How to Hydrate Fast And 8 Signs You May Need To

It’s incredible how quickly we can become dehydrated. One moment, everything seems fine, and the next, we’re desperately reaching for our water bottles. Maybe it’s after a stomach flu episode, an intense workout, or a wild night out. Whatever the case, knowing how to rehydrate fast can be a real game-changer.

The mistake many people make is pounding gallons of plain H2O, thinking it will guarantee rapid hydration. However, there’s actually more to it, like timing, nailing down your individual water needs, and replenishing the electrolytes lost daily through sweating, urinating, and other bodily processes.

Fast hydration doesn’t have to be complicated, though. Ahead, we explore several science-backed strategies to help you quickly refill your tank and rebalance your body in no time.

Proper Hydration is More Than Just Drinking Water

There’s a common misconception that drinking plenty of water is all it takes to hydrate fast. While water is crucial for your health, comprising about 55% to 65% of the human body and playing a vital role in many bodily functions, it’s only part of the hydration equation.

You also need electrolytes like sodium to attract and get water into the cells and maintain a balance across the cellular membranes. Otherwise, the water may pass through your body without being properly absorbed, potentially leaving you dehydrated despite how much water you drink.

Whether from food or supplements, adding ample electrolytes to your diet can work wonders for your hydration. When you’re well-hydrated, the body tends to work better, offering a bunch of benefits, including:

• Enhanced organ function
• Better lubrication of joints and tissues
• Reduced risk of various health issues
• Improved mood and cognitive function

Even more reasons to up your electrolyte levels? Electrolytes are essential for basic life functioning, such as maintaining electrical neutrality in cells and generating and conducting action potentials in the nerves and muscles, per medical information publisher StatPearls.

How to Know When You’re Dehydrated: 8 Signs to Watch For

Knowing how to rehydrate quickly is good, but how do you know when to do so? The good thing is that dehydration is usually easy to spot. This section discusses what generally happens when you might be running low on fluids and electrolytes.

Bear in mind, though, that the signs of dehydration can vary from person to person but may include any or all the following symptoms:

1. Increased Thirst

Let’s start with the most obvious clue: thirst. When you feel parched, it could be an early sign that your body is already low on fluids or you have an imbalance of electrolytes. This is often the first and most common sign of mild or moderate dehydration, so it’s essential to drink once you feel that thirst sensation creeping in. That way, it doesn’t become severe.

2. Dark-Colored Urine

Your urine can also be a good indicator of your hydration status. If it is pale yellow or clear, you’re probably well-hydrated. If it’s dark yellow or amber, you could be moderately dehydrated. Much darker urine can be a sign of severe dehydration and a signal to step up your hydration game.

3. Dry Lips and Mouth (and Sometimes Bad Breath)

If your mouth and lips feel like the Sahara, your body may be going into water conservation mode due to the lack of fluids. When dehydrated, your body tries to preserve all the available fluid for more vital tasks, pulling fluids from wherever possible to supply that need. This leaves you without enough fluids to produce saliva that keeps your mouth and lips hydrated and moist.

Also, less saliva in your mouth can lead to bacteria overgrowth that can manifest as bad breath. This is especially true for chronically dehydrated people.

4. Infrequent Urination

Do you make fewer trips to the bathroom? If so, you’re probably not drinking enough. Just as you can use the color of your urine to gauge your hydration status, your urine frequency and volume can also be good indicators.

It’s normal for a healthy person to pee every three to four hours. If it’s been more than that since you’ve urinated, it could be a sign of dehydration. Moreover, your urine can get concentrated, increasing your risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs).

5. Tiredness or Fatigue

When dehydrated, it impacts your body’s ability to circulate oxygen and transport nutrients, potentially leading to decreased energy and a feeling of exhaustion. Think of your body as a machine that uses water as its fuel. This helps your body feel hydrated and energized. But as dehydration sets in, this “machine” slows down to make do with less fluid, which might explain why you probably still feel tired after getting ample sleep.

Another reason could be that dehydration can cause your blood pressure to drop, leading to poor circulation and reduced blood flow to your brain. This causes feelings of sleepiness.

6. Constipation

Beyond zapping your energy, dehydration can also mess with your bowel movements. As stool travels through the large intestine, the large intestine absorbs water. Without enough fluids, your intestine will remove extra water from the stool so the water doesn’t go to waste. This can result in hard, dry, lumpy stools that are difficult to pass. Dehydration can also slow down stool movement through your intestines, leading to more water reabsorption from your stool.

7.     Headaches

Headaches don’t always stem from stress, hormonal changes, or sinus infections. They could also result from your hydration levels—and we’ll explain why.

The brain is surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contained in a sac in your head. This fluid cushions the brain so it doesn’t bump against the skull and cause problems. The lack of fluids from not drinking enough causes the protective layer to get thinner, often leading to headaches and migraines.

Another theory, per Harvard Health, is that “when a person is dehydrated, fluid can shift out of the brain, exerting traction on the meninges, which could stimulate the pain receptors.”

8.    Sweet Craving

When dehydration sets in, your body’s physiological response can trigger a craving for sweets. This reaction stems from several interconnected factors. Firstly, dehydration can alter your hormone balance, such as increasing cortisol levels and leading to cravings for foods high in sugar and fat.

Additionally, your body’s glycogen stores diminish faster when you’re low on fluids. A study published in the journal Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata found that females often see a reduction in glycogen by 50% and 30% in males.

Eventually, those reserves will deplete, and your body will start sending signals to your brain to trigger intense sweet cravings when you just need water—not a candy bar.

