How to Treat or Cure Dehydration

Treating dehydration well is about matching the response to the grade - water for the mild, ORS for the moderate, hospital IV for the severe. Here is the complete playbook.

Mild (thirsty, dark urine, otherwise fine)

• Drink water steadily - a few glasses over an hour
• If the cause is diarrhoea, vomiting or heavy sweating: use ORS or a salted drink instead of plain water
• Fixed within hours; no doctor needed

Moderate (very little urine, dizziness on standing, fast heartbeat)

• ORS actively: small frequent sips all day, a glass after every loose stool
• Homemade version if no packets: 6 level tsp sugar + 1/2 level tsp salt per litre of clean water
• Vomiting: 10-minute pauses, then tiny sips every 2-3 minutes - most people can still absorb this way
• Call the doctor if: vomiting prevents keeping even sips down, symptoms persist beyond a day, or the patient is a baby, elderly, pregnant, or has diabetes or kidney disease

Severe (no urine 8+ hours, sunken eyes, confusion, fainting)

• Hospital, now - intravenous fluids
• Do not spend the night trying one more home remedy; severe dehydration kills through shock and kidney failure, and IV fluids reverse it fast
• For a floppy, unresponsive child: emergency services (112)

Treat the cause alongside

• Diarrhoea and vomiting: usually self-limiting; the ORS keeps the patient safe while it passes
• Fever: paracetamol plus fluids
• Heat illness: cool the person down (shade, fan, cool cloths) while rehydrating - hot dry skin with confusion is heatstroke: 112
• Uncontrolled diabetes: fluids plus urgent sugar management

After recovery

• Resume food gently (khichdi, banana, curd-rice), keep sipping ORS until urine runs pale and normal in amount
• A day or two of tiredness is normal; persistent weakness, ongoing diarrhoea or blood in stool: see the doctor

One-line summary

Mild dehydration: water; moderate: ORS sipped steadily with a doctor's call for the vulnerable; severe: hospital IV fluids without delay - while treating the cause and re-feeding gently once the worst is past.