Oral rehydration salts, sports drinks and dehydration: what to keep at home

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A box of oral rehydration sachets is small and easy to keep in your home medicine cabinet. A stomach bug, a heatwave or a few days without running water can all leave someone short of fluids. This guide explains what the NHS says about rehydration salts, sports drinks and everyday drinking, and when to get help. It is general information, not medical advice: follow the pack and ask a pharmacist.

Do this now

1. Buy one pack of oral rehydration sachets from a pharmacy and ask the pharmacist which suits your household, especially for children.
2. Put them in your medicine cabinet or first aid kit and note the expiry date.
3. Store drinking water: Be Ready asks for 3 litres per person per day for 3 days.
4. Learn the signs of dehydration in the table below, and who is most at risk.
5. Save NHS 111 in your phone and on your paper contacts list.

What are oral rehydration salts?

The NHS dehydration page says that if you are being sick or have diarrhoea and are losing too much fluid, you need to put back the sugar, salts and minerals your body has lost. It says a pharmacist can recommend oral rehydration solutions: powders you mix with water and then drink.

The NHS says to ask your pharmacist which rehydration solution is right for you or your child. We don't give doses here. Follow the instructions on the pack, and ask a pharmacist if you're unsure, especially for babies, young children, older people or anyone with a long-term condition.

We also don't give home-made salt and sugar recipes. The NHS points people to a pharmacist for rehydration products.

Rehydration salts or sports drinks?

They are not the same thing, and the NHS mentions them in different situations:

Sources: NHS diarrhoea and vomiting, NHS heat exhaustion and heatstroke, UKHSA Beat the heat, NHS water and drinks.

So for a stomach bug, rehydration sachets from a pharmacy are the thing to keep. Sports drinks are mentioned for heat and sweating, not for diarrhoea.

What are the signs of dehydration?

From the NHS:

Who is most at risk?

The NHS says babies, children and older adults are more at risk of dehydration. It also says dehydration can happen more easily if you:

• have diabetes;
• have been sick or have diarrhoea;
• have been in the sun or heat too long;
• have a high temperature;
• take medicines that make you pee more;
• rely on other people to get you drinks.

If you care for someone, the NHS suggests making sure they drink at mealtimes, can get drinks at all times, and get foods with lots of water such as soup, jelly and melon.

How much should I drink each day?

The NHS says the government's Eatwell Guide recommends 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day. This is a guide: you may need more in a hot environment. Aim for pee that is a clear, pale yellow.

For an emergency store, GOV.UK's Be Ready checklist asks for 3 litres of bottled drinking water per person per day, for 3 days, and more for cooking and washing. See how much water to store in a small flat.

What about heatwaves?

Be Ready says hot weather can also put pressure on water supplies and cause power cuts. The NHS heatwave advice says:

• drink extra fluids, but avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks;
• stay in the shade, especially between 11am and 3pm;
• people most at risk include those aged 65 and over, children aged 5 and under, and people who are pregnant or have serious long-term conditions.

UKHSA says check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk, and keep taking prescribed medicines unless told otherwise. Our heatwave at home guide and keeping cool without air con have more.

When should I call 111 or 999?

Call NHS 111 (or use 111 online) if, according to the NHS:

• you feel unusually tired, or a child seems drowsy;
• you feel dizzy when you stand up and it doesn't go away;
• you have dark yellow pee or are peeing less (or a baby has fewer wet nappies);
• you or a child are breathing quickly or have a fast heartbeat;
• a child under 5 has signs of dehydration;
• signs of dehydration carry on after using rehydration sachets;
• someone keeps being sick and can't keep fluid down;
• diarrhoea lasts more than 7 days or vomiting more than 2 days.

Call 999 or go to A&E if someone with signs of dehydration has blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue, cold skin, difficulty breathing, confusion, or is sleepier than normal or hard to wake. The NHS says these can be signs of shock.

Heatstroke is an emergency. The NHS says call 999 if someone is still unwell after 30 minutes of resting somewhere cool, being cooled and drinking fluids, or has a very high temperature, hot skin that isn't sweating, confusion, a fit or loses consciousness.

What to keep in your kit

Add sachets to your home medicine cabinet or first aid kit.

Printable checklist

• One pack of oral rehydration sachets, chosen with a pharmacist
• Expiry date written on the box or in your phone
• Drinking water: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days
• Squash or other drinks your household likes
• Signs of dehydration known, for adults and babies
• Who in your home or street is most at risk: babies, young children, older people
• NHS 111 saved in phone and on paper
• Heatwave plan: shade from 11am to 3pm, extra fluids, check on neighbours
• 6-month reminder to check dates

Related guides

• Heatwave at home: keeping your home and people cool and safe
• Home first aid kit and medicine cabinet: a UK checklist
• Extreme weather in the UK: heatwaves, storms, floods and wildfires

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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