Rehydration drinks etc

I knew that would be first answer!

tbh It should be the ONLY answer.
Depends whether you really need rehydrated or have just fallen foul of the fad for plonkers to carry water bottles about with them just to get to work and back.
I've cycled John O Groats to Lands End in 9 days (110miles per day) and other exciting sweat inducers, like playing badminton. In my experience most flavoured drinks will cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth after a while (or gas!) and, unless you are at the ragged edge, you really dont need to think about isotonic (salt) solutions - have a snack instead.
Cheers
 
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Well maybe water should be the only answer, but it goes straight through me, I have found that those lucozade sport drinks work for me. 1/2 liter of that will get rid of any hangover whereas litres of water make little difference.
 
Well maybe water should be the only answer, but it goes straight through me,

Hmmm. Interesting anatomy. Usually, only way through the body is gut, to blood, to kidneys, and then bladder. Hard not to hydrate that way (diarrhoea excepted of course!).
I understood the OP was looking for hydration, not a hangover cure (not the same thing despite some urban myths), for which maybe some blood sugar is a solution.
At the end of the day (or first thing in the morning :) ) it probably boils down to what appears to work for the individual.
I do like Lucozade, and was pretty much brought up on Ribena. Those were the days.
 
It was after reading a book about the sas in the desert for a few weeks and they could never have carried enough water but took something to stay alive.
 
Any advice on the best ones to take away?

Best bet is just to keep drinking water/orange squash etc. But, if badly dehydrated, sachets containing glucose and essential minerals for dissolving in water are available from chemists and are generally better and much cheaper tha branded energy drinks.
 
re hydration salts

you would not normally need, unless severe dose of the trots, or days of 98 humidity with excessive sweating. when the shirt is white with extruded salt. then when the leg cramps start , a litre of water with a packet of salts works wonders.
avoid salt tablets as if they stick they can burn the stomach lining.
 
Slight drift, but the best I ever came across was lime crystals we used to get from RN contacts when the family lived in Malta (not yesterday).
It came in MOD issue gallon tins. Just add a tablespoonful of crystals in a pint of water and you have rehydration and enough salts to keep you going.
I have never come across the stuff since which is a shame because it was nowhere as sweet as lime cordial.
 
I AM NOT A DOCTOR.

So do not take this a gospel, I have been trying to research formula for emergency rehydration for a while after forgetting what a ex army medic once told me.
DOH...

Any way as I recall if you do not have access to rehyration packets, diralite type powder, then a home brew of a litre of water add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt shaken well can work.
He had a double sided plastic medicine spoon with the correct ratios.
He also said that the sachets of sugar and salt that you get on planes etc are roughly the same.

We once had a guy on site suffering from dehydration/heat stroke and a dose of the runs, some one else on site had also heard of the litre of water and a sachet of sugar and salt trick. He tried it and it worked well.

I always carry rehydration sachets in my medical kits (on the boat, in the car and at home) Find boots black current diralite is my favourite.

So as I said earlier do not trust the recipe above unless you can get it verified by a medic. but does seam quite realsitic as an emergency measure.

Also just found a double ended medecine spoon on an old bottle of Gaviscon that my mother left at our place. this looks to be about 1 teaspoon : 1/4 teaspoon too.

If any one can verify the above it would be appreciated.
 
+1 on water unless you're on some sort of hardcore only carry water and pills thing in which case...it's still water.

Providing you're eating reasonably, which as you're not already ill, you are, then 2litres of water a day +1 some for conditions is going to see you through fine. The trick is to never get thirsty...if you do, you're already in trouble.

For me the issue with water additives is that it screws with your water container so unless you're using a throwaway you're gonna end up with a tainted container.

FWIW my personal hydration unit of choice is a kriega 3L hydration pack, filled with water, and that took me through the Death Valley (and other fairly hot places) on my motorbike.
 
unless you re dealing with special cases, e.g. small children, patients with other issues such as kidney disease, then a general mixture as above, administered by mouth, is fine. Some variation in the sugar seems to be advocated by some authorities:-



http://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm#recipes
"Preparing 1 (one) Litre solution using Salt, Sugar and Water at Home

Mix an oral rehydration solution using one of the following recipes; depending on ingredients and container availability:

Ingredients:

* Half (1/2) teaspoon of Salt

* Six (6) teaspoons of Sugar

* One Litre of clean drinking or boiled water and then cooled"

There is a concensus, however, on not drinking too much too quickly. Perhaps a cupful an hour for someone who is severely dehydrated allows the stomach to absorb fluids better than just swallowing a whole litre in one go.

Much depends on the body mass.
 
Many thanks Sarabande.

Looks like recipe I was given was on the low side for salt and sugar. but better than giving too much salt I guess.

I also omitted something else in my post that you correctly highlighted, NOT to drink it down in one. A few sips every ten minutes, building up to a cup or so per hour is what I recall, obviously dependent on how dehydrated the person is and how far you are away from proper medical treatment.
 
Sounds like dextrose saline, which is what we give IV. Slightly different proportions but the effect is much the same.

Yes, spot on. I my case I was looking for a good safe formula of sugar/salt/water ratio for emergency use to be taken oraly hopefully before we would get to the need of an IV and associated professional medical treatment.

Oh and I have been there a good few years ago, with IV after a bad dose of Baku Belly. That drip was like an elixir of life, every little drip made me feel better. Think they said it was Hartmanns they gave me.
What ever it was it worked.
 
All excellent responses but surely the trick is not to need the potion.
Here in Turkey I drink minimum 2 litres of water per day
and frequently more (particularly if I am having alcohol).
I tend to suffer from salt deficiency so I eat 1 banana per day
which is all the pottasium that you need.
Cheers,
Chris
 
Water is fine 99% of the time and most people drink too little water, but be careful of drinking lots of water when exercising in hot climates. In these situations consider an electrolyte supplement or at least increasing your salt intake
Hyponatremia is when there is so much water in the body that it dilutes sodium levels. It can lead to confusion, headaches and a fatal swelling of the brain.
There have been a several deaths of Australians, and a lot more people that have become sick as a result of this problem.
 
Not something that we ever needed in Europe but since hitting the Tropics, and the current 100 degree daily temperatures in USA we have started using Gatorade, a commercial product available in supermarkets, aimed at athletes!

Now we are far from the traget market but it certainly works for us. If we start to feel crampish after physical work in the heat or even a bit grumpy after a day on deck the stuff works like magic. Can't recommend it highly enough!

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com
 
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