What you need to know about electrolytes and why you need them. Last week there was an emergency situation with my mum, who is 87. She was sitting on her bed and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor.
After about 6 hours in accident and emergency with numerous tests being carried out, the doctors finally said that there was an issue with the low amount of electrolytes in her blood. She had been complaining about loss of appetite and wasn't eating or drinking much over the previous week.
Happily, she is back home now and recovering very well.
I checked out electrolytes as I needed to understand what they are and what they do.
Electrolytes are salts and minerals, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride and bicarbonate, which are found in the blood. They can conduct electrical currents in the body and do things like helping muscles contract efficiently during exercise to keeping your body well hydrated.
They also help regulate your blood pressure, blood pH and nerve function. If your electrolytes get out of balance, like with my mum, you may experience symptoms such as muscle cramps, twitching, heart palpitations and weakness. A severe loss of electrolytes can even cause seizures. So, the balance of the electrolytes in your body is essential for normal functioning of your cells and organs.
You can lose electrolytes if you sweat a lot. But if you work out at moderate intensity for an hour or less every day, a well-balanced diet and hydrating before a workout is enough to maintain your electrolyte levels within a healthy range.
But if you do high intensity training like for a marathon, you need to consider your electrolyte levels – you will lose mainly sodium and potassium as a result of a lot of sweating. And as already mentioned electrolytes help muscles to contract.
According to the NHS Choice website, your electrolyte level may also be affected by “prescribed medications, such as diuretics or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are often used to treat high blood pressure.
The United States Department of Agriculture says that for adults an adequate intake of potassium per day from all sources is 4.7 grams and 3.8 grams of sodium in the form of sodium chloride, or salt, to support basic metabolic needs as well as losses during exercise or hot weather.
I tend to hydrate before doing yoga and working out by drinking water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to help counteract the loss of water through sweating. Plain water tends to flush out and lemon/lime in water hydrates as well as creating an alkaline ash in the body.
If you find yourself suffering cramps or other symptoms of electrolyte imbalance despite consuming adequate amounts, consult your doctor.
