Name: How do oral rehydration salts work?
Creator: Dr Karen Martin
Published: 2023-02-15T14:40:50.603Z

When you lose fluid through sweat or diarrhea, you lose more than just water. You are losing important salts such as sodium. If you were to drink simple water, your body would lose most of it and continue to lose the important salts simultaneously.

When taking O.R.S Hydration Tablets, the glucose helps get the sodium, which is also in the product, back into the body. This creates a path for water molecules to follow the sodium. It is a game of "follow the leader" back into the body’s cells; glucose first, sodium, and water.

How does it work?

Trioral Oral Rehydration Salts, 0.2 oz sachets - 25 Packets (Lemon Flavor)	 

Trioral Oral Rehydration Salts, 0.72 oz sachets (15 Packets)

Dioralyte: uses, benefits & dosage information

Dioralyte is an [oral rehydration therapy](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/treatment/oral-rehydration-solution-ors-272) and contains a mix of electrolytes and minerals necessary to avoid dehydration. Often patients will take Dioralyte following bouts of exercise, diarrhea, or vomiting. 

The formulation contains different essential salts such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, disodium hydrogen citrate, and a small amount of sugar in the form of glucose. The product can be added to water to make a solution that’s readily absorbed by the body.

Oral rehydration salts are a balanced formulation of electrolytes and minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, chloride, and a small proportion of glucose. They can be added to water to make a solution that’s readily absorbed by the body.

This scientifically balanced mix is absorbed through the small intestine by a process called osmosis, and it gets fluid back into the bloodstream up to three times faster than drinking water alone. This fast-tracks fluids to the needed tissues, allowing you to carry on or recover from a workout. They are also the right choice for hot climates or a bout of gastroenteritis, where diarrhea or vomiting causes water loss.

Hydration: Replacing electrolytes with sports drinks and others

Exercise depletes fluids and salts through sweating, breathing fast and hard, and making muscles work to their absolute maximum. There are so many products that go beyond plain old water, the choice can be bewildering, so what’s going to fuel your gym session or get you through your triathlon? Our pharmacist is here to cut through the big claims and let you know what’s behind the label.

Ensuring adequate hydration to help our bodies remain healthy can be a tough task, especially in hot conditions, and during strenuous activities or exercise. Hot temperatures and increased water and salt losses can lead to dehydration. Mild dehydration may be felt as thirst, headache, mild dizziness, reduced need to urinate, and dry skin. In its more severe form, dehydration can result in reduced alertness, fatigue, muscle cramps, loss of consciousness, and long-term damage to your kidneys.

Hydration, in its simplest form, is to supply and retain water in the body's tissues. Take in too little water, and you risk dehydration, making it hard for the body to carry out essential functions. And with loss of water, you lose essential salts and minerals, causing further turmoil in your body.

We've all experienced mild dehydration at times, like when the weather is hot, or we are doing a sweaty workout. Fighting a fever or a stomach bug also leaves you lacking hydration.

But you might have overlooked the toll a flight can take on your body. An airline cabin draws air in from the upper atmosphere for us to breathe in, and this is very dry. The cabin air can be less humid than the Sahara Desert, and you actually lose water through your breath. Telling signs can be a dry feeling in your nose and throat, your contact lenses feeling scratchy, and you might be passing urine less, or it's dark and strong-smelling.

You might feel thirsty, but this is actually a late sign, as when thirst sets in, your body is already 2% dehydrated. You need to work hard to replace this. Your body will work best if you can plan ahead to avoid dehydration, rather than playing catch-up.

If you're traveling with little ones, they have a higher body surface area and breathe a bit faster, so they can become dehydrated even more quickly, and salt imbalance follows. It can be tempting to let them snooze through the flight (and give you some peace), but feeling tired and sleepy can also be a sign of dehydration, so make sure they have topped up before nodding off.

Tension headache is one of the most common types and feels like a tight band has been wrapped around your forehead, causing a constant ache in your temples. Your neck or shoulders might feel tight and sore and a dull ache or pressure can build up behind your eyes.

People call it a **stress headache** for good reason – it comes at the busiest or most stressful times. Other common triggers for tension headaches can be excessive noise or bright lights, certain smells, poor posture, eye strain, or [dehydration](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/hydration-dehydration-and-heatstroke). While frustrating, most people are able to continue with everyday activities.

Most people describe tension headaches as mild and short-lived. Many feel better after a sleep or a warm bath, and tension headaches usually respond well to simple [painkillers](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/treatment/painkillers-666) like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Let's talk you through how to beat a [tension headache](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/condition/tension-headache) with both medicated and drug-free remedies.

Oral rehydration solutions are a balanced formulation of [electrolytes](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/electrolyte-replacement-products-426) and minerals such as:

- sodium 
- potassium 
- magnesium 
- phosphorus 
- chloride 
- small proportion of glucose 

They can be added to water to make a solution that’s readily absorbed by the body. The electrolyte composition of ORS is carefully balanced to mimic the electrolyte concentrations found in the human body, facilitating optimal absorption and retention of fluids.

Is your lifestyle stressing your skin out?

We have all had that important date on the calendar coming up, and a day or so before, what happens – our skin breaks out. Many different things in our day-to-day life can affect how our skin reacts. Some in the short term and others over the long term. Here the Healthwords medical team takes a look at some of these lifestyle factors in detail that can contribute to changes in your skin.

Diarrhea and vomiting – how to get through it

Diarrhea and vomiting are something most of us have suffered with at some point in our lives. For many, it is a horrible week’s worth of symptoms, but eventually things begin to feel better. Here we will discuss some of the common questions patients ask their doctor about diarrhea and vomiting.

How many glasses of water should you drink each day?

Dr Kandi discusses recommendations of a skin pinch hydration test

Hydration recommendations

Dr Kandi explains the pinch test, and how it can help you detect whether you're adequately hydrated.

Dr Kandi - Pinch test

We all know how vital it is for athletes to keep hydrated to perform at their physical best, but how can dehydration affect our brains? Cognitive ability and a healthy mind are tougher to determine than who wins the 100-meter sprint, but we've gathered evidence from different ways to assess the brain and bring you some answers.

All runners know that adequate hydration matters. When on a run, hydration helps because it slows the rate at which fatigue sets in. From how limber we feel, to how quickly we tire, hydration can be the difference between a sluggish run or a new personal best. Let’s take a look at how it works.

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a very rare condition that leads to an imbalance of fluid in the body because of a problem with a specific hormone. **It is not related to [diabetes mellitus](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/condition/diabetes-mellitus)** – a problem with regulating blood sugars – but shares some symptoms. With DI, you will feel very thirsty and drink several liters per day, coupled with an increase in how much you’re peeing out.

Dr Karen Martin

Pharmacist and Head of US Content

Oral rehydration therapy (also known as oral rehydration salts or solution) is used to prevent and treat dehydration. Around the world, it is used to prevent serious illness and death from diarrhea. It has been reported to reduce the risk of death by more than 90%. It is considered so important that it is a part of the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines.

How do oral rehydration salts work?

Doctor’s advice

How does it work?

Pharmacist recommended products

Related topics

Dioralyte: uses, benefits & dosage information

Electrolyte replacement products

Hydration: Replacing electrolytes with sports drinks and others

Hydration, dehydration, and heatstroke

Hydration in a nutshell

Tension headache relief

Oral rehydration solution (ORS)

Is your lifestyle stressing your skin out?

Diarrhea and vomiting – how to get through it

How many glasses of water should you drink each day?

Hydrated skin and the pinch test

Hydration and mental performance

Hydration – fueling the runner

Diabetes insipidus