No matter if you’re a hardcore gym rat or somewhat health conscious, chances are you have downed a post-workout sports drink. In doing so, you may have noticed that some labels include promises to replenish depleted electrolytes. However, those labels rarely tell you what electrolytes are and why you need them in the first place. The aim of this article is to answer those and other questions about electrolytes. First things first, we can thank the ancient Greeks for giving us the word electrolyte via the combination of the Greek words electro and lytos.
Combined, these two words mean “loosened electricity” in English. What does loosened electricity have to do with your body? In a word, everything. Your brain, heart and lungs run on loosened electricity, in a manner of speaking. Electrolytes carry electrical charges that cause your muscles contract, like your heart and diaphragm, for example. How do they do this? Electrolytes are substances. Specifically, they are atoms – the tiny particles that scientists believe everything is made of. These particular atoms act as electrical conductors “when dissolved in a solution such as water.” In most cases, your body creates its own supply of electrolytes.
The big three are sodium, potassium, and chloride. Honorable mention goes to calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and phosphate. All of them can be found floating around in your “extracellular and intracellular fluid,” and they are excreted through sweat and urine. If your body doesn’t maintain an adequate supply of these nutrients either through your daily diet or supplements, let’s just say you’re not going to be a happy camper for long.
1. Replenishment of Electrolytes
If you’re wondering what causes electrolyte depletion, the following are some common culprits: Dehydration caused by excessive caffeine consumption or prolonged exercise, Eating disorders and restrictive diets, Alcoholism, Certain medications and diseases
How can replenishment of electrolytes be accomplished? Mayo Clinic staff suggest “water is generally the best way to replace lost fluids.” They go on to state that sport drinks are more beneficial after prolonged workout sessions due to their energy-boosting carbohydrate content. This sounds simple enough. Unfortunately, knowing when you are running low on electrolytes is not easy to determine. In fact, a blood test is the only way to accurately determine if you have an adequate amount of electrolytes or not.
Therefore, you may not experience any symptoms if you only have a mild electrolyte imbalance. This means you may not realize something is wrong until your electrolyte reserves are dangerously low. In light of this fact, here are some symptoms that you may experience when your body doesn’t have enough electrolytes:
Irregular heartbeat, Fatigue, Convulsions or seizures, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea or constipation, Muscle weakness, Muscle cramping, Irritability, Confusion, Headaches, Numbness and tingling
Healthcare experts advise you to contact your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]2. Replenishment of Energy
Try to commit the following three words to memory: replenishment of energy. This is something you should be concerned about after working out, playing sports, doing anything physical that makes you work up a sweat. You can experience burnout and lose electrolytes if you are recovering from an illness. Other culprits include eating salty foods, drinking lots of caffeinated drinks and not enough water. In addition to making you feel sluggish, all the above can also cause you to lose electrolytes. The main benefit of consuming sports drinks is replenishing depleted electrolytes, now let’s look at how they do that.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]3. Replenishment of Vitamins and Minerals Lost
Sports drinks can make replenishment of vitamins and minerals lost through physical activity or illness a lot more pleasant than relying on an IV bag if your electrolyte reserves are dangerously low. You just open a bottle, drink the contents and let the electrolytes work their magic. No needles are involved. If you read labels, you may think intentionally drinking sodium – one of the electrolytes in found in sports drinks – would help be counterproductive. Oddly, it’s not. The “sodium content of sports drinks encourages fluid intake by driving the thirst mechanism, while also increasing absorption and fluid retention.”
[nextpage title=“Next” ]4. Right Balance of Ingredients
Sports drinks have just the right balance of ingredients to help you stay healthy. For example, potassium is another must-have electrolyte found in sports drinks. As mentioned earlier, prolonged physical activity and illness can deplete your electrolyte reserves. What you may not know is that illness and exercise can also lead to a loss of potassium. Potassium “helps trigger your heart to squeeze blood through your body. It also helps your muscles to move, your nerves to work, and your kidneys to filter blood.” Sports drinks’ potassium content “helps maintain electrolyte balance and can assist with muscle contraction during exercise.”
[nextpage title=“Next” ]5. Variety of Flavor Choices
If variety is the spice of life, then sports drinks are spice-y both figuratively and literally. There is a variety of flavor choices to prevent boredom. Gatorade, arguably the most iconic sports drink manufacturer, has a number of citrus-flavored drinks to choose from, which have proven to be top sellers. However, there are a number of more exotic flavors on the market. For example, fans of cinnamon will probably want to try brands such Skratch Labs that sell these spice-infused sports drinks. DIY types may want to visit some health and fitness websites to learn about popular sports drinks recipes.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]6. Do Not Run Through Your Body As Quick As Water
What do sports drinks have on water when it comes to replacing lost electrolytes? They do not run through your body as quick as water. What prevents this leakage of sorts? Their calorie content. Your body has to digest the carbohydrates in sports drinks. Your body has to break down and disburse the carbohydrates in sports drinks in addition to transporting electrolytes to your cells and rehydrating you. This takes time. Plain water has no calories, and neither do its minerals. Therefore, it doesn’t take your body as long to get what it needs from water and excrete the leftovers.
