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• Coronavirus: Can drinking water help in soothing COVID-19 vaccine side-effects? Here's what experts want you to know

TrendingOldest Restaurants IndiaBaby NamesBruce SpringsteenSnake AttractsAncient LanguagesMark TwainErnest HemingwayOptical illusionDale CarnegieWorld Oldest TreesOldest Restaurants IndiaBaby NamesBruce SpringsteenSnake AttractsAncient LanguagesMark TwainErnest HemingwayOptical illusionDale CarnegieWorld Oldest TreesOldest Restaurants IndiaBaby NamesBruce SpringsteenSnake AttractsAncient LanguagesMark TwainErnest HemingwayOptical illusionDale CarnegieWorld Oldest TreesCoronavirus: Can drinking water help in soothing COVID-19 vaccine side-effects? Here's what experts want you to knowTIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Jun 24, 2021, 16:28 ISTShareAA+Text Size

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Can drinking water help in soothing COVID-19 vaccine side-effects? Here's what experts want you to know

Vaccination side-effects, usually mild and reactogenic can sometimes be hard to deal with. As more and more people sign up to get their jabs, it's become important to know beforehand what to expect when you get vaccinated and learn to deal with them too.

READ MORE: How to minimize COVID-19 vaccine side-effects

Once you get the jab, expecting side-effects like fever, pain at the site of injection, fatigue and a headache could happen and take a while to resolve. However, while some swear by using ice-packs, plenty of sleep or popping in occasional painkillers, some believe that drinking water ALONE before your vaccine appointment could be the hack to minimize your side-effects and reactions.

Being healthy and well-hydrated is one of the best ways to recharge yourself and doles out a lot of health benefits. However, what makes some believe that drinking water before a vaccine injection could alter your immune response? We decode...

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Side-effects are based on your immune reaction

First off, in order to understand why we develop reactions after getting the vaccine, we need to know about our immune system functioning.

Inflammatory reactions, or side-effects, as commonly are called are reactogenic effects which kick in when the immune system kicks into defence mode and antibodies start to slowly build. These side-effects are also the first way our body responds when a pathogen is perceived. Therefore, expecting side-effects like a low/high-grade fever, body pain, myalgia, weakness and chills are common post-vaccination.

These side-effects can also differ from person to person and how an immune system reacts. This is the reason why it can happen that some people react extremely severely to vaccines, while some do not experience any.

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Will water alone help you combat side-effects?

As mentioned above, side-effects are an inflammatory reaction, and not really influenced or 'prevented' by external factors, which also include water.

Even so, while staying hydrated and stocking up on fluids could be a wise idea to remain recharged and not get the side-effects get the worse of you, there's no direct evidence as to how water alone could ward off side-effects like a sore arm, body aches or fever.

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Can drinking water help avoid fainting and lightheadedness?

Fainting, dizziness and lightheadedness are also some of the side-effects recorded by some people, since vaccines, in rare cases, could trigger a vasovagal response which can cause blood pressure levels to drop and the person to pass out within the first 15 minutes of vaccination. Even though it's not a serious or adverse side-effects, there are also many who believe that chugging on water could negate this risk.

Again, excessive water drinking, or solely relying on water is highly unlikely to fight this. While the claim was based on anecdotal evidence from drives, there is no conclusive proof that drinking water made a difference or changed the likelihood of getting dizzy or passing out.

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What should you do then?

While it is established that water alone isn't linked to immune functioning, or negates side-effects, it is still important nonetheless to have sufficient water, vaccination or no vaccination.

The counter effects of not having adequate water in a day, or dehydration, could in fact be bad for the immune system.

Although clinical studies have established that drinking water impacts antibody production or other immune responses, dehydration could be something that scientists say, may suppress your immune system and linked to many poor health behaviours, which, in the long run, could delay the production of antibodies- which is not something anybody wants to encounter right now.

In fact, some small studies have also suggested that being dehydrated could make people prone to experiencing 'more pain' and stress.

In a similar manner, too much drinking, or overdoing your water intake for your day could be a bad health risk as well. As long as you ensure that you get adequate fluid intake through quality foods and beverages, pre and post vaccination, you are good to go.

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What other precautions can you follow?

Drinking water alone or upping your fluid intake is not going to impact the way you experience the side-effects. However, that being said, there are some simple tips and ways to minimize vaccination side-effects, and feel better:

-Avoid alcohol, junk food intake before the vaccination date, since they can dehydrate you, deplete vital salts from the body and stress your immune system.

-Ensure you get 8 hours of sleep and ample rest to wake up recharged.

-Keep sipping on hydrating fluids through the day- and not exactly before your turn comes up. A hydrated body will cope with side-effects better.

-Once you experience side-effects, try to take rest, but also make time out for some form of activity as well. Stretches, exercises will help deal with sore arm pain. Using cold/warm compress, baths will also help banish the pain and fatigue that accompanies it.

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