Hydration: The Importance of Electrolytes

Written By: Karla Tafra

The more you hear about hydration, the more you hear about electrolytes. These compounds aren’t just popular within the athlete community, they’re weaving their way into health and wellness routines for every individual, helping optimize the performance of our body functions. So, what’s the importance of electrolytes, and how can we benefit from adding them to our routine? Let’s dig in.

Electrolytes are specific micronutrients that are essential for every function in our body, from the most basic to the more complex. Their main roles include everything from facilitating and maintaining electrical neutrality in all human cells, to generating and conducting electrical charges that stimulate the function of all nerves and muscles. They usually come from our food, water, and other fluids we take on a daily basis, as they’re naturally present in the soil.

Unfortunately, today’s high stressors and environmental pollutants, as well as agricultural practices, are leaving our soil depleted of these important nutrients. The same is happening with filtered water and other highly-processed products, which get stripped of electrolytes. This is why replenishing them with supplements is becoming more and more important with each passing day.

Chemically speaking, electrolytes have a natural positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water, which helps conduct electrical charges that create chemical reactions in your body. One of the easiest reactions to notice is muscle contraction. In order for your muscle to contract, there has to be an electrical charge within your cells, and it all happens because of these powerful substances.

There are plenty of electrolytes in nature that your body absorbs daily, but these are the key ones that are responsible for everything from muscle growth to hormone balance. Some of them have a natural positive electrical charge, while others have a negative one, and the goal is to strive for optimal levels of both so there’s a general state of equilibrium.

You might hear how sodium is bad for you when, in reality, it’s one of the most important electrolytes for the optimal function of your body. It’s only when there’s too much of it that it can cause inflammation and health problems, especially when coupled with a highly-processed diet and high levels of stress.

Sodium plays an essential role in balancing the level of fluid within your cells as well as helping them absorb nutrients. It’s one of the most abundant electrolytes out there, with a positive electrical charge, and if you’re regularly adding salt to your meals or eating out, it’s also the least necessary one to replenish with supplements.

This positively-charged electrolyte is another intracellular substance that gets absorbed by your cells in unison with sodium, and it’s crucial for the optimal function of the heart. Neither too much potassium nor too little potassium is good, as both can cause their own set of problems and cause an imbalance within all electrolytes.

We mostly get potassium through our food, with beans, potatoes, bananas, winter squash, and leafy greens being some of the richest sources. Still, plenty of people find themselves with inadequate potassium levels, especially if they’re on a low-carb diet and only choose low-carb fruits and vegetables.

Magnesium is another positively-charged electrolyte, and it’s included in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body. Some of the most important roles include protein synthesis, blood glucose control, muscle and nerve function, blood pressure regulation, and helping your cells turn nutrients into energy.

Magnesium is naturally present in many foods, but it’s also one of the most deficient minerals, which is why many people take it in supplement form. It’s especially recommended for those who have trouble sleeping or who are living an active lifestyle as it can help relax your muscles, prevent cramps, and help you transition into sleep.

Chloride is a negatively-charged electrolyte that plays a huge role in maintaining your body’s natural pH balance, stimulating digestion in your stomach, as well as helping sodium and potassium keep adequate levels of fluid within the cells. When you have high levels of chloride, you enter a state called acidosis, which means you’re body is highly acidic, and when your chloride levels are too low, you enter a state called alkalosis, when your body is highly alkaline.

Neither condition is good, so it’s important to maintain the proper levels of chloride and prevent any disorders. Chloride is naturally found in many foods, but it’s usually taken in through table salt, also known as sodium chloride. It can also be obtained from tap water, oftentimes in too high amounts, which is why getting a water filter at home is usually a great investment.

Calcium is positively charged, and it’s one of the most important micronutrients when it comes to bone and tooth health, blood clotting, muscle contractions, and regulating normal heart and nerve functions. When there’s not enough calcium in your body, you can have serious nerve and muscle disorders, as well as an increased risk for osteoporosis and problems with your teeth, hair, and nails.

Calcium is the most abundant in dairy products, which is why people who are following a vegan diet usually need to ensure daily supplementation so that they don’t become deficient. Still, there is a possibility of having excess calcium in the body, even though it’s a rare occasion. In that case, it’s important to take a step back from supplementation or eating foods that are rich in calcium in order to get back into balance.

The three electrolytes from the above-mentioned list you’ll see in almost every electrolyte drink, product, sachet, or powder are magnesium, sodium, and potassium. They are the easiest to lose through perspiration and the easiest to become deficient in throughout the day. Their low levels can cause dehydration, fatigue, muscle cramps, and make you feel energy depleted.

The quickest way to lose electrolytes is through sweat, whether due to exercise, a fever, or intensely hot weather. The primary electrolyte you lose is sodium, but potassium and magnesium follow suit. It’s usually recommended to take them after a sweaty workout or even throughout the day if it’s extremely hot and you’ve been up and about. It’s also recommended to take them if you’re burning with a high fever or experiencing diarrhea, as you’re still losing precious fluids.

How many electrolytes you lose during exercise, heat exposure, or an illness depends on a variety of factors, from your weight and fitness level to the intensity and duration of activity, humidity, and how much you actually sweat. This can drastically differ from person to person depending on the time of year, the humidity of the room you’re exercising in, and the intensity of your workout.

Generally, one serving of electrolytes after a sweaty session is enough to replenish your stores. Most brands have around 20–30 mg of potassium, 100–200 mg of sodium, and 30–60 mg of magnesium, which leaves plenty of room for food-occurring nutrients to still nourish your body and cause no imbalances.

That being said, some people sweat way more than others, which leaves them at risk of dehydration and nutrient depletion. If they’re working out and sweating more than once per day, having a second serving may be useful. Before starting any supplement, always consult with your physician, and even better yet, if you can test out your electrolyte levels before and after exercise, you’ll always know where you end up.

When you’re deficient in a certain electrolyte, the easiest way to fix that is through adequate supplementation. But when you’ve lost plenty of fluids during a workout, it’s safe to say you’re deficient in more than one. That’s why there are so many brands out there coming out with the newest powder, tablet, or sachet you can just easily dissolve in water and take immediately post-workout so you can replenish lost nutrients as soon as possible.

When looking for quality brands, it’s important to look for at least 100 milligrams of sodium and 30 milligrams of potassium, with minimal sugar levels. Sugar is oftentimes necessary to improve the absorption of electrolytes, but it’s not that important. Many brands choose to add sugar to mask the salty taste and improve the flavor of their products.

If you’re someone who sweats a lot and is highly active throughout the day, you’ll probably need more than one serving of electrolytes, which is why choosing a low-sugar or even zero-sugar option would be the best option.

Electrolytes are crucial for the optimal function of every cell in the body, and when you’re dehydrated, you’re often deficient in these important micronutrients. Electrolyte imbalances can cause a variety of health problems, from nerve and muscle disorders to fatigue and even depression. Always make sure you’re properly hydrated, keep a diverse and colorful diet, and supplement with electrolyte products when needed. And as always, consult your physician before starting a new supplement.