How Long Does It Take to Recover From Dehydration?

Drinking enough water is one of the most useful things you can do to stay healthy. Water is crucial for your body to function well. Dehydration happens when your body loses more fluid and electrolytes than your total electrolyte and fluid intake.

Dehydration can happen when you have to exercise or work in hot weather. In those cases, you’re at risk of regular fluid loss through excessive sweating. This may trigger dehydration. Other situations include illness or excessive urination when you have too many diuretics. When it sets in, how long does it take to recover from dehydration, and what’s the science behind it?

In this article, you’ll learn about dehydration, what it does to your body, and how long it takes to recover from it. You’ll also discover the best ways to relieve dehydration.

A Quick Look at Dehydration

Dehydration occurs when your body loses more fluid and electrolytes than you take in. Electrolytes are the tiny mineral particles dissolved in the fluid, and they are also necessary for your body to work well.

There are many causes of dehydration, and you can’t avoid all of them. The cause of dehydration determines the amount of fluid you will lose, the level of dehydration, and how long it takes to recover from it.

The common causes of dehydration include:

• Intense exercise

• Prolonged heat exposure

• Colds or flu

• Fever

• Drinking too much alcohol

• Vomiting and diarrhea

• Diseases such as kidney disease

• Diuretics (substances that promote urine production)

It’s common to be exposed to activities, environments, or conditions that cause dehydration. Experts recommend that you try to stay hydrated by drinking enough fluids, especially if you are at risk of dehydration.

How Can You Tell When You’re Dehydrated?

Knowing that you are dehydrated is the first step to addressing the condition. Otherwise, you are likely to ignore it or treat it less seriously. The signs and symptoms of dehydration to look out for include:

• A dry mouth

• Dry skin

• Excessive thirst

• Passing urine less frequently

• Dark-yellow, strong-smelling urine

• Sunken eyes

• Headache

• Light-headedness

• Shortness of breath or fast breathing

• Anxiety and confusion

• Fainting

• Change in body temperature

• Increased heart rate

• Muscle cramps

Your level of dehydration will determine the kind of signs and symptoms you experience. Although mild to moderate dehydration isn’t a cause for alarm, if you don’t address it early enough, it may progress to severe dehydration, which requires medical attention. Severe dehydration can trigger serious life-threatening conditions such as heat stroke, seizures, heart, and kidney failure due to low blood volume.

It’s important to correct dehydration as soon as you notice the symptoms. But, as you will see, drinking water alone is not enough to relieve dehydration. For rapid dehydration relief, you need a hydration fluid with the right balance of electrolytes.

How Long Does It Take to Recover From Dehydration?

Recovery from dehydration involves replenishing the fluid and electrolytes your body has lost. How long it takes to recover from dehydration depends on how dehydrated you are.

Research shows that you can relieve mild dehydration in about 45 minutes. However, for moderate to severe dehydration, you’ll take longer to recover, but this depends on the type and amount of fluids and electrolytes you take. If you are experiencing severe dehydration, you might need up to 24 hours and intravenous fluids to relieve dehydration.

The cause of dehydration also matters. For example, people with kidney disease may suffer from chronic dehydration because their kidneys can’t necessarily retain enough water. If you suffer from chronic conditions, ensure you consult your doctor.

If you want to speed up your recovery from dehydration, consider using a hydration drink, like DripDrop, that has the right balance of electrolytes and can be absorbed more effectively by the body. As we’ve mentioned, dehydration involves both fluid and electrolyte losses. A good hydration drink should contain electrolytes in addition to water. Plain water alone can’t correct dehydration because it doesn’t have enough electrolytes.

That’s why, sometimes, despite drinking many glasses of water, you still feel thirsty. Plus, drinking too much water is dangerous because it can result in water intoxication, a serious condition caused by loss of sodium electrolytes as your body tries to get rid of the excess water.

Many hydration drinks containing electrolytes are available in the market, but most just fall short. For example, coconut water is rich in electrolytes, but it doesn’t have the right balance. Plus, it has too much potassium which can cause irregular heartbeats.

Sports drinks, on the other hand, contain some electrolytes, but they have too much added sugar. Electrolytes are absorbed through a channel called the sodium-glucose co-transport system in the small intestine. To activate this system, a hydration drink needs to have a high concentration of sodium electrolytes and a relatively low glucose concentration. Sports drinks lack the optimal sodium and glucose concentration for fast absorption.

For Fast Dehydration Recovery, Use DripDrop

DripDrop can be the perfect portable option to correct mild to moderate dehydration fast. DripDrop contains powerful levels of zinc, magnesium, and vitamin C, making it the ideal rehydration solution. Get started with our most popular multi-flavor pouch for dehydration relief fast. Or, learn more about how you can save up to 25% on every purchase when you subscribe.