What Happens to Your Hydration Levels When You Drink Electrolyte Beverages?

Electrolyte beverage companies often market their products toward anyone who works out, but not everyone in this category will reap the benefits of these drinks. They may be a waste of money if you don’t vigorously work out or spend much of the day in direct sunlight.

Who Needs Electrolyte Beverages?

Electrolyte beverages can be beneficial for people who sweat a lot since sweating reduces our electrolyte levels.

“I generally recommend electrolyte beverages to people who are going to be exercising strenuously for more than two hours or if they are going to be outside in excessive heat,” Leah Barron, RD, LD, CPT, a dietitian at The Baseline Lifestyle Co., told Verywell.

Electrolyte beverages may help people experiencing dehydration from causes other than excessive heat. “Outside of strenuous exercise, other times when electrolyte beverages can be helpful are when dehydration occurs due to illness, including excessive vomiting or diarrhea,” Barron said.

Additionally, electrolyte beverages can be helpful for people with certain other health conditions, such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), according to Kate Patton, MEd, RD, CSSD, LD, a dietitian at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition.

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

What Are Electrolytes?

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

The cardiovascular and nervous systems rely on electrolytes. When your electrolytes are out of balance and you are not properly hydrated, multiple bodily systems cannot function correctly.

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

If you experience dehydration due to strenuous outdoor exercise, it’s worth buying an electrolyte beverage rather than just adding salt to water or another beverage.

“Most electrolyte beverages contain more than just sodium and chloride, so if you truly need electrolyte supplementation, it is going to be better to go for an electrolyte beverage,” Barron said.

How Can You Tell If You Have an Electrolyte Imbalance?

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

“There are healthy ranges for each electrolyte in which we know that the body will be functioning appropriately; it’s when the electrolyte concentrations venture outside those normal ranges that we can run into issues,” she added.

Mild symptoms may include muscle cramps and headache, while more severe consequences can include disturbances to your heart rhythm or even death, Barron said.

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

“The urine should not be too dark; if it is, you are likely dehydrated and should drink more fluid,” he said. “If the urine is clear like water, you probably overdid it.”

Who Should Avoid Electrolyte Beverages?

Some electrolyte beverages have downsides, according to Rios, including:

• People with diabetes: Many of these beverages have a lot of sugar, which may cause worsening dehydration.
• People with high blood pressure: Electrolyte beverages 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 beverages because their kidneys cannot efficiently filter out electrolytes.