Preparing:
- A few days before, don't take any blood-thinners (aspirin, tylenol)
- The day before and morning-of, drink lots of water. It makes it quicker and easier
- Eat a nutritious breakfast/lunch before you donate
- Wear a short-sleeved shirt when you go in
During:
- Make sure you answer the questions honestly and ask any more questions you do have
- Relax: the needle hurts less that way
- When you're squeezing the stress ball or whatever they give you, sometimes rotating and flipping the ball in your hand works better if you're a slow donor
- Drinking water always helps the speed of your donation
After:
- Eat the cookies and drink the orange juice
- Don't get up until you're ready
- Wait 15-20 minutes before leaving the donation office
- Remember to pick up all of your donation information before you leave. Sometimes they need to sign you out
- Leave the bandage on for at least 3-4 hours if you're a "bleeder"
- Keep drinking lots of water afterward
- Don't plan on a lot of driving or operating machinery, or possibly even studying -- for some people, donating is a tiring experience and you don't want to wear yourself out