In the wonderful world of health and fitness, you’ve probably heard of electrolytes before. Whether you’ve seen them in sports bars, energy drinks, or DASH Hydrate’s electrolyte hydration mixes, they’re everywhere! Take a look around you and you’ll see anyone from your neighbor next door to your favorite athlete on TV sipping on an electrolyte mix.
So, why exactly is this, and why are electrolytes important? Well, we’re going to let you in on a little secret by telling you everything you need to know! These are the main benefits to be aware of if you want to optimize your health and wellness.
What Are Electrolytes?
Before we discuss some of the many superpowers that electrolytes have, we'd better start by telling you what they are!
Simply put, electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when you dissolve them in water. In other words, they conduct electricity when in water. These charged particles, or ions in scientific terms, play vital roles in several bodily functions. We’ve referred to these as their superpowers.
The most common electrolytes that you may have noticed before are:
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Sodium
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Potassium
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Calcium
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Magnesium
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Chloride
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Phosphate
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Bicarbonate
Some of you may have heard the muscles and neurons (our nerve cells) being referred to as ‘electric tissues’. That's because they rely on the movement of electrolytes to function! Electrolytes are absolutely essential for important processes such as nerve signalling, muscle functioning, fluid balance, and maintaining your body's pH levels. Without them, your body simply can’t function normally.
Now that we’ve got some of the sciency stuff out of the way, what are electrolytes good for? Let’s take a look.
The Four Superpowers Of Electrolytes
So, what do electrolytes do? Keep with us for this bit because there's only a little bit more sciency stuff to digest. We promise! Here are the four main beneficial things that electrolytes do for us on a daily basis:
Ensure Proper Nerve Signalling
Did you know that your brain sends signals through your nerve cells to communicate with other cells in your body? In scientific terms, these are called nerve impulses. They can be generated when the electric charge within the nerve cell membrane changes.
Remember when we said that electrolytes carry an electrical charge? Well, when electrolytes like sodium and potassium move across the membrane of these nerve cells, they create the change needed for these nerve impulses to happen.
In simple terms, this means that the movement of electrolytes ensures that the proper nerve signalling between the brain and other cells takes place. These signals are responsible for controlling everything from your heartbeat to your everyday reflexes.
Because of this, you really don’t want to be deficient in your electrolytes. Electrolyte mixes are like a care package to keep our body functioning normally!
Support Correct Muscle Function
While you may think that contracting your muscles properly is all down to your favorite mirror and that post-workout pump, that's not quite the case if you look a little deeper. Of course, these things help!
Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are key players in the muscle contraction/ relaxation cycle. Without them, you won’t be able to tense your muscles properly or relax them back to their normal state.
If your electrolyte levels are too low, you’ll often suffer from muscle weakness or cramps. If you’ve ever cramped up in the middle of exercise or out on the track, you’ll know how frustrating and painful this is. If you see an athlete cramping up, it’s likely from the intense physical activity and sweating, both of which deplete your electrolyte levels.
One more reason why electrolyte mixes are a game changer when it comes to optimizing your sports performance. Guess what? Our DASH Hydrate electrolyte mixes contain sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
Maintain Body Fluid Balance
If we had to pick the primary role of electrolytes in the body, this would be it. We’re not saying the others aren’t just as important, but when our bodies are made up of around 50%-60% water, you’ll understand why.
One thing is certain; water must be kept in the right amounts inside and outside of the cells in our body. If we can’t do this, it can lead to a range of health issues, including dehydration, organ dysfunction, kidney failure, and even death! But don’t worry, the last two are only in very severe cases and often result from underlying issues, If you can maintain your electrolyte levels through handy supplementation, you’ll be just fine.
Electrolytes help regulate fluid balance within our bodies. For example, sodium and potassium maintain the hydration levels inside and outside of our cells. Both these handy electrolytes move in and out of the cells via a special pump which influences the movement of water by something known as osmosis. Remember, our bodies are extremely clever, and are designed to survive if they’re fed with the right nutrition.
Balance Vital pH Levels
To maintain optimal health, our body needs to properly regulate its internal pH levels within a specific range. This is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution is. Citrus fruits are acidic while nuts and seeds are alkaline. Remember that sour taste you got when you bit into your favorite orange? That's because it's acidic.
In your body, your pH is constantly regulated by chemical buffers and weak acids or bases. Don’t worry too much about what these mean for now. Just know that they help minimize changes in your internal environment.
For example, your blood should always be around a pH of 7, which is neutral. Electrolytes help to regulate the pH of your blood, ensuring it stays around this narrow range. With the blood being absolutely essential for vital reactions within the body and bodily functioning, you can see how important it is to keep your electrolyte levels in check.
How Do I Get Enough Electrolytes In Today's Crazy World?
It’s no secret that a well-rounded diet can give you the electrolytes you need to live a normal lifestyle. But, we’re not talking about a normal lifestyle here. We’re specifically focused on those who want to push their physical boundaries of what they think is possible and really set their mark on the world.
Yes, we’re talking about you who wants to push your performance to the next level or you who wants to beat your running time. Basically, anyone who wants to get better at a feat of physical exertion. While a little hard to think about, even if you’re someone suffering from a bout of vomiting or diarrhea, you’re losing excessive electrolytes, meaning that you’ll need to take in extra.
While we’ll talk about this more in our article looking at ‘Do electrolytes break a fast?”, it’s important to know that if you’re fasting, mixes without added sugars and flavors don’t break one. This is because they don’t significantly influence your metabolic state. What we’re saying here is that there’s really no end to some of the unique and important applications and situations in which additional electrolytes are needed.
Electrolyte hydration mixes are designed to give you the electrolytes your body needs when suffering excessive losses through the environment and intense physical exertion. Think hot days, an intense gym session, or even an ultra-marathon if you're a glutton for punishment. So, are electrolytes good for you? The firm answer; a resounding yes!
How Do I Level Up My Electrolyte Game?
Our electrolyte mixes, like our best-selling Blue Raspberry flavored Electrolyte Drink Mix is fueled by DASH technology. You can expect a surge in vitality with our detoxifying antioxidants and energy boosting vitamins. Our formulation is designed to offer rapid absorption and cellular uptake support.
Detoxify - Antioxidants from Vitamin C
Activate - Energy from Vitamin B12
Support - Rapid absorption & cellular uptake from Potassium & Sodium
Hydrate - Just mix with water!
Whether you’re a first responder working long hours or an everyday person working hard in the heat, you’ll need extra electrolytes to maintain optimal health and wellness. Put your body and your health first and start to enjoy the amazing benefits that optimal hydration offers.
With benefits like this, our innovative electrolyte mix is designed to support you every step of the way. What are you waiting for? Start to prioritize your hydration needs and take the next step to maximize your health and performance.
