# Is rawdogging it bad for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 1, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rawdogging-it-bad-for-you/1006579 "2024-09-01T20:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 38
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rawdogging-it-bad-for-you/1006579/38 "2024-09-21T18:04:21Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Before covid, i discovered that wearing a surgical mask on airplanes kept me from getting dehydrated. I had most of a case of masks in my cupboard at the start of the pandemic because i bought them for air travel. > > Wearing a mask works way better than drinking lots of water, because it prevents my throat and lungs from drying out in the first place. And it doesn’t make me spend the flight getting up to pee, either. My travel-sized CPAP doesn’t use a water tank, it uses **[cartridges](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cpap-how-does-resmeds-humidx-system-work/962558)** coated with a material that absorbs moisture from your exhaled air and gives it to the dry incoming air. A plain old mask helps just because it’s got lots of surface area and it’s inherently slightly cooler than your freshly exhaled breath (which means it will gather at least some condensate from your exhaled breath), but these chemically treated cartridges (especially the “Plus” rated ones) _really_ do great. For my last few flights to/from Japan (12-13 hours each way), I’ve started using this thing whenever I’m not eating/drinking/talking, and it makes a fantastic difference in how I feel during the flight. I do still drink plenty of water. Getting up to pee during long flights is important: - It’s a useful sign that you’re well hydrated, and - getting up to move around, stretch, and get blood flowing all over your body is a good thing. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rawdogging-it-bad-for-you/1006579)._