumb to the laws of nature. If you are well rested the night before, your mind can give your body a little willpower push to keep you moving after your date with the vampires, to keep you going while you look for a nutritional boost (see above).

Jennie Breeden on "Con Crud"
"Now I totally want a super soaker full of Chamomile and a bandoleer of cough drops. You can fight it all you want, but if your snuggle bear gets sick, you're screwed. Also, you're gonna get sick too. Poor Obby the first year he was with me during convention season. I was fine, but I kept bringing home con crud. It was clinging to me or something. Lots of travel and long days with not very much sleep or food will do a number to your system. The first year I did conventions I was pretty much sick the whole year. Now I know that I get to pick one thing to skimp on: food or sleep. But I can't skip both or I get a visit from the plague monkey."