I have a disability that requires me to drink 3 liters of water a day, and it (POTS) is increasingly common with Long COVID. Boarding can take 30 minutes to an hour or more, so attempts to hydrate properly for flights and use the restroom before boarding are almost never enough on their own.

It is no win: fail to hydrate properly and feel like you are hung over on the plane, or longer. Hydrate properly and any delay in boarding is likely to cause some distress. It’s still more localized distress to choose the hydration path, though. The effects of dehydration can ruin a trip.