What do electrolytes and sodium have to do with hydration? Is water alone not enough?

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Ever since I started running, all I know is that I need to drink a sh*t ton of electrolytes. But I would like to understand why on a physiological level.

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68 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

for any barflys, this is also why you crave salty snacks or high sodium food when you’re overdrinking – to replace lost salt. it’s also why bars used to always have a bowl of pretzels or salted peanuts at the bar. that’s gone away though because of hygienic reasons

Anonymous 0 Comments

for any barflys, this is also why you crave salty snacks or high sodium food when you’re overdrinking – to replace lost salt. it’s also why bars used to always have a bowl of pretzels or salted peanuts at the bar. that’s gone away though because of hygienic reasons

Anonymous 0 Comments

Everyone keeps mentioning the body, but your brain needs those electrolytes as well to keep doing good brain stuff. Sodium and potassium help your neurons get their messages from place to place so you don’t end up with brain fog, dizziness, personality changes or a straight up seizure.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Everyone keeps mentioning the body, but your brain needs those electrolytes as well to keep doing good brain stuff. Sodium and potassium help your neurons get their messages from place to place so you don’t end up with brain fog, dizziness, personality changes or a straight up seizure.

Anonymous 0 Comments

ELI5 Version: Your body uses sodium and electrolytes to lead water molecules around like a dog on a leash.

Too much salt and you have too many leashes and not enough dogs for them. Your body will make you thirsty and ask for more dogs to walk with all those empty leashes. Too much water and it’s chaos because you have too many dogs and not enough leashes, so your body will have to let some dogs go. (You pee out the extra water for the environment to wrangle instead.)

Anonymous 0 Comments

ELI5 Version: Your body uses sodium and electrolytes to lead water molecules around like a dog on a leash.

Too much salt and you have too many leashes and not enough dogs for them. Your body will make you thirsty and ask for more dogs to walk with all those empty leashes. Too much water and it’s chaos because you have too many dogs and not enough leashes, so your body will have to let some dogs go. (You pee out the extra water for the environment to wrangle instead.)

Anonymous 0 Comments

You are a big sack of salt water. When you pee, poop, and sweat, you are leaking both salt and water. You need to replace both salt (electrolytes) and water to replace what you lost.

Anonymous 0 Comments

You are a big sack of salt water. When you pee, poop, and sweat, you are leaking both salt and water. You need to replace both salt (electrolytes) and water to replace what you lost.

Anonymous 0 Comments

To add on to everyone else’s answers. There are two types of dehydration that lead to thirst.
One is when the fluid inside the cells becomes low and the second is when the fluid around the cells becomes low.
The first one can be satisfied with water alone, the second requires the electrolytes.

Anonymous 0 Comments

To add on to everyone else’s answers. There are two types of dehydration that lead to thirst.
One is when the fluid inside the cells becomes low and the second is when the fluid around the cells becomes low.
The first one can be satisfied with water alone, the second requires the electrolytes.