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You've done 45 minutes on the gym floor in full air conditioning, and on the way out you're holding a neon sports drink. Put it back. A sports drink is water plus sugar plus electrolytes, an electrolyte drink has the salts, usually with little or no sugar, and after a session like that plain water is enough. Electrolytes make sense when you sweat hard for a long time, and sugar earns its place on long endurance efforts.
That's the short answer if you've searched for the best sports drinks in the UAE or Saudi Arabia. Gulf heat moves the line, though, because the sweatiest part of your day may happen outside the gym: on a site, on an outdoor court or on a delivery shift.
What goes into each drink
Ignore the colours and the claims on the front of the bottle. Three types of drink cover nearly everything on the shelf.
| Drink | What's in it | Makes sense for |
|---|---|---|
| Plain water | Water | Most gym sessions under an hour, and desk days |
| Electrolyte drink | Water and salts, usually with little or no sugar | Long or hot sessions, outdoor work and heavy sweaters |
| Sports drink | Water, sugar and electrolytes | Long endurance efforts |
Plain water covers most gym sessions
Train for under an hour in an air-conditioned gym and you'll lose some sweat and a little salt. Water puts the fluid back, and the salt in your next meal covers the rest. Sugar adds nothing to that session. An electrolyte drink won't add much either, although if you like the taste and it gets you drinking more, fine.
Most office days sit in the same group. You're under the AC, you're barely sweating, and water does the job.
Electrolytes are worth it when you sweat hard for a long time
Sodium is the main electrolyte you lose in sweat, and it helps your body hold on to the fluid you drink. Over a long, hot stretch, water alone starts to fall short, and that's when we'd reach for an electrolyte drink:
- 🔥 Long or hot sessions, where your shirt is soaked well before you finish.
- ☀️ Outdoor work or training, such as site work, delivery shifts, or football and padel outside.
- 💧 Heavy sweating, which often shows up as white salt marks on a dark T-shirt or cap.
- 🏋️ Two sessions in a day, when you've got less time to eat and drink between them.
The climate plays a part too. Humid air on the coast in Dubai or Abu Dhabi leaves you drenched, because your sweat can't evaporate well. Dry heat in Riyadh is sneakier: your sweat leaves your skin so fast that you can lose more than you realise.
Sweat rates and salt losses differ a lot between people, and nobody has a single sodium figure that fits everyone, so pay attention to how you feel after a hot session. If you're outside all day, drinking litre after litre of plain water with nothing salty alongside isn't ideal either. Eat proper meals too.
Sugar helps on long efforts and does nothing at a desk
Sports drinks exist for a reason. On a long run, ride or triathlon your muscles work through their stored carbs, and sugar you can drink helps you keep going. Well past the one-hour mark, that's a fair trade. If this is you, a sports drink works, and so does a carb powder such as Vitalix KARBOMAX Lemon & Lime, with 24 g of carbs a scoop plus sodium, calcium and magnesium. It also has creatine HCL and HMB-Ca, so treat it as training fuel and leave it out of your everyday drinking.
At a desk, that sugar does nothing for you. A standard sports drink can carry 30 to 40 g of sugar and 130 to 170 calories a bottle, which makes it a soft drink with better marketing. A hot day outside doesn't change the sums if you spend that day indoors.
Where C5 Hydration fits
C5 Hydration sits in the electrolyte group. It's a hydration drink with zero sugar and 20 calories, with electrolytes, BCAAs and vitamins B, C, E and D3, and it's built to help you rehydrate during and after training. A pack of 12 costs AED 75 at the time of writing (November 2026), which is AED 6.25 a drink.
We'd save it for the hot, sweaty days above. For a short gym session you'd be fine on water, and we'd rather you knew that before you spent the money.
Green Apple is the flavour in stock as we write this, and you can see what else is available in our hydration drinks collection. For a closer look at what's inside, read our piece on the best hydration drink in the UAE. If your gap after training is protein and you're not short of fluid, our guide to protein water in the UAE is the better read.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best sports drinks in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
The best one depends on the session, so we won't crown a winner. For a gym session under an hour, drink water. For long, hot, sweaty days, pick an electrolyte drink with little or no sugar. For long endurance efforts, pick a sports drink with sugar and sodium.
Are electrolyte drinks better than water?
They are when you've lost a lot through sweat. On a normal day, water does the job and costs you almost nothing.
Is a hydration drink the same as an electrolyte drink?
Often, but the words on the label have no fixed meaning. Some hydration drinks have little or no sugar, and others carry as much as a sports drink. Turn the bottle round and check the sugar and sodium lines before you buy.
Can I drink electrolyte drinks every day?
If you work outdoors or train hard in the heat, daily use can make sense. If you sit in the AC all day, you're paying for flavoured water. If your doctor has told you to watch your salt, ask them first.
C5 Hydration is a food supplement, not a medicine. Ask a doctor first if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, on medication or have a medical condition. If the heat leaves you dizzy, confused or sick, stop, get somewhere cool and get medical help.
