What Are the Best Drinks to Replace Electrolytes?

It's Saturday. You're on the third lap of your morning run - Your heart is racing and you're panting heavily. You reach for your water bottle only to find out you've drunk all your water— a whole 2 liters - and yet, you’re still thirsty. What’s going on?

Dehydration, which is common during physical activity, is partly caused by loss of electrolytes through sweating and can’t be corrected by water alone. Electrolytes are also responsible for the salty taste of sweat.

You’ve likely heard of electrolytes before, but you may not know what they are or what purposes they serve. The good news is that you can get enough electrolytes from what you eat and drink. However, you need just the right electrolytes and the right balance.

Many factors may also cause electrolyte