What is the Fastest Way to Cure Dehydration?

You must have observed sometimes we feel dizzy or lightheaded, tired, and dry mouth, lips, and eyes. These symptoms that our body feels are non-other than those of dehydration. This often happens to sports players or people who do physical exertion (labor or field workers). There must be remedies to cure dehydration.1 What is the fastest way to cure dehydration? Before that, we should know what dehydration is.

What is the fastest way to cure dehydration
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Dehydration occurs when the maximum amount of water is drained out. It also occurs when your body doesn’t have the appropriate amount of water. Without enough fluids or water, you cannot function. The word dehydration is ‘de,’ which means extraction or depletion, and ‘hydration’ means water or fluid. So, it means the extraction of water or fluid.

1. Types of Dehydration

There are different types of dehydration2 according to the amount of water or fluids lost.

1.1 Mild Dehydration-

When body fluid loses or diminishes, you will likely suffer from dehydration. Research suggests that when a person gets dehydrated, just 2% of their total body weight is lost due to water depletion. In mild dehydration, less water or fluid along with electrolytes is lost.

1.2 Moderate Dehydration-

In moderate dehydration, 5-9% of water and electrolytes get dehydrated from an adult’s body. This is moderate dehydration and needs to be taken care of.

Mild and moderate dehydration in most people causes diarrhea, vomiting, or fever and can be cured by drinking more water or other liquids. Diarrhea can be cured by full-strength fruit and soft drinks.

1.3 Severe Dehydration-

Severe dehydration occurs when water and electrolyte loss is more than 10%. If your body is not urinating at all, it means that you are severely dehydrated and need immediate medical attention.

What is the fastest way to cure dehydration
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2. Causes of Dehydration

Dehydration occurs due to several known or unknown reasons. At times dehydration is caused due to very general reasons. Some of the reasons are listed below-

  • You don’t drink enough water according to the need of your body due to work pressure, or you are sick.
  • You lack drinking water due to the absence of safe water.
  • You did physical exercise, due to which excessive sweating occurs.
  • If you are going through diarrhea or vomiting.
  • When fever occurs, body temperature increases, causing loss of water from your body.
  • Taking less amount water or fluid in the diet.
  • Due to diabetes, urination increases which will dehydrate your body.
  • Due to high blood pressure.
  • Dehydration is caused due to too much-losing tears and urine.
  • If you had been in the sun for a long period – you might get a heat stroke.
  • Drinking too much alcohol.

3. Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration

Some of the symptoms of dehydration3 are listed below-

  • When you feel extremely thirsty.
  • When your urine is dark yellow and strong-smelling.
  • When your lips, mouth, and eyes are dry.
  • When you are feeling very tired.
  • Feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
  • Your skin dries and cools very fast.
  • Sleeping too much or lack of energy.
  • Fainting often.
  • Your muscles are fatigued (tiredness) or have muscle cramps.
  • Rapid heartbeat.
  • Tongue dries in babies or young children.
  • You might feel a sunken soft spot on top of the skull.

4. How to Prevent dehydration

To prevent dehydration, one should check on their water or liquid fluid intake. There are many ways in which a person can prevent dehydration4. Some of them are listed below-

  • Drink as much water as you can in a day. Drinking plain water can help a lot in different ways. Like – it helps in maximizing the physical performance of an individual. It also affects the energy and functioning of the brain. Helps in preventing headaches. Drink small sips of water in a short interval of time.
  • Avoid or do not go outside in very hot weather as it can cause heat stroke.
  • In humid weather, a lot of water is lost through sweat. So avoid going out in humid weather.

5. How to Cure Dehydration

Whenever a person gets dehydrated, the first thing to do is to try to rehydrate them. Now, what is rehydration? Restoring the body with fluids or water like fruit juice or coconut water is called rehydration. All these are oral rehydration solutions.

Oral rehydration solutions are the solutions that are available in the market or medical stores for the hydration of the body. There are some natural oral rehydration solutions like- fruit juices or coconut. Some are artificial oral rehydration solutions like (ORS) oral rehydration salts.

Cure dehydration with rehydration in the following ways-

  • Fluid intake is necessary for your dehydrated body. Fluid can be any fluid or water containing certain electrolytes important to rehydrate your body.
  • Coconut water and fruit juice contain electrolyte potassium, sodium, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and a high amount of vitamins and antioxidants. Additionally, trying Intravenous therapy is a better option if you want immediate relief and an energy boost. As well as rehydrating your body, it improves your immunity, relieves stress, and replenishes nutrients. Make sure you find a trusted one in your area, for example, mobile IV therapy in OKC, and get your energy back
  • Drinking water can also help to restore electrolytes. Plain water contains sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Try to stay hydrated or start drinking fluids full of electrolytes. Try to maintain water bottles for drinking at least 3-5 liters of water per day.
  • Plain water helps in flushing bacteria from your bladder. Helps in digestion, preventing constipation, and normalizing blood pressure. Plain water helps in remaining hydrated. And the stylish bottles make it easy to drink enough.
  • For those who do sports activities, try to drink sports or electrolyte drinks. These soft drinks contain potassium, sodium, and chloride that help restore energy during or after sports activity. These help you to perform longer and more efficiently. Sports drinks have enough electrolytes that meet nutrition recovery goals by replacing lost electrolytes.
What is the fastest way to cure dehydration
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The above mentioned are some basic treatments for mild dehydration. There are other kinds of dehydration as well. As mentioned earlier also –

