Is IV Hydration Therapy Better Than Drinking Water?

You’ve recently become curious about IV hydration therapy and begun researching the subject. It seems like a viable way to replenish your system, but couldn’t you just drink water instead and enjoy the same benefits? Is IV hydration therapy better?

IV hydration therapy is better than drinking water for several reasons. Water does not contain electrolytes like hydration therapy, nor does it have vitamins and minerals. With 100% absorption, you rehydrate faster and more efficiently with IV hydration.

This guide will dig deep into why IV hydration therapy outshines water when it comes to making a healthy choice for your body.

Let’s get started!

6 Reasons IV Hydration Therapy Is Better Than Drinking Water

1. Water Doesn’t Contain Electrolytes

Who doesn’t love a cold, refreshing glass of water, especially on a hot day? After you gulp down the water, you won’t feel thirsty anymore, but does that mean you’re rehydrated? Not exactly.

Water or H2O is just that. It doesn’t contain any electrolytes, and that’s the biggest problem with drinking water when it’s hot or after expending energy during a workout.

For those unfamiliar, electrolytes are a collection of essential minerals, including potassium, calcium, sodium, and chloride. When you sweat, you lose electrolytes. When you’re low on electrolytes, you can experience muscle cramps, lethargy, and dizziness.

Electrolytes serve many functions, including keeping your nervous system healthy, balancing pH levels, controlling your rate of muscle contractions, and maintaining hydration levels.

While you could continuously sip on electrolyte drinks such as sports drinks, fruit juices, or coconut water to restore electrolytes, these fluids often contain sugar. Pedialyte is another option to renew electrolytes but, again, includes a lot of extra sugar that isn’t good for the body.

IV hydration therapy can renew your body with water and electrolytes, which drinking water alone simply cannot do!

2. IV Hydration Therapy Can Deliver Medication, and Water Can’t

IV hydration therapy offers a personalized infusion that goes beyond simply replenishing electrolytes; it also allows for the administration of targeted medications to optimize your system. Here’s an overview of the types of medication you may receive.

Reglan: This medication is used to treat nausea and vommiting, heartburn and GERD. It can be given during pregnancy for morning sickness if your OB Provider allows it.
Benadryl: A medication that allergy sufferers know all too well, Benadryl or diphenhydramine is an antihistamine. It can reduce sneezing, coughing, runny nose, watery and itchy eyes, and rashes in conjunction with allergy symptoms. Benadryl can also minimize symptom severity if you have a cold.
Zofran: Ondansetron or Zofran can be used to stop nausea and vomiting. It is com
Toradol: Ketorolac or Toradol is an NSAID pain reliever that lessens prostaglandin levels. This reduces tissue inflammation and alleviates pain from migraines, medical conditions, injury, or surgery.
Pepcid: Famotidine or Pepcid is a stronger heartburn treatment that lessens stomach acid levels by blocking histamines. Try Pepcid if you have Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, heartburn, indigestion, GERD, or stomach ulcers.

These medications can assist with what’s ailing you so you feel your best after a round of IV hydration therapy. Water does not contain medicine, so drinking it will not deliver the same health benefits.

3. Water Often Lacks Minerals, Vitamins, and Antioxidants

Mineral water contains sulfur compounds and salts; tap water has similar compounds. Unless you sip on those types of water, you can rest assured that your H2O lacks antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

When taking oral supplements, only a small portion is absorbed by the body. With an IV drip, 100% of the nutrients have a chance to be absorbed.

Here is what you’re missing out on when you drink water.

