When we are thirsty, we often reach for our water bottle. In most cases, water is the perfect beverage for staying hydrated. However, drinking only water for an extended period of time is bad for your health. Not only does it lead to poor fluid balance, it can cause long term health conditions.
While it is important to drink enough water everyday, only drinking water is not enough to stay hydrated. To be hydrated, you need to replenish your fluids as well as your electrolytes. In this blog, we will explore what electrolytes are and why only drinking water doesn’t provide your body with complete hydration.
What Are Electrolytes
Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. Using their unique chemical properties, they help balance and regulate the fluids in your body. Additionally, they are essential for your muscle and nerve function.
These are the variety of minerals in our bodies. However, sodium and potassium are extremely important for our hydration and maintaining the body’s fluid balance.
Throughout the day, your body loses and uses up its reserve of electrolytes. For example, we often lose sodium through our skin via sweating. While drinking water will help replace the fluids lost through sweating, it won't sufficiently replenish all the minerals that we lose. This can disturb your body’s fluid balance and dehydrate your body.
When You Need to Replenish Your Electrolytes
The human body is adept at maintaining adequate fluid levels. However, when we become dehydrated, drinking water is not enough. During cases of mild dehydration, our body needs a drink that contains a balanced ratio of electrolytes.
Electrolytes can help us rehydrate more quickly and better retain fluids. This becomes especially important after certain activities or if your body has certain health conditions.
Here are certain cases when more than water is necessary:
After Intense Exercise
After a long workout, we sweat out a substantial amount of fluids. Exercising in hot climates can cause our bodies to lose more water – as much as 3 liters per hour.
In addition to water, salt and other electrolytes are major components of sweat. That’s why experts recommend drinking an electrolyte beverage after one hour or more of exercise. For the perfect electrolyte beverage, choose a drink that contains a ratio of electrolytes similar to what was lost in sweat.
In fact, simply only drinking water can be dangerous following intense exercise. Not restoring the electrolytes that were lost during exercise causes a condition called hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is caused by dangerously low levels of sodium in the blood, and can cause problems such as:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Confusion
- Fatigue
To prevent and avoid the consequence of an sodium imbalance, drink fluids that are infused with electrolytes.
For Patients with Diseases that Cause Excessive Urination
Conditions that cause excessive urination like diabetes or kidney disorders lead to rapid fluid losses. That means patients with these conditions are especially prone to dehydration. A rehydration beverage with a balanced ratio of electrolytes can help these patients absorb fluids, as well as retain fluids more effectively.
For Older Adults
As we age, our bodies become less efficient at regulating water balance. We are also more likely to be on medications that can cause dehydration, such as diuretics. In addition, older adults often have underlying medical conditions that can contribute to dehydration, such as diabetes.
For older adults, staying hydrated can take more effort. In addition to monitoring water intake, they need to ensure that they consume enough electrolytes for their body weight.
When Experiencing Diarrhea and Vomiting
Diarrhea and vomiting are the two most common causes of dehydration. Both of these conditions, whether caused by a stomach virus, food poisoning or a digestive disease, drain the body of water. Attempting to rehydrate with plain water doesn’t always help, because the body isn’t able to absorb fluids quickly enough.
Electrolyte beverages designed to speed up absorption are used around the world. They are often used for diarrheal diseases, including Ebola, cholera and giardia.
With added electrolytes, the drink is absorbed faster by the body. This has saved lives from the consequence of severe dehydration.
How to Replenish Your Electrolytes
The key to better hydration is balance. When we are dehydrated, our bodies are actually experiencing an imbalance of fluids and electrolytes. That means sometimes water alone isn’t enough because the fluid-electrolyte imbalance is too significant to restore normally.
For example, when sweating profusely or after working out. It would help if you had a drink with a balanced ratio of glucose and electrolytes, like DripDrop.
Drinking DripDrop, with its balanced ratio of glucose and electrolytes, provides several key advantages:
- Our body absorb fluids more rapidly
- The drink replenishes our electrolyte supply
- We can retain and manage our body fluid supply more effectively
Additionally, adding more fruits and vegetables in your diet can help you stay better hydrated. These food groups contain a healthy balance of electrolytes and water that will help you feel your best.
Hydrate Better With DripDrop
Compared to electrolyte drinks, the body absorbs plain water very slowly. That’s why when you drink water quickly, you might feel bloated.
This isn’t usually a problem for healthy adults, because they still absorb water quickly enough to remedy dehydration. However, if you are already dehydrated or experiencing certain conditions, only drinking water will exacerbate your dehydration.
Instead, a balanced ratio of electrolytes and sugars are necessary. When you drink a beverage with the proper ratio, the water is absorbed faster into the bloodstream. This faster absorption rate is necessary.
Too much sugar, which is common in many sports drinks, slows the absorption of water into the bloodstream. A drink with a balanced ratio, on the other hand, speeds up absorption and rehydrates more rapidly.
For a drink with the perfect electrolyte ratio, try DripDrop. Low in sugars and available in a variety of flavors, DripDrop is a safe, effective and affordable solution to preventing dehydration. Get started with our most popular multi-flavor pouch of electrolyte powder for dehydration relief fast. Or, learn more about how you can save up to 25% on every purchase when you subscribe.
DripDrop is a doctor-formulated rehydration beverage that contains a balanced ratio of electrolytes. It is designed to replenish electrolytes and maximize rehydration
Photo By Ajani Ra (http://byajani.co)