  1. Moderate dehydration
  2. Severe dehydration

6. Symptoms of Being Moderately Dehydrated

Symptoms of dehydration are the same as mentioned above. More fluids are lost along with electrolytes, due to which body weight decreases. Fluid loss takes place more than normal dehydration.

7. Treatment of Moderate Dehydration

More than mild dehydration, loss of body fluids and electrolytes takes place. Lose electrolytes should be replenished again with the help of home remedies or with medical conditions. Basic and home remedy are discussed and mentioned above.

Electrolyte balance is very important in the human body. One should increase water consumption due to absorption in the body. Like this, body temperature decreases and rehydrates quickly.

Try to maintain the hydration of the body throughout life. Water loss occurs in the body in the form of water vapor during sweating or at high body temperatures.

8. Severe Dehydration

Severe dehydration is a life-threatening emergency. This severe dehydration can cause kidney problems, heart, and brain. To avoid these types of medical conditions of severe dehydration, respond to signs of dehydration like thirst by drinking water or fluids that rehydrate fast.

Sometimes, in this medical emergency, you may need certain fluids in an emergency room and treatments to avoid organ damage and other health problems. Low blood pressure is also a sign of dehydration. Certain medications are needed to come out of this severe condition.

9. Treatment of Severe Dehydration

From all these underlying causes, certain prescribed medications are given by medical professionals. Some of them are-

9.1 Treatment with Fluid Replacement-

Treatment by intravenous fluids begins usually has a saline solution, water, sodium, and other liquids with electrolytes. By getting fluids intravenously rather than just by drinking, fluids are absorbed quickly by the body and recover faster.

Blood tests start for severe cases-

Lack of water in the body can cause concentrated and pale yellow-smelling urine. This can cause crystal formation, which can affect kidney function. Here, dehydration control is mandatory, meaning severe dehydration affects the kidney and can cause kidney disease.

9.2 Urinary Tract Infection-

Concentrating urine from the urinary tract can lead to a feeling of itching and burning due to concentrated uric acid. This can lead to urinary tract infections.

You may go through a type of dehydration. Therefore, dehydration should be identified at a very lower stage. Do not ignore the symptoms listed above.

10. 6 Drinks to Cure Dehydration

The fastest way to cure dehydration is to treat the underlying causes of fluid loss with oral rehydration solutions. Treating dehydration by oral rehydration solution is the best and fastest way. Some of the fluids are listed below-

10.1 Sports Drinks-

Sports drinks are those taken by people who do physical activities and lose water and electrolyte balance in their bodies. To fulfill the need for the body of water and electrolytes. Oral rehydration therapy takes up sports drinks, which means drinks are taken to retain the water and electrolytes.

10.2 Plain Water-

Plain water is taken up daily and should be taken to stay hydrated. Our body needs enough water to remain hydrated the whole day. Water also helps in losing weight.

What is the fastest way to cure dehydration
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10.4 Fruit Juices-

Fruit juice is the best oral rehydration solution to maintain water and electrolyte quantity in our bodies 5daily. Fruits contain certain electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals that fulfill the need of the body. This reduces the chances of dehydration in our body, and your body will work efficiently.

What is the fastest way to cure dehydration
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10.5 Coconut Water-

Coconut water contains water and electrolytes. It helps in maintaining hydration in the body and treating dehydration.

10.6 Frozen Fruits-

Berries can be used as frozen fruit and then added to cold water to beat the heat in summer and remain hydrated. Similarly, other fruits can also be frozen and added to water, in the same way to help beat dehydration.

10.7 ORS (Oral Rehydration Suspension)-

The use of this ORS is equivalent to intravenous fluids.6 Doctors often prescribe this fluid intake. It is a solution of dry salt with safe water. This is a medically made rehydration oral solution for the fastest way to cure dehydration.

All these are collectively known as rehydration therapy. Homemade or commercially available oral rehydration drinks are used in diarrheal disease also.

What is the fastest way to cure dehydration
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Always try to stay hydrated during the day by drinking various types of drinks that are beneficial to your health and keep you hydrated. This way, you can ensure long-term health and stay away from critical illnesses.

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  4. Wotton, Karen, Karina Crannitch, and Rebecca Munt. “Prevalence, risk factors and strategies to prevent dehydration in older adults.” Contemporary nurse 31.1 (2008): 44-56. ↩︎
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