Sweating, Electrolytes, and how to Combat Dehydration
Channel: BioBalance Healthcast
Date: 2023-05-15

See all the Healthcasts at https://www.biobalancehealth.com/healthcast-blog.

I learned about electrolytes in medical school as the substances Sodium, Chloride, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and Phosphate we check on a metabolic panel. However, electrolytes are much more than values on a blood test. These minerals are some of the most vital substances needed to keep us alive.  Electrolytes can get out of balance in normal daily life and put us at risk of illness and death if we do not replenish them orally along with rehydration with water.   Our kidneys and hormones manage electrolyte concentrations as our intake of these substances in our food and drinks replenish electrolytes that are lost in urine, sweat, and bowel movements.  We are not conscious of the bodily mechanisms that manage our water balance, urination, keep our blood pressure normal and supply our brain with these vital nutrients to maintain consciousness, and we become symptomatic only when we are severely deprived of them.

In my medical training, I also learned about how illnesses, and medications affect the amount of each electrolyte in our body however what I didn’t learn was how important it is for healthy people who exercise in the heat to replace their electrolytes.  You don’t have to be an NFL football player or play in the NBA to require electrolytes when you exercise. With inadequate electrolytes you can become weak, and confused, lose muscle strength, faint or completely lose consciousness when you are working or playing games in the heat, even if you are drinking water!  

To make my point I’ll relay a personal experience that you may have experienced as well, while playing a game outside in the heat.  I don’t play much golf, but I do play in charity golf tournaments.  They are generally timed at the height of the summer heat, and they take almost twice as long as a usual round of golf.  This scenario sets all the players up for dehydration and a deficiency of electrolytes.  For several years in a row, I noticed that I was well hydrated for about 3 hours by drinking 3 or more bottles of water while I played the first 9 holes. By the 10th hole I was becoming physically weak and mentally slow. I felt I should be ok because I was drinking water and staying hydrated.  However, I felt like I was playing golf in Jell-O.  I continued to drink water because I thought I was dry, and that is what I thought was wrong with me.  Not so…instead of feeling refreshed by drinking endless water, I got worse.  Two years in a row I didn’t finish the 18 holes.  

What had I done wrong? I started using my diagnostic brain to figure out what I was missing.  Was I sick or was there something wrong with my metabolism?  While I was watching a pre-season football, I noticed the Gatorade that the players were guzzling. I had never tried Gatorade because of the amount of sugar in that drink.  I pulled up the contents of Gatorade and found that not only did it rehydrate the hot and sweaty players with water and sugar, but it contained all the electrolytes that players lose when they sweat and exercise in the heat!  Bingo!  I bet that was what I needed to finish the golf tournament….electrolytes!  

It turns out that I had been half right by continuing to drink water, however the more water you drink while you are exercising the more your electrolytes are diluted!  It is not a reason to hold off drinking water, because dehydration can damage your kidneys and you can get heat stroke, however adding electrolytes is vital to surviving exercise in the heat.  The following year I armed myself with many bottles of water and plenty of electrolytes in the form of NUUN.  To every third bottle of water, I added NUUN electrolytes tablet…voila!  I could play 18 holes in hot weather and sweat for 5 hours without fainting, or losing muscle strength, and quitting!

So how do you know when you are getting dehydrated and low on electrolytes?  You pay attention to your symptoms! Like everything else, the symptoms of electrolyte deficiency is somewhat individual.  The possible symptoms of electrolyte imbalance, either high or low electrolytes are listed below:
• Dry mouth and thirsty
• Restlessness
• Mental Confusion 
• Weakness-overall
• Inability to stand up
• Muscle weakness 
• muscle spasms 
• Fatigue
• Heart palpitations
• Constipation
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Slow or irregular heart rate
• Low blood pressure
• Headache
• Difficulty breathing
• Low or high blood pressure
• Fainting (Syncope)
Remember I’m talking about electrolyte imbalance that is associated with sweating, exercise, diarrhea, drinking a lot of water without electrolytes while exercising, but the same symptoms can come from food poisoning and the severe fluid losses that accompany diarrhea and vomiting.