The best thing to take for dehydration is an oral rehydration solution that contains both electrolytes and a small amount of sugar, which helps your body absorb water faster. Plain water works for mild cases, but if you’ve lost fluids through vomiting, diarrhea, heavy sweating, or illness, you need to replace sodium and potassium along with that water. What you reach for depends on how dehydrated you are and what caused the fluid loss in the first place.
Oral Rehydration Solutions
Oral rehydration solutions are the gold standard for treating dehydration at home. They contain a precise ratio of electrolytes and sugar designed to maximize fluid absorption in the small intestine. The sugar isn’t there for taste or energy. It activates a specific transport mechanism in your gut that pulls sodium and water into your bloodstream far more efficiently than water alone.
Pedialyte is the most widely recognized option, originally designed for children but effective for adults too. It contains about 1,030 mg of sodium and 780 mg of potassium per liter, with only 9 grams of sugar per 12-ounce serving. That low sugar content is intentional. Liquid I.V., a popular powdered alternative, takes a slightly different approach: 500 mg of sodium, 370 mg of potassium, and 11 grams of sugar per packet mixed into 16 ounces of water. Both work, but Pedialyte packs roughly twice the sodium per serving, making it the stronger choice after significant fluid loss from illness.
You can also make a basic rehydration drink at home by mixing six teaspoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt into one liter of clean water. It’s not as precisely balanced as a commercial product, but it’s far better than plain water when electrolytes are depleted.
When Plain Water Is Enough
If your dehydration is mild, from not drinking enough during a busy day or spending time in the heat without exercising hard, plain water is usually sufficient. Mild dehydration shows up as increased thirst and slightly reduced urine output, but no other noticeable symptoms. At this stage, your body still has enough stored electrolytes to manage on its own.
The key is drinking at a pace your body can absorb. Your stomach can process roughly 1.2 liters per hour at maximum. Chugging large amounts quickly won’t speed up recovery and can cause nausea. A practical approach is to sip about 200 to 300 mL (roughly 7 to 10 ounces) every 15 minutes until your urine returns to a pale yellow color.
Sports Drinks and Coconut Water
Sports drinks like Gatorade sit somewhere between plain water and a medical-grade rehydration solution. They contain sodium and potassium but also significantly more sugar than products like Pedialyte. For exercise-related dehydration, where you’ve been sweating heavily but aren’t sick, they’re a reasonable option. The extra sugar provides fuel your muscles can use.
Coconut water is a natural alternative that contains potassium, sodium, and manganese. Some evidence suggests it rehydrates comparably to a sports drink for mild to moderate fluid loss. It’s naturally high in potassium, which makes it a decent choice after sweating, though its sodium content is lower than what you’d find in a dedicated rehydration product. If you’re dehydrated from diarrhea or vomiting, where sodium losses are high, coconut water alone won’t fully replace what you’ve lost.
Drinks That Make Dehydration Worse
Fruit juices, sodas, and energy drinks are poor choices when you’re dehydrated. Their high sugar concentration actually works against you. When large amounts of unabsorbed sugar reach your intestines, they draw water out of your body and into the gut, which can trigger or worsen diarrhea. This process is the same reason why drinking undiluted apple juice during a stomach bug often makes things worse rather than better.
Coffee and alcohol both increase urine output, which compounds fluid loss. If you’re already dehydrated, avoid both until you’ve recovered. Even caffeinated tea, while milder, isn’t ideal as your primary rehydration fluid.
Foods That Help With Rehydration
Eating water-rich foods can supplement your fluid intake, especially if drinking large volumes feels uncomfortable. Cucumbers and iceberg lettuce top the list at 96% water. Celery comes in at 95%, followed by tomatoes and zucchini at 94%. Tomatoes carry the added benefit of potassium, which makes them particularly useful during recovery.
Broth-based soups are another practical option. They deliver water, sodium, and potassium in a form that’s easy to keep down, which matters if nausea is part of the picture. Bananas, while not especially high in water content, provide a concentrated source of potassium that pairs well with salty fluids.
Rehydrating Children Safely
Children dehydrate faster than adults because of their smaller body size, and the rehydration approach is weight-based. For mild dehydration, the recommended amount is 50 mL of oral rehydration solution per kilogram of body weight, given over four hours. In practical terms, that means offering about 1 mL per kilogram every five minutes using a spoon, syringe, or small cup. For a 20-pound (9 kg) child, that works out to roughly 450 mL (about 15 ounces) over four hours.
Moderate dehydration doubles that target to 100 mL per kilogram over four hours, ideally under medical supervision. If a child continues to have diarrhea or vomiting, additional fluid is needed: roughly 10 mL per kilogram for each loose stool and 2 mL per kilogram for each episode of vomiting. Small, frequent sips work better than large gulps, which are more likely to come back up.
Avoid giving children sports drinks, juice, or soda as rehydration fluids. Their sugar content is too high and their electrolyte balance is wrong for a small body that’s actively losing fluids.
Signs You Need More Than Home Treatment
Most dehydration resolves with oral fluids within a few hours. But severe dehydration, defined as a fluid deficit of 10% or more of body weight, is a medical emergency that requires intravenous fluids. You can’t drink your way out of it fast enough.
Warning signs of severe dehydration include no urine output for several hours, sunken eyes, rapid heartbeat, confusion or unusual drowsiness, and skin that stays “tented” when you pinch it rather than snapping back into place. In infants, a sunken soft spot on the head and absence of tears when crying are red flags. If you or your child shows these signs, emergency treatment is needed immediately.
The Risk of Drinking Too Much Water
Overhydrating is less common than dehydration, but it carries real risks. Drinking excessive amounts of plain water without electrolytes can dilute the sodium in your blood, a condition called hyponatremia. Symptoms include nausea, headache, confusion, and in severe cases, seizures. This is most likely to happen during prolonged exercise when someone drinks large volumes of water without replacing salt.
The takeaway is straightforward: if you’ve been losing fluids for any extended period, pair your water with electrolytes. Whether that’s a commercial rehydration product, a sports drink, or salty foods alongside your water, keeping sodium in the mix prevents the rare but dangerous problem of overhydration while helping your body absorb fluid more effectively.