: why little salt in water hydrates you but too much salt in water dehydrates you?

Question

You can drink preworkout with little salt in it to be more efficient during workouts. But if you drink sea water before a workout, you’ll die. Why?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Our body has an optimal salt concentration in its cells. If you drink water with a lower salt concentration, your cells will be able to absorb that water. If you drink water with a higher concentration of salt, your cells will lose water.

The extremes on both ends are potentially deadly. If you drink too much fresh water at once, you dilute the salt inside cells, and they may die. If you drink too much salty water/eat solid salt, your cells will lose too much water and may die.