Fatigue. Headaches. Irregular or fast heart rate (arrhythmia). Muscle cramps, muscle spasms or weakness.
When your body becomes low on electrolytes, it can impair your body's functions, such as blood clotting, muscle contractions, acid balance, and fluid regulation. Your heart is a muscle, so that means electrolytes help regulate your heartbeat.
Some people have an electrolyte imbalance due to a health condition, such as kidney or heart disease. In this case, a person may be able to correct the imbalance at home over a period of days or weeks.
“Some of the common symptoms of electrolyte imbalances include muscle twitching and muscle cramps, increased thirst, poor endurance, salt craving and irritability,” says Zachary Sprague, DO, a family medicine physician with expertise in sports medicine at Scripps Coastal Medical Center Carlsbad.
Drinking too much water, can cause the electrolyte levels in the body to get out of whack and cause sodium levels plummet. The nerve and heart issues that occur with over-hydration can be deadly.
Best Overall: Gatorade
The levels of electrolytes (sodium and potassium) are moderate and sensible with 160 mg of sodium and 45mg of potassium per 12 fluid ounce serving. You can also find Gatorade varieties with higher sodium, zero sugar or no calories depending on your needs.
Staying hydrated is so important on a daily basis, but even more so when it's hot and kids are so active! I've written a post about hydration here before because it's just so important. Anyway, moving on, Hydralyte have released a whole bunch of Electrolyte products for rehydration that you can use everyday.
Your electrolytes can be checked with either a blood or urine test. The blood test is done with a blood sample. A needle is used to draw blood from a vein in your arm or hand. For a urine test, you provide a urine sample in a specimen container.
Electrolyte Imbalance
If you have really high or low levels of electrolytes like sodium or potassium, it can cause anxiety or panic-like symptoms. These include shortness of breath, confusion, and rapid heartbeat. You might also be irritable, lightheaded, fatigued, or have headaches or nausea.
Electrolyte abnormalities are commonly associated with cardiovascular emergencies. These abnormalities may cause or contribute to cardiac arrest and may hinder resuscitative efforts. In some cases therapy for life-threatening electrolyte disorders should be initiated before laboratory results become available.
If you have any of the following health problems, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this product: inability to keep fluids in the stomach (for example, due to vomiting that is severe or doesn't stop), difficulty urinating, intestinal blockage.
Hydralyte electrolyte solutions contain 75 percent less sugar and four times the electrolytes than the leading sports drinks, which means that you'll get all of the health benefits of electrolytes without any unwanted ingredients.
Hydralyte has been formulated to contain the correct balance of glucose and electrolytes for rapid rehydration. It contains up to 75% less sugar than the leading sports drinks. Hydralyte is hypotonic, which means it's the most rapidly absorbed fluid type for rehydration of body cells.
Yes. Gatorade is an electrolyte-rich drink that helps replace electrolytes that are lost in the body during exercise.
But just like anything, too many electrolytes can be unhealthy: Too much sodium, formally referred to as hypernatremia, can cause dizziness, vomiting, and diarrhea. Too much potassium, known as hyperkalemia, can impact your kidney function and cause heart arrhythmia, nausea, and an irregular pulse.