Electrolyte Water: When You Need It and When You Don't
Electrolyte drinks are sold as an everyday upgrade on water. For most people, most days, plain water does the job. Here is when extra electrolytes really matter, and what to reach for instead.
Walk into any supermarket and you will find shelves of electrolyte waters, powders and tablets, often sold as the smart way to drink water. Social media adds its own versions, from a pinch of pink salt in the morning glass to homemade sports drinks.
Electrolytes are real and important. But the idea that everyone needs extra every day is a myth. The honest answer depends on what you are doing, how much you are sweating and whether you are ill.
What electrolytes are
Electrolytes are minerals in your blood and body fluids, such as sodium and potassium. Mayo Clinic describes sodium as an electrolyte that helps regulate the amount of water in and around your cells and supports the work of your nerves and muscles. Your body, with help from hormones and your kidneys, keeps sodium within a healthy range.
You get electrolytes from ordinary food and drink. You lose some when you sweat, and the NHS notes that vomiting and diarrhea can cause you to lose a lot of fluid along with salts and minerals.
Light Citrus Water for Long, Sweaty Days
You need
- cold water850 ml (3 1/2 cups)
- orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed150 ml (2/3 cup)
- lemon juice2 tbsp
- salt, optional, for long activity in heat only1 small pinch
- fresh mint leaves and icea few
Method
- Pour the water, orange juice and lemon juice into a jug or bottle.
- If you are using it during long activity in heat, add a small pinch of salt and stir until it dissolves. It should not taste salty.
- Add the mint leaves, crushing them lightly between your fingers first.
- Chill and add ice just before drinking. Keep it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours.
Tips
- On a normal day, skip the salt. This is simply a lightly flavored water.
- Sip it during and after a long hike, a day of physical work outdoors or a long bike ride, alongside regular food.
- This is not an oral rehydration solution. For vomiting or diarrhea, use a pharmacy rehydration product made up exactly as the pack says.
The myth: everyone needs electrolyte water
For everyday life, water is enough. Mayo Clinic says that if you rarely feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or light yellow, you are probably drinking enough. Its page on low blood sodium adds that thirst is generally a good guide to how much you need.
Many electrolyte drinks add sugar, salt and calories you do not need on a normal day. Mayo Clinic says sports drinks are an option but warns about their high sugar, salt and calories. A low sugar version is fine now and then, but on an ordinary day at a desk there is no need for one.
What the evidence says
There are three situations where electrolytes really matter.
Long or hard exercise, or heat. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says that people doing endurance activity lasting more than an hour, or exercising in very hot conditions or at high altitude, might need to replace lost fluids and electrolytes and take in extra carbohydrate. For a 30 minute walk or a gym class, water is usually all you need.
Vomiting and diarrhea. The NHS says that when you lose a lot of fluid through being sick or diarrhea, you need to replace the sugar, salts and minerals you have lost, and that oral rehydration solutions from a pharmacy are made for this. They suit adults and children, and a pharmacist can advise which to use. Sports drinks and electrolyte waters are not the same thing.
Drinking too much plain water during long events. Mayo Clinic explains that drinking large amounts of water can overwhelm the kidneys and lower the sodium in your blood, a condition called hyponatremia. People taking part in marathons, triathlons and other long, intense events are at higher risk. It advises athletes to drink only as much as they lose through sweat, and to ask a health professional about using drinks with electrolytes during endurance events.
Questions people ask
Is coconut water a good electrolyte drink?
It can be a pleasant occasional drink, but it is not a rehydration solution. We look at it in more detail in our coconut water article.
Should I add salt to my water every morning?
There is no need for most people. Unless you are doing long, sweaty activity, plain water is enough, and salty water only adds salt you do not need.
How do I know if I am drinking enough?
Mayo Clinic says colorless or light yellow urine and rarely feeling thirsty are good signs. Dark yellow, strong smelling urine is a sign to drink more.
Sources
- Dehydration — NHS
- Water: How much should you drink every day? — Mayo Clinic
- Hyponatremia: Symptoms and causes — Mayo Clinic
- Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and health conditions. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before trying a herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, giving it to a child, or taking any medication.
