Electrolyte Supplements

Electrolytes help the muscles contract, nerves function, and brain signals get where they need to be. Anytime you sweat or drink alcohol, you’re putting your body at risk of losing electrolytes. 

When this happens, it could lead to you feeling weak, tired, dehydrated, and even nauseous.

As you can see, dehydration and electrolyte depletion cause more damage than you can imagine. Besides vegetables and electrolyte-rich foods for replenishing electrolytes, intravenous therapy is also a good option. IV hydration therapy involves pumping fluids and electrolytes directly into the bloodstream. Intravenous hydration therapy is a safe and effective way to combat dehydration. Mobile IVs are now more popular than traditional IVs. For example, if you live in or travel to Nevada, you can have Las Vegas IV hydration therapy at your home, hotel, or other location. This is because Las Vegas’ hot and sunny climate makes it easy to become dehydrated when exposed to heat. IV therapy can also help improve cognitive function and energy levels. However, dehydrated people should drink plenty of fluids and eat electrolyte-rich foods. Foods high in electrolytes include fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products.

It’s a little-known fact that chefs, bar staff, and mixologists take electrolytes every day to combat the effects of a busy professional life in a high-pressured work environment.

The article will discuss how to fix your electrolyte levels, so you are not tired and dehydrated after a full-on night at work or even a heavy night of socializing.

What are Electrolytes?

Potassium, sodium, magnesium, and chloride are examples of electrolytes that play different roles in your body. Nutritionists define electrolytes as any substance that can carry an electrical charge when dissolved or melted. 

More broadly, we know electrolytes as the minerals in our bodies that help maintain fluid balance and nerve and muscle function. All foods contain electrolytes, but some foods have more than others:

• Potassium: bananas, lentils, avocado
• Sodium: cereal, soya sauce, cheese
• Chloride: celery, cucumber, bok choy

While busy professionals do not always have time to cook, adding electrolyte powders or supplements to drinks and smoothies is a way to save time.

Who needs Electrolyte Supplements?

It is the role of athletes, bartenders, bar staff, chefs, and anyone in an active role to keep themselves hydrated at all times. The best way for this is through electrolytes. If you’re an elite athlete or a top mixologist just trying to stay healthy, it’s essential to understand how electrolytes work in your body.

The Science Behind Electrolytes 

Electrolytes have a positive charge, making them great for balancing out acid that builds up when we metabolize food during digestion. Electrolytes also help reduce muscle cramps by assisting muscles in contracting and relaxing properly. 

They make sure our heart rate runs correctly and provide energy throughout the body.

Loss of any electrolyte can create problems since water follows solutes (a solution’s concentration). 

The good thing about these substances is you don’t need to consume as much as you think to replenish your body. A couple of cups of filtered water with some electrolytes can help fix dehydration caused by drinking too much alcohol or sweating too much at work.

Counter-balance with Electrolytes Supplements

Electrolytes are vital components in maintaining your body’s fluid balance and letting your nerves, muscles, and heart work properly.

We must have electrolytes in all our body cells; they maintain proper acid-base levels necessary for bone health, muscle contractions, and nerve signaling, which is responsible for carrying impulses through our nervous system.

Your kidneys regulate electrolyte concentrations by removing excesses via urine while sweating causes more electrolyte loss, especially sodium. When regulation is out of whack, counter-balancing it is vital.

What are the Signs You’re Low on Electrolytes?

Most people know they’re low on electrolytes when they start to feel muscle cramps. However, it can be difficult to tell if you’re dehydrated from drinking too much alcohol, exercising, or burning the candle at both ends.

Here are some other signals that show your electrolyte levels might be too low:

• Inability to concentrate
• Heavy sweating
• Muscle spasms and cramping 

The most common sign of an imbalance – constipation – dehydration causes constipation, but so can a lack of magnesium and potassium.

How Do I Dix My Imbalance?

Drink lots of water with a pinch of salt or sodium at least twice a day. You could also use a salt substitute to make up for the lack of electrolytes, drink sports drinks, and take electrolyte supplements to help correct any imbalance brought on by a hectic lifestyle.

Stay Away from Energy Drinks

It might seem like a fantastic idea to drink energy drinks, but these can cause electrolyte imbalances and dehydration, making you feel even more tired. It’s best to stay away from any caffeinated or alcoholic beverages unless you’re about to hit the gym or do a lot of exercises that day.

Electrolyte Supplements for Professionals

These days it seems like everyone has a busy life, and we’re all living according to the motto “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Chefs, bar staff, mixologists, and almost anyone in hospitality are particularly bad at looking after their health.

It’s not tricky to see why, since these professionals are expected to be on their ‘A-game’ all the time in what can be an extremely stressful and time-dependent environment, plus they are surrounded by alcohol, caffeine, and sugar all the time.

Yes, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar provide positive energy boosts at first, but their runoff is terrible for your health. They can cause chronic fatigue, heart disease, headaches, muscle cramps, dehydration, to name a few things.

All professions have busy times during which employees work non-stop without breaks. Meanwhile, there are also periods of low productivity where people are less motivated to stay active or eat well.

It seems like most people who work in hectic environments know what’s good for them but don’t practice good and healthy life habits and try to counterbalance the stress or the adrenaline rush with heavy consumption of caffeine or alcohol after work.

Eventually, running on empty affects your health. It can result in chronic fatigue, making you vulnerable to depression, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, cancer – we don’t need to go on!

That’s why the best thing is to find ways of coping with stress. Exercise is one of them, but no matter how much we encourage people to run or lift some weights, most choose sugar as their release instead. That’s why I’m giving you an elementary lesson on how electrolytes work so you can stay healthy during stressful times.

So, while taking an electrolyte supplement may not be a cure-all, they will help you continue at pace until your shift is over.