The 7 Best Drinks for Dehydration, What are Hydration Drinks?
When looking for drinks that help with dehydration, you may receive various recommendations from people or online sources. You may be asked to drink coconut water, lemon water, sports drinks, energy drinks, etc. However, most of these solutions, including regular water, aren’t enough to reverse the symptoms of dehydration. That’s because dehydration isn’t just about the loss of water but so much more. Before we review the 7 best drinks for dehydration, it’s necessary to briefly delve into what is (and isn’t) dehydration.
Dehydration is a condition when your body doesn’t have sufficient water due to excessive loss of water in the form of sweat, urine, vomit, etc. However, you can’t simply reverse the symptoms of dehydration by drinking water — it’s not the same as quenching a thirst. Dehydration makes you lose essential electrolytes and minerals from your body, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc. Individuals experiencing the symptoms of dehydration can’t retain water and most other fluids due to the insufficiency of essential minerals, making regular water insufficient in rehydration.
Hydration drinks that reverse the symptoms of dehydration must contain the optimal combination of minerals necessary to activate your body’s ability to absorb water. The proper way to hydrate your body is to consume hydration drinks that contain salts and sugars that make your body absorb the necessary fluids through a process called osmosis. As such, dehydration isn’t the same as being thirsty, and it can’t be reversed in the same way you reverse thirst. Now, let’s look at the 7 most popular hydration drinks used to reverse dehydration.
Alcoholic Drinks (Worst Drinks for Hydration)
There’s a common misconception that you can consume alcoholic drinks, like beer, for hydration. However, it cannot be emphasized enough that you should never consume alcoholic drinks if you’re suffering even mild dehydration. Beer and other alcoholic drinks are diuretics that make your body lose water in the form of sweat, urine, or water. As such, alcoholic drinks are more likely to cause dehydration rather than treat dehydration. That’s why common wisdom goes that you should drink lots of water between your drinks to ensure your body retains fluids. Bottom line — never drink alcoholic drinks to combat dehydration.
Water
Water is widely considered the best effective solution for dehydration, but that’s simply not true. Water, in and of itself, is insufficient against dehydration because your body will simply discharge the fluids in the form of urine, vomit, sweat, or diarrhea. Individuals with symptoms of dehydration are incapable of retaining water, so it’s not enough. Water can certainly help quench your thirst, and it may even reverse mild dehydration, but it’s often helpless against moderate to severe symptoms of dehydration.
HYDRATION STARTS WITH RECOVERORS!
Sports Drinks/ Energy Drinks
Sports drinks and energy drinks, like Gatorade, are incredibly popular amongst athletes and sportspersons because they’re marketed as oral rehydration drinks or electrolyte drinks. However, sports drinks and energy drinks are actually little more than flavored water. Sure, they contain essential minerals and salts, but in extremely small quantities. Most sports drinks contain massive volumes of sugar and artificial flavors with only moderate amounts of salt, making them insufficient for effective electrolysis. Sports drinks are also high on calories, so they can negatively affect your athletic performance.
Coconut Water
Coconut water is often recommended as a natural oral rehydration drink because it contains five crucial minerals — phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Like sports drinks and oral rehydration solutions, coconut water also contains sugar and carbohydrates. As such, if you have access to coconut water but not to more effective oral rehydration solutions, you can go for it. However, coconut water is also insufficient against dehydration because it contains small quantities of salts, not nearly as much as your body needs to reverse dehydration symptoms.Â
Lemon Water
People often recommend lemon water for rehydration for the same reasons they recommend coconut water — it contains minerals that aid in rehydration. However, just like coconut water, lemon water may work if you’re thirsty or have mild dehydration, but it’s ineffective against moderate to severe dehydration if you’re incapable of retaining fluids.
DIY Rehydration Salts
DIY rehydration salts are usually homemade remedies for dehydration, such as mixing salt, sugar, and water in different volumes. DIY rehydration salts, if measured correctly, may provide some benefits, especially since oral rehydration therapy (ORT) relies on solutions that combine salt, sugar, and water. However, table salt and sugar aren’t enough to provide your body all the electrolytes it needs for hydration. As such, DIY rehydration salts are also usually ineffective.
Electrolyte Supplements like RecoverORS (Best Hydration Drinks)
Drinking electrolyte supplements or oral rehydration solutions is the proper way to hydrate your body. Electrolyte supplements, like RecoverORS, contain the perfect combination of electrolyte salts, sugar, and water to make your body retain fluids through osmosis. Electrolyte supplements can aid in the reversal of mild to moderate dehydration. They’re also used in medically-sanctioned oral rehydration therapy, making them verifiably effective.
What is the best oral rehydration drink?
Out of all the hydration drinks mentioned above, RecoverORS is the best oral rehydration drink used to aid in the treatment of mild to moderate dehydration. RecoverORS contains the right proportion of electrolyte salts, including Dextrose, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, and Ascorbic Acid. Furthermore, unlike sports drinks, RecoverORS contains less than 1% sweeteners to keep the calories low.
RecoverORS is indicated for use amongst athletes and individuals with a high risk of experiencing the symptoms of dehydration, such as frequent travelers, those going on a weekend drinking binge, etc. Adults should consume around 8 servings of RecoverORS every day, with one serving every 1 to 4 hours. RecoverORS is the #1 recommended electrolyte supplement by pharmacists and doctors.
