Electrolyte drinks are an effective and convenient way to replenish minerals and contribute to healthy hydration levels after loss of fluid. Our guide highlights what electrolytes are, how to replenish levels, and the best electrolyte drinks to restore levels.
Table of Contents:
- What Are Electrolytes?
- Do You Need Electrolyte Drinks?
- Benefits of Electrolyte Drinks
- Why You Need to Replenish Electrolyte Levels
- What is Electrolyte Imbalance?
- Support Your Mineral Intake with Electrolyte Drinks
- Other Ways to Obtain Electrolytes
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are essential minerals that carry an electric charge, which your body needs in order to carry out important bodily functions. When these minerals dissolve in a fluid, they form electrolytes which are positive or negative ions in metabolic processes.
Electrolytes include:
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Calcium
- Phosphate
- Potassium
Types of minerals such as these have multiple benefits, contributing to various vital bodily functions, from proper sleep to the immune system, so it is important to maintain sufficient levels.
Do You Need Electrolyte Drinks?
Electrolyte drinks can help to provide these essential minerals, in a hydrating formula without the need to take a tablet or pill. As we source the majority of our electrolytes from our diet, including magnesium drinks or other electrolyte drinks in it can help to maintain optimal levels.
You lose electrolytes through loss of bodily fluid, this includes sweating, urinating, vomiting or diarrhoea.
The loss of electrolytes can also be increased if you drink alcohol. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you urinate more frequently. This frequent urination from drinking alcohol means you lose more minerals more frequently, especially if you experience vomiting or diarrhoea from drinking. Drinking alcohol can contribute to low energy levels, therefore, replenishing your levels with electrolyte drinks is essential after drinking.
Benefits of Electrolyte Drinks
Electrolyte drinks are designed to restore essential hydration and minerals to your body. They help to regulate muscles, fluid levels, and the nervous system. Some of the key benefits of these minerals include:
- Promotes exercise recovery
- Promoting sleep
- Improving muscle function
- Balancing blood pH
- Regulating blood pressure
- Maintaining nervous system function
Without proper electrolyte levels, these functions cannot perform as they should, leaving you at risk of adverse health effects. Electrolyte drinks can help you to see the above benefits, while providing hydration.
Why You Need to Replenish Electrolyte Levels
When you lose electrolytes, your body needs to replenish them, in order to maintain mineral and fluid levels. Without sufficient levels, this leads to dehydration and can be the main cause of a lack of energy.
It is essential, therefore, that when you lose electrolytes from excessive sweating, experiencing vomiting or diarrhoea, or drinking alcohol, that you replenish those levels to avoid dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
When comparing energy drinks to natural energy sources, you’ll find our magnesium waters provide the ingredients for natural energy, to support your overall health.
What is Electrolyte Imbalance?
Electrolyte imbalance is when your levels of these types of minerals become too low or too high. It is important to seek a balance of these important minerals as best as possible, through your diet or supplements.
Signs of Electrolyte Imbalance
Just as with other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, when your levels become raised or lowered for long periods of time, you can develop detrimental health problems, including:
- Muscle tension - Losing minerals that support muscles can lead to tension. Magnesium is a muscle relaxant, so an imbalance of this electrolyte especially can lead to experiencing tense muscles.
- Low energy - Nutrient imbalances can cause a lack of energy, replenishing your balance with electrolyte drinks can encourage you to get energy naturally.
- Changes in blood pressure - Sodium and potassium are electrolytes that can impact your blood pressure, so an imbalance can lead to changes in pressure.
- Fatigue - Electrolyte imbalance leads to dehydration, and thus, causing fatigue. You may feel sapped of energy without enough of the right minerals, and should consider electrolyte drinks to avoid fatigue, and sleep supplements to help promote proper rest.
- Headaches - A common side effect, often caused by dehydration, which goes hand in hand with electrolyte imbalance. Headaches are often a common sign that you need more water, and to replenish your mineral levels.
- Nausea - Electrolyte imbalance can be caused by vomiting, but in turn it can also make you feel nauseous.
Maintaining a sufficient level of the key minerals is essential to avoiding these symptoms. Electrolyte drinks can offer a solution to replenishing these minerals when you need them, such as after exercise.
Support Your Mineral Intake with Electrolyte Drinks
Electrolyte drinks can help to provide a convenient source of the minerals we need to promote proper biological function. Eating a healthy balanced diet is an important way to maintain electrolyte balance, but magnesium waters can help improve your intake of vital minerals such as magnesium and sodium.
Our recipes include:
- Hydrate - A refreshing citrus and botanicals flavoured magnesium water with an electrolyte-rich blend of magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate and Irish sea minerals to promote hydration and help the body recover from intense activity and stress.
- Energy - Energising magnesium water with a B vitamin blend to support natural energy levels, flavoured with pomegranate and rhubarb.
- Focus - A functional magnesium drink with blueberry juice and mint extract, a B vitamin blend and naturally sourced caffeine to support concentration.
At BetterYou, our electrolyte drinks contain 180mg of magnesium in every 250ml can. Our magnesium waters are formulated to offer a hassle-free way to obtain nutritional benefits without having to take a tablet. That way, you can ensure you are getting enough magnesium per day, whilst enjoying a refreshing drink.
Other Ways to Obtain Electrolytes
Electrolyte drinks are an effective and convenient method to replenish your electrolytes, but they’re not the only method of supplementing these important nutrients. Our magnesium supplements are formulated to provide this electrolyte without the need to swallow a tablet.
- Magnesium bath flakes - A concentrated form of magnesium chloride, and an effective way to relax and replenish your levels. Simply add to your bath and enjoy.
- Magnesium creams - These are easy to use and encourage optimal mineral intake without swallowing a tablet or pill. Our formulas hydrate and moisturise your skin whilst providing all-important magnesium chloride.
- Magnesium sprays - In our sprays, we use magnesium oil to provide a topical application method for effective intake. Easily applied on the move, our sprays can provide the electrolyte you need to recover after exercise.
With topical application, you can support your body in seeing the benefits of magnesium through effective supplementation.
Choose BetterYou to Support Your Health
At BetterYou, we pioneered vitamin oral sprays and topical magnesium to support nutritional supplementation alongside healthy lifestyles. Passionate about our sustainability mission, from our menopause supplements and children’s vitamins, our products are packaged using plant-based plastic.
