How Long Does It Take to Rehydrate Your Body? (2023)

And exactly how long does it take to rehydrate your body after dehydration? The simplest answer is: it depends. We know you’re looking for a much more specific answer, but don’t worry; we’ll cover all of the “what-ifs” below.

Why Does Proper Hydration Matter?

Proper hydration is essential to overall organ function. It also plays a big part in your mood. Just ask Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, a board-certified gastroenterologist and Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Grossman’s School of Medicine.

"Hydration is crucial for your body’s cells to function properly. If you’re dehydrated, your mental and physical state will be negatively affected,” she told us. I think a lot of us know this at heart, but too many people aren’t aware of how common dehydration is: 75 percent, or three out of four people, have problems with chronic dehydration and might not even realize it.

We typically only consider thirst as an indicator of dehydration. However, if you've been feeling tired and irritated lately, maybe even nauseated or sick, hydration or lack thereof can be to blame. This also includes an imbalance of electrolytes or minerals that are just as important to your body’s well-being. We’re sure you’ve heard of calcium, sodium, potassium, and other minerals you might see listed on a nutrition label, but if you haven’t, Dr. Rajapaksa explains exactly why they are essential to your body.

“[Water] alone is sometimes not enough to hydrate you. Electrolytes are basically the controllers of how much water your body retains and need to be balanced in order to feel your best."

Electrolytes are essential to your body’s overall balance. What does this balance do? It keeps your body’s pH levels steady, ensures flexible joints, and ultimately keeps water levels balanced out, too.

Rehydrating With an Oral Rehydration Solution

Many things can cause an electrolyte imbalance, and thankfully, many of them can be fixed. The simplest answer is that you simply aren’t getting the nutrients and liquids needed to be at your best. More serious reasons may include kidney, stomach, or thyroid issues, but it is more likely that you just need an extra boost that water alone isn’t giving you.

That extra boost can come from an ORS or an Oral Rehydration Solution. If that name sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, we promise it isn’t! It is a real and effective way to replenish fluids and electrolytes when your body has lost too much to bounce back on its own. They’re effective as both drinkable solutions, and some are made as IV fluids.

This is where you might have heard the word “electrolytes” in commercials. Think of all of the ads you’ve seen with athletes drinking Gatorade or Powerade after a workout, when you’re sick, or otherwise in need of replenishment. The problem with these and other sports drinks is that they can be packed to the brim with unnecessary ingredients and dyes that take up room meant for quality ingredients. Sometimes it may not even have enough electrolytes to restore your levels, either. So then you ask yourself: “What’s the point?”

We wanted to restore hydration to its optimal levels. When designing Cure, we wanted to bring a drink mix to the table that had trustworthy, science-backed ingredients without sacrificing plant-based goodness. That's why we use these simple ingredients:

• Coconut water
• Pink Himalayan salt

Notice how these are ingredients you can recognize and pronounce? Our goal was to have a drink mix made with you in mind since we didn’t see it when we went shopping for ourselves.

As they say, if you don’t see what you want for yourself, you have to make it yourself. And we’re proud of what we came up with! Best of all, there is nothing in our mixes that interrupt real hydration like added sugars or other yucky things.

So… How Long Does It Take to Rehydrate the Body?

For more mild or moderate cases of dehydration, expect your body to feel better after just a few hours, but full rehydration won’t happen until about three days later. That’s why even if you feel better fairly quickly, you shouldn’t rush back into your regular routine.

For severe cases, it will depend on just how badly you are dehydrated. Hospital intervention is necessary for when this happens, and a doctor will make the call of just how long someone needs to stay to fully recover.

Thankfully, knowing the signs and symptoms of different levels of dehydration can prevent you from getting there in the first place.

Mild to Moderate Dehydration

If you’re outdoors often, then mild or moderate dehydration can happen easily if you don’t drink enough fluids to replenish what you lose through sweat.

Even if you’re not one to venture into the wild, dehydration can happen just as easily if you don’t remember to drink up. Chronic dehydration can influence everything from your mood to how well your body is able to function overall.

Some symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration include:

• Consistent thirst
• Dry mouth
• Yellow or golden-colored urine
• Peeing less than four times a day
• Lightheadedness, tiredness, or fatigue
• Irritability, confusion, or anxious feelings

If you have a moderate case of dehydration, make sure you go see your healthcare provider to ensure you receive proper care to recover.

Severe Dehydration

This is where homemade intervention just won't cut it. Severe dehydration can be fatal, and you need expert care to intervene in these kinds of situations. Thinking about severe dehydration can be scary, but there are plenty of warning signs you can see in advance to avoid getting to a bad place:

• Dark-colored urine or lack of urine
• Lack of sweat
• Low blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat
• The appearance of sunken eyes or skin
• Symptoms of mild and moderate dehydration that have not improved or worsened after drinking plenty of fluids
  

How Do I Prevent Dehydration?

You’d think the simple answer would be “just drink more water,” but we know it’s not as simple as that.

As we’ve mentioned, sometimes illnesses that can worsen your chance of dehydration:

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Sunburn or more serious burns
  

For whatever reason, if you aren’t getting proper vitamins and minerals from daily meals, this can just as easily throw you into a state of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance if you aren’t careful.

Sources:

What are Electrolytes? |Cedars-Sinai

Oral Rehydration | Alberta Health

Dehydration | Medline Plus

Water Consumption Table Urine Color Chart | Geographic Area Coordination Centers