Taurine: An amino acid and antioxidant in one, taurine supports healthy tissues and organs. Being deficient in taurine can cause neurological and degenerative eye issues. The amino acid produces bile salts to process cholesterol. Taurine also controls lactic acid, especially post-workout, to restore electrolytes and maintain healthy muscles. It’s even mentally beneficial, reducing anxiety.
NAD+: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+, is a coenzyme that activates over 500 bodily enzyme reactions, including the conversion of food into usable energy. Further, NAD+ can regulate your metabolism, reduce aging, manage your circadian rhythm, keep your brain healthy, repair your DNA, and encourage more stem cells.
Zinc: The trace mineral zinc can reduce oxidative stress from free radicals, reduce disease risk, encourage inflammation and wound healing, and lessen acne.
Magnesium: Another vital mineral, magnesium, is also a macronutrient. Magnesium controls your blood pressure and might even reduce heart disease and type 2 diabetes risk. You should ingest at least 100 milligrams of magnesium daily, or you could experience migraines, mood swings, and cramps.
Glutathione: This antioxidant combats the damage from free radicals, so it’s especially beneficial if you have an inflammatory or autoimmune disease. Glutathione can also detox you.
Vitamin D: While you can get vitamin D from sunlight, you expose your skin to free radical damage if you’re outside for too long. Vitamin D from IV hydration therapy will still deliver the same benefits, including healthier digestion, better mood, improved circulatory and cardiovascular health, immune system health, and stronger bones.
Vitamin C: Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is also an antioxidant. It could reduce memory impairment, control LDL cholesterol levels, manage blood pressure, bolster your immunity, improve collagen production, assist in iron absorption, and minimize damage from free radicals.
Vitamin B12: Cyanocobalamin or vitamin B12 may lower one’s risk of macular degeneration and osteoporosis. Further, the vitamin makes more red blood cells and keeps the central nervous and neurological systems functioning best.
Vitamin B: B complex vitamins provide energy, maintain digestion, upkeep healthy vision, help with muscle tone, benefit nerve and brain function, and promote cellular health.

4. IV Hydration Therapy Can Rehydrate You More Than Oral Rehydration

If you’re still unsure whether you should drink water or receive IV hydration therapy, here’s yet another perk.

You’ll rehydrate more with an IV than you will with water. If the IV hydration therapy package you select includes water with the above minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and medications, one IV is the equivalent of two or three bottles of water.

If you need motivational plastic water bottles with messages for every liter to keep you drinking, you might struggle to consume two to three bottles of water a day.

People don’t drink enough water for all sorts of reasons. You might not drink water because you find it boring since it has no flavor. Others get busy with work or daily responsibilities and forget to drink enough.

You might even have a regular schedule that causes you to sweat a lot, so keeping up with what you’re losing is challenging.

In these three scenarios and many others, IV hydration therapy is a faster, more efficient solution than drinking water.

Dehydration Symptoms Include…

Headache
Fatigue
Dry mouth
Dizziness
Dark Urine
Muscle Cramps

Severe dehydration can lead to a stay in the emergency room.

5. IV Hydration Therapy Is a Faster Road to Rehydration

When you drink water the traditional way, orally, it can take five minutes for your body to absorb it. To remove the excess water, you’ll usually expel it through feces or urine, but you can also sweat it out.

Granted, five minutes is fast, but it can take upwards of two hours for you to feel fully hydrated if you drink water alone. IV hydration therapy is far quicker by comparison.

This treatment delivers instant hydration since the water goes straight to your bloodstream. You’ll begin feeling better in a matter of minutes.

6. The Effects of IV Hydration Therapy Last Longer

It’s annoying when you drink so much water that your stomach sloshes, but an hour later, you feel that dry, parched feeling in your throat again. You’re back on the water-drinking roller coaster, where you must prioritize drinking water, or you’ll become mildly dehydrated.

Even mild dehydration is not ideal for your health and can reduce cognitive function and lead to symptoms like dry mouth, tiredness, lightheadedness, and dark-colored urine.

Once you’re disconnected from the IV after a round of hydration therapy, it’s not like the effects instantly stop. You’re not actively receiving water, minerals, vitamins, and medications anymore, but the infusion you received will last.

For how long, exactly? Anywhere from several hours to several days to even weeks.

Conclusion

Drinking water is essential for your health, but water alone won’t rehydrate you since it doesn’t contain electrolytes. Water also lacks the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and medications that IV hydration therapy has.

IV hydration therapy will hydrate you faster, easier, and for longer. You can customize your hydration solution for whatever’s ailing you, including jet lag, a hangover, muscle aches, and more.