What happens to your hydration levels when you drink electrolyte drinks?

Electrolyte drinks companies often market their products towards anyone who is trying, but everyone in this category will not benefit from the advantages of these drinks. They can be a waste of money if you do not work vigorously or do not spend a large part of the day in full sun.

Who needs electrolyte drinks?

Electrolyte drinks can be beneficial for people who sweat a lot because perspiration reduces our electrolyte levels.

“I generally recommend electrolyte drinks to people who will exercise vigorously for more than two hours or if they will be outside in excessive heat,” Testwell Leah Barron, RD, LD, CPT, dietitian at the base of lifestyle co.

Electrolyte drinks can help people undergo causes other than excessive heat. “Apart from intense exercise, other times electrolyte drinks can be useful, there is when dehydration occurs due to a disease, including excessive vomiting or diarrhea,” said Barron.

In addition, electrolyte drinks can be useful for people with certain other health problems, such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (pots), according to Kate Patton, Med, RD, CSSD, LD, a dietitum at the Cleveland Clinic human nutrition center.

She added that this condition affects the heart rate and electrolytes can help maintain fluid balance, which affects important bodily functions.

What are the electrolytes?

“The main electrolytes of the body are sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, phosphate and bicarbonate,” said Barron.

Cardiovascular and nervous systems are based on electrolytes. When your electrolytes are unbalanced and you are not correctly hydrated, multiple body systems cannot function properly.

“Each electrolyte has somewhat different roles, but overall, the work of electrolytes is to maintain electrical neutrality and create action potentials in the nerves and muscles that allow our brain to send messages throughout the body,” said Barron.

If you feel dehydration due to an intense external exercise, it is worth buying an electrolytic drink rather than adding salt to the water or another drink.

“Most electrolytic drinks contain more than sodium and chloride, so if you really need electrolyte supplementation, it is better to opt for an electrolytic drink,” said Barron.

How do you know if you have an electrolytic imbalance?

Idress can occur when you are too hydrated and when you are dehydrated. “Dehydration and over-hydration are both determined by the concentration of electrolytes in the blood,” said Barron.

“There are healthy ranges for each electrolyte in which we know that the body will operate appropriately; it is when the electrolyte concentrations venture outside these normal ranges that we can encounter problems,” she added.

Light symptoms may include muscle cramps and headache, while the more serious consequences may include disturbances at heart or even death, said Barron.

Your urine can help you find the right balance, Carlos Rios, MD, medical director of Mount Sinai Doctors Primary Care, told very well.

“The urine should not be too dark; if this is the case, you are probably dehydrated and should drink more liquid,” he said. “If the urine is clear like water, you probably have too much.”

Who should avoid electrolyte drinks?

Some electrolyte drinks have drawbacks, according to Rios, in particular:

• People with diabetes: Many of these drinks have a lot of sugar, which can result in worsening of dehydration.
• People with high blood pressure: Electrolyte drinks are not part of a low sodium diet and too much sodium can worsen blood pressure.
• People with kidney problems: People with chronic kidney disease should avoid electrolyte drinks because their kidneys cannot effectively filter electrolytes.