: 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

Your body uses salt to control how much water is in different parts of your body. It also uses water to control how much salt you have in your body. It’s a complicated balance.

As you sweat, you lose water and salt. Drinking water with a low level of salt helps you replenish what you’ve lost. But ocean water has WAAAAAY too much salt, about 3x as much as your body likes. Your body will use up a lot of water removing the extra salt, and you’ll end up dehydrated.