5 Simple Ways to Hydrate Fast

Now that you know when you probably should consider hydrating quickly, it’s time to explore how to do it. The exact “hydration formula” will vary from person to person based on their individual needs, severity of dehydration, environment, and other factors. However, the following serves as general guidelines to help you bring your hydration back to normal, healthy levels.

1. Drink water.

The ideal beverage to rehydrate is water. Plain water contains no calories, sugars, or other junk that could dehydrate you. Taking small sips more frequently if you’re excessively dehydrated or large gulps less regularly should do the trick. As for how much to drink, it all depends on what’s most comfortable for you.

So long as your thirst remains unquenched, continue drinking, as it could be a sign that you’re still somewhat dehydrated. However, try not to drink too much in one sitting because it can cause discomfort in your stomach and throw your electrolyte levels out of balance.

2. Add electrolytes to your water or drink.

Drinking ample amounts of fluids is a huge part of hydrating quickly. However, adding electrolytes to your drink helps you rehydrate much faster—which is super beneficial for physically active folks pumping out lots of sweat daily or those with certain illnesses that cause rapid fluid loss (think diarrhea, vomiting, high fever, severe blood loss, etc.).

Electrolytes are minerals that your body needs to function correctly. They carry an electric charge when dissolved in fluids and are responsible for contracting your muscles, controlling your nervous system, keeping you hydrated, and helping regulate your body’s acid/base, aka your pH levels, per Healthline.

Your body may have enough electrolytes if you follow a healthy, balanced diet loaded with fruits and veggies. However, when dehydrated, you may need an extra electrolyte boost to compensate and speed up the absorption of liquids in the body.

Lido electrolyte drink mixes are the perfect solution to rapidly restoring your electrolyte balance. Available in various delicious flavors, these electrolyte powders provide the ideal mix of sodium, potassium, and magnesium to support fast hydration. Moreover, they contain no added sugars, calories, artificial sweeteners, or other junk that could pull fluids from the body instead of hydrating it.

Tear open one of the travel-friendly sachets and mix the powder with water or other drinks for an instant and healthy dose of electrolytes whenever and wherever you need it.

3. Drink plant-based milk.

The rumors are true: Adding plant-based milk to your diet can be a great way to hydrate quickly and get extra nutrients. Options like almond, oat, or coconut milk are mostly water but contain vitamins and minerals that can help your body function better.

Nothing against cow’s milk, but some plant-based milk products are “less heavy,” so your body can absorb the fluid more quickly and retain it longer after ingestion. Many also contain hydration-boosting electrolytes like calcium, sodium, and potassium.

Whichever type you choose, just be sure it’s unsweetened, as excess sugar can make you thirstier and more dehydrated. A cold glass of plant milk can hydrate quickly on a hot day or after a workout.

4. Eat water-rich foods.

Believe it or not, you can eat your way to better hydration, depending on how dehydrated you are. You don’t only get water from fluids but also from certain foods. For instance, fruits and vegetables generally have high water content, which can boost hydration.

Watermelon, cucumbers, oranges, strawberries, and other water-rich fruits are all excellent choices for overcoming mild dehydration. Other great options for water-loaded veggies include leafy greens, celery, carrots, radishes, and peppers.

They provide water and natural sugars and fibers that help your body retain the fluid. Plus, they’re delicious and nutritious. Try snacking on these throughout the day, especially when thirsty.

5. Munch on something salty (while drinking water).

While too much sodium in your diet can increase water retention (among other health problems), too little of it can be dehydrating. The body needs adequate amounts of this mineral to regulate fluid balance. However, when you sweat a lot, your body loses sodium (hence the salty taste of sweat). This increases the risk of dehydration if not replenished quickly enough.

Counteracting some of this sodium loss is as simple as eating snacks like salty chips, peanuts, pretzels, and popcorn. Research assessing hydration status in pro athletes shows that drinking plain water after exercise works well for recovery when paired with salty food. These snacks can also make you thirsty and encourage you to drink more water.

How Long Does It Take to Rehydrate?

How quickly you’ll be back to being fully hydrated depends on a few factors:

• How dehydrated you were initially. If you’ve lost a lot of fluids and electrolytes, it’ll take longer to bounce back.
• Consuming enough electrolytes and carbs with your drinks. These nutrients help your body hold onto water better.
• Your state or environment. If you’re still in a situation that’s making you lose water—like being somewhere really hot or cold or if you’re still feeling sick, that can slow things down, too.

The good news is that your body starts absorbing water quickly. It goes through your digestive system, most of which gets absorbed into your bloodstream from your small intestine.

Water can start being absorbed in as little as five minutes, which gets the ball rolling on rehydrating you. Other beverages like electrolyte drinks, juices, or smoothies take a bit longer for your body to process fully—usually about 20 to 60 minutes, depending on what exactly you’re drinking.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to hydrate quickly may be necessary if you’ve lost a substantial amount of fluid through physical activity, illness, or due to environmental conditions. Your body and urine can provide clues about your hydration status, as can dehydration symptoms like increased thirst, dark-colored urine, tiredness, headaches, and difficulty focusing.

Ideally, you should prioritize water, electrolytes, and healthy amounts of carbs to help restore your body’s fluid balance as quickly as possible. Try to remain consistent with it throughout the day so you don’t have to make a concerted effort to rush and rehydrate.

When it comes to electrolytes, a nutrient-rich diet is vital. However, LIDO electrolyte mixes can compensate for electrolyte losses and instantly hydrate you in almost any situation.