5 Signs You Need Electrolytes
Anytime you work up a sweat, whether you’re in the sun or enjoying a tough workout, your body loses the fluid that keeps you hydrated. Not replacing that fluid - both with water and the minerals it contains - puts you at risk for dehydration.
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are electrically charged essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphate, chloride and sodium. All of these are essential to the body functioning correctly. They maintain our body’s pH, help with heart contractility, nerve cell conduction, excretion of toxins from our cells, and muscle function.
5 Signs you need more electrolytes
Your muscles are cramping: Electrolytes aid in proper muscle function, so if you’re experiencing muscle cramps or weakness, then you may need to increase your electrolyte intake. When you’re active, you utilize electrolytes in the body and sweat them out through the skin, so it’s important to replenish.
You’re feeling nauseated: Sometimes an upset stomach or digestion issue can be due to low electrolytes, especially if you are having a day with higher-level activity. Remember to replete electrolytes if you are throwing up or have diarrhea, as these conditions are known to throw off acid-base balance in the body.
Your sodium is low on your blood work: hyponatremia is the condition of low sodium concentration, and if severe can lead to some dangerous complications including severe mental confusion and seizures. Hyponatremia happens easily if someone with good intentions is drinking too much plain water.
You’re not feeling like yourself: if you’re feeling more irritable, having more mood swings, feeling lethargic or feel like you just can’t think clearly, try to improve your electrolyte intake. Since electrolytes are important in nerve conduction, being depleted can make it hard to think.
Irregular heart beats: calcium and potassium are critical to heart contractility and proper rhythm, so if you’re experiencing skipped, extra beats or a rapid heart beat especially on a hot day or after working out, take a moment to rest and rehydrate with electrolytes. If the problem persists, we recommend you consult your primary care doctor or emergency room.
Unflavored electrolytes are best
We prefer you to use unflavored electrolytes like those found in LMNT, but there are many good brands out there. Since unflavored electrolytes are salty, you can use a squeeze of lemon to enhance the taste. We recommend spreading out your electrolyte packet over the course of the day. If you’re on the road, you can use a hefty pinch of salt as an alternative but that only replaces sodium and chloride.
Salting food vs salting water
Salting your food is not the same as adding electrolytes to your water. It’s better to follow a moderately low sodium diet for blood pressure and prevention of water retention. Most sodium in our food comes in the form of prepared foods which are hyper-flavored to entice buyers. If you’re preparing most of your food at home, it’s likely that you aren’t using that much salt and can tolerate electrolytes in your water. That said, monitoring your blood pressure is crucial as you don’t want to cause hypertension from your supplement regimen.
