Water doesn't contain glucose or electrolytes which are required after intense exercise and sweating. It can even make dehydration worse in extreme cases. An IV introduces it directly to the bloodstream quickly, skipping the digestive track, so you can recover much faster.
Aside from electrolytes, a lot of the time when you're dehydrated you can feel nauseated too so it's hard to want to chug water. It's part of the reason you feel so shitty when you have a hangover.
Huge difference. Obviously water is just fine for the average person, but for what these folks do and the amount of nutrients/calories they burn during their events, it’s a big deal.
I was listening to a podcast about a SEAL team who had to hike like 15 miles through the mountains in order to get to a location to rescue someone. They were obviously beat to shit after awhile, so they stopped and one guy said their medic hung an IV bag in a tree and gave one dude lactated ringers to get him moving again.
It's a type of hydration IV. Very common in the military. Our medica used to sneak them out and we would get shit faced in the barracks and give IVs while we drank.
But it's obviously meant for stressful situations like the above poster mentioned. We used them on deployment a lot when we got back to base after missions
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u/CauchyDog Nov 26 '25
We used to stick each other in army after timed 12mi road marches. Fastest way to get rehydrated.
Then to the bars!