what is good for dehydration?

Question

havent' been drinking enough fluids and i feel dehydrated. of course i am trying to drink more fluids, but is there any quick resolution until then?

Answer 1

h2o

If you are mildly dehydrated, you need to drink enough liquid to replace the fluids you have lost. Also, you need to replace the electrolytes you have lost. Drinking sips of water slowly, along with eating the typical American diet, which is high in salt, will replace fluids and salts you have lost.

Nonprescription medicines are available that help replenish fluids and electrolytes. You can also replace fluids and electrolytes by drinking sports drinks or other oral rehydration solutions (ORS). Drink the solution immediately. Do not wait until dehydration becomes severe.

Packets of oral rehydration salts are widely available. Mix the contents of a packet with 1 quart or liter of drinking water. If you are not sure if the water is safe to drink, first boil the water for at least 5 minutes.

If you don't have a sports drink or ORS packet, you can make an oral rehydration solution using the following recipe: To 1 quart or liter of drinking water or boiled water, add the following:

• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda).
If you don't have any baking soda, add another 1/4 teaspoon of salt. If possible, add 1/2 cup orange juice or some mashed banana to improve the taste and provide some potassium.
Drink sips of the ORS every 5 minutes until urination becomes normal. (It's normal to urinate 4 or 5 times a day.) Adults and large children should drink at least 3 quarts or liters of ORS a day until they are well.

If you are vomiting, keep trying to drink the ORS. Your body will retain some of the fluids and salts you need even though you are vomiting. Remember to take only sips of liquids. Chilling the ORS may help.

If you have diarrhea, keep drinking the ORS. The fluids will not increase the diarrhea.

If you have symptoms of severe dehydration, you need to go to an emergency room or other health care facility to get intravenous (IV) fluids. If you are able to drink, you should also drink the ORS.

With treatment for dehydration, whatever is causing diarrhea, vomiting, or other symptoms should also be treated.

How long will the effects last?
If dehydration is not treated, it can cause death. If it is treated in time, recovery is usually complete.

How can I take care of myself?

• Know the symptoms of dehydration. Try to drink extra fluids if you know your body is losing them rapidly.
• Know the recipe for ORS.
• If you are traveling in a country that may not have safe water for drinking, carry with you a quart (liter) of boiled water and packets or the ingredients for making oral rehydration solutions.
What can be done to prevent dehydration?
If you have diarrhea or vomiting or you are not drinking much, force yourself to drink more liquids before you become dehydrated.
If you are with someone you think is becoming dehydrated, follow these guidelines when possible:

• Give more liquids than usual.
• Remember that a dehydrated person will have less of an appetite. Encourage him or her to eat and drink small amounts of food and liquids 5 to 7 times a day.
• Watch for signs of more severe dehydration and get medical help as soon as possible.

Answer 2

It makes me kind of sad that a)this question is being asked and b)so many people are coming up with explanations that DON'T involve drinking water.

Drink water. If you're not a big water drinker, drink water anyway. If you want to try gatorade or pedialyte, drink lots of water first.

I've been rushed to the emergency room once for dehydration. Your body stops working. It's not something you want to play with. Drink water.

And if you have a tendency to forget to drink enough, make a concentrated effort to drink several glasses of something a day. More than half of it should be non-caffeinated. Once again, water is best. There's not really a shortcut here.

Answer 3

Water is very good. It may sound crazy but children's pedialite is better than sports drinks because it contains less sugar which can cause diarrhea and make you more dehydrated. There is also an acid of some sort in sports drinks that has been proven to be very bad for the teeth.

Answer 4

Make sure you eat a little salt.

If you aren't ingesting any salt, then the fluids are just going straight through you and not helping your dehydration as much.

Answer 5

Gatorade is good since it has sugar. Most kids are put on Pedialite to help with electrolite balance. No soda, nothing with sodium. Watch what you eat for a few days until you get your fluids in balance.
Eat lots of veggies and fruit, keep low on protien and carbs.

Good luck

Answer 6

drink water from good water filtrating system. it breaks the water molecules smaller so that the body has better water absorption level and you won't feel so easily dehydrated when you drink 8 cups a day from water filtrating body rather than 8 cups of water which is only boiled.

Answer 7

Water, or Pedialyte (its a drink for children to rehydrate and replenish nutrients)

Of note is Pedialyte's ability to help in avoiding hangovers. Drink some before you go to sleep, and wake up groggy, but with a noticeably lessened headache :)

Answer 8

I don't know if you're looking for a Webster's Dictionary answer like the guy below, But the best thing to do is to drink pedialite. It's designed to stay in your system and rehydrate you. It's for baby's but I know alot of fighters who cut weight and then replenish their fluids in a few hours with pedialite.

Answer 9

Use something like Gatorade or another kind of sports drink you like. It has also been suggested that you drink 64 oz of water a day until your re-hydrated.

Answer 10

Gatorade and its ilk will hydrate you quickly. plain water is best for long term correction.

did you know that if you do not drink enough fluids your internal organs will began shutting down? First you have difficulty pooping, then peeing and then it gets really bad