If you resolve the issue that caused dehydration and you get the correct amount of fluids, mild to moderate dehydration should go away in less than a day. You should seek treatment for severe dehydration in a hospital. With appropriate treatment, dehydration should resolve within two to three days.
For mild issues, you can begin to rehydrate in a just few minutes. However, you will need to rest and continue to replace fluids for several hours before you begin to feel better. This process can take up to 36 hours- and possibly hospital treatment- to recover from more advanced dehydration.
The bottom line
The fastest way to cure dehydration at home is to drink plenty of fluids. The best choice for rehydrating fast depends on what's causing the dehydration. Water is a great choice, in general.
If you start today, it can take approximately 1-2 months to begin to sufficiently rehydrate the discs in your spine depending on the level of your dehydration. You cannot just drink more water for 1 or 2 days - you will just pee it out - it needs to be a gradual increase and then maintained.
Call 911, your local emergency services number or go to the emergency room right away if you have symptoms of severe dehydration or heatstroke: A fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) or higher. Muscle twitching. Red, hot and dry skin.
The researchers found that while water — both still and sparkling — does a pretty good job of quickly hydrating the body, beverages with a little bit of sugar, fat or protein do an even better job of keeping us hydrated for longer.
You can usually reverse mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids, but severe dehydration needs immediate medical treatment.
If you drink 8 ounces of water, it will generally be in your bladder within 20 minutes. So, it's a good idea to plan your restroom breaks if your bladder doesn't give you the warning signal. Additionally, there's no health benefit to consuming large volumes of water. Drinking more than 12 ounces at once is excessive.
Your Body Weight Can Signal How Much Water You Need
“Individuals needing quick and complete recovery from excessive dehydration can drink about 1½ liters of fluid for each kilogram of body weight lost. This comes out to be about 25 ounces per pound lost,” she says.
Dying from dehydration is generally not uncomfortable once the initial feelings of thirst subside. If you stop eating and drinking, death can occur as early as a few days, though for most people, approximately ten days is the average. In rare instances, the process can take as long as several weeks.
You can quickly check for dehydration at home. Pinch the skin over the back of the hand, on the abdomen, or over the front of the chest under the collarbone. This will show skin turgor. Mild dehydration will cause the skin to be slightly slow in its return to normal.
Treatment for dehydration. If you're dehydrated, drink plenty of fluids such as water, diluted squash or fruit juice. These are better than tea, coffee or fizzy drinks. If you're finding it difficult to keep water down because you're vomiting, try drinking small amounts more often.
Dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe, based on how much of your body's fluid is lost or not replaced. Severe dehydration is a life-threatening emergency.
We all need to drink water — typically, more than we realize. But what if you drink loads of water every day but are still feeling thirsty and dehydrated? It can be a sign that something else is going on. Factors like your medication, how much you sweat and if you're sick can affect your levels of hydration.
You can reverse most chronic dehydration in two to three days with proper treatment. The time it will take to reverse dehydration will depend on its severity and the treatment method. Drinking water to replace fluids is a longer process than replacing them with intravenous (IV) fluid.
Ideally, aim to reduce or stop your fluid intake one to two hours before bedtime. This can help minimize nighttime bathroom visits and sleep disturbances. However, if you find yourself waking up at night due to thirst or dehydration, a small sip of water closer to bedtime might be necessary.
“As your kidneys shut down the rest of your body starts to suffer: your brain, liver and, eventually, your heart,” Vrablik says. She explains that in severe dehydration, your kidneys don't have enough water to filter your blood adequately, which can lead to kidney insufficiency or kidney failure.
Low daily water intake may cause persistent tiredness and difficulty focusing. These symptoms can negatively affect a person's daily life and may interfere with work, exercise, or socializing. Dehydration also has links to: Constipation: Water helps to soften the stool, which makes bowel movements easier.
In some cases, kidney function may improve on its own – but it largely depends on the underlying cause and extent of damage. Minor kidney injuries from dehydration or medications can sometimes heal with proper treatment and lifestyle changes.
We grab a bottle of water and guzzle it down, often in one go, to satisfy that thirst. But that's not really the best way to hydrate, says Lindsay Baker, PhD, a senior principal scientist at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. “In general, it's best to sip a little bit throughout the day,” Baker says.
Diabetes can increase your risk of dehydration because your kidneys typically reabsorb blood sugar. However, the elevated blood sugar levels that occur with diabetes can stress your kidneys.