dry throat problem

[tyesai]

I agree with RoatanMan's advice up to a certain point. Assuming that we're talking about a healthy individual here...if one is thirsty, one should drink. However, there's a difference between being adequately hydrated and consuming too many fluids. People should know that bad things can happen if one over-hydrates.

If a diver normally drinks coffee or soda, I see no reason to abstain from caffeinated beverages on a dive day. The goal is to stay well-hydrated. A person can consume caffeinated beverages and still stay well-hydrated. Under normal circumstances, a significant increase in diuresis only occurs with high doses of caffeine.

Over hydration shouldn't be a concern unless your "not healthy". We did have an Airman die from overhydration several years ago in Basic Training, but dehydration is far more of a concern. I personally did not know how dehydrated I was until I started loosing weight and excercising twice a day. I started drinking at least a 80-100 ounces of water a day, and at first it was mildly annoying, but after a week I got used to it. After a about two or three weeks I could feel the difference, especially when I don't drink enough. Since my body has got used to being properly hydrated even slight dehydration is noticeable. A good example is when I get up and run a 5k first thing in the morning vs an afternoon run. I always feel better running after I can drink some water before hand vs waking up, taking a wiz and then going and running with out getting some water down.

 

[Doc]

I agree with RoatanMan's advice up to a certain point. Assuming that we're talking about a healthy individual here...
If a diver normally drinks coffee or soda, I see no reason to abstain from caffeinated beverages on a dive day. The goal is to stay well-hydrated. A person can consume caffeinated beverages and still stay well-hydrated. Under normal circumstances, a significant increase in diuresis only occurs with high doses of caffeine.

Which reminds me of a "funny story"....

We were leading about ten people on a two week trip. On dive day #1, a diver came back from the first dives with complaints of severe headache and a bunch of other stuff that made us think DCS. He got sent to the chamber Doctor and put on 02, the usual stuff.

When he returned to us at the resort, he was complaining that now he's have to sit-out a day of diving...
Bummer! Especially because he then told us that this was his first day of quitting Coffee and Cigarettes.

Reminded me of that scene in Airplane! with Lloyd Bridges.

 

[a22shady]

As others have mentioned make sure you are well Hydrated. One thing that really helped me as I used to get Dry thraot Bad to where it would start hurting toward end of the dive that I had to to take the regs out my mouth and let some water in (Fresh water) it helped but didnt fix the problem. So I did some more searching and also asked one of the repsonses I had gotten was to Detune the Reg turn the knob back in so that it doesn't flow as much air. Reasons for this as people are different some of us if there is too much air flowing to quickly it can dry your throat and your body can not I guess lubricate it quick enough. So I did detune My reg I closed the knob all the way and breathed from it was fine I did turn it about 1/4 turn back out and never had a problem since.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

@RoatanMan: Great post. Yeah, headaches can be caused by a lot of different things...among them caffeine and nicotine withdrawal.
I loved the movie Airplane. There were just so many memorable scenes. One of my favorites is this:

 

[trygon]

I strap a 70 oz. CamelBak unbottle on my tank and route the drinking tube down the inflator hose on my wing. I can get a drink of water, or anything else, whenever I want.
Bryce

 

[Rich Keller]

A metal second stage will help slow the problem due to the condensation that forms on the inside but it will not solve the problem.

 

[Garrobo]

Had the same problem for a while. Try Oasis mouthwash (Wallmarts) before each dive. Took care of it for me.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

My wife and I both have found that the Sherwood Oasis regulator has a substantial impact on lessening dry throat. Your might try one. Also, between dives use a tried and true dry throat product- "slippery elm," a favorite of preachers and orators." Just be sure to empty your mouth before your next dive.
DivemasterDennis

 

[DivemasterDennis]

My wife and I have both found that the Sherwood Oasis Regulator has a very big impact on reducing dry throat with repetitive dives over a period of days (or weeks). Also, between dives, try having some "slippery elm" - just put some in your mouth during surface intervals- an old herbal favorite or orators and preachers. Just be sure to clear your mouth of it before your next dive.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I used to do some commercial diving which involved being on a scuba tank for around 5 hours per day. Dry throat was a huge problem until another guy told me abut this..... I would almost NEVER forget this trick:

Sugarless MENTHOL cough drop, half of one tucked under the front lip makes all the difference in the world. I used to dive in dirty water so I swallowed no water while diving and tried to not even swallow saliva due to concern over contamination.

Also, many people who have tried this, have found that a menthol cough drop helps them with equalization, if they pop one in their mouth 30 minutes before the dive.. it helps clear the sinuses.

Using hard candy does not work near as well, and the mix of saliva and sugar and dirty water will make for an incredible build-up of disgusting slime in the second stage if you do not disinfest it frequently.