Adrienne (Idaho) on 06/29/2022:

Just want to bring up hydration in this discussion. I do notice more difficulty concentrating than usual in the morning, some mornings more so than others. But, water always helps! This morning was noticeably worse even though I did get 7 or 8 hours of solid sleep. I am suspicious of the dark chocolate I broke down and ate not that long before bed. I gotta cut that out. Maybe eating carbs, especially sugar, isn't a great idea in those last hours before bed, especially for seniors which I am. I'm thinking it could lead to low sugar in the morning because of overly conscientious insulin doing its job in the night.

I recommend 4 cups as soon as you can get it down. I keep a quart milk bottle with a metal straw on the counter all day so it's easy to get a swig or two and also it helps keep track. My goal for the day is the recommended 8 cups. You know all us animals need water. We don't last long without it. But, what I have observed is that insects also die without water, something I never gave a thought to when I was young. That's why we find them in our sinks. They seem to know the sink and water go together. Or, we find them floating in the dog's water or other fluids we leave sitting around. What I do is get a bit of water on a piece of paper towel and then get the bug on it. Typically they will put out that straw many of them have and start sucking it up, sometimes instantly. :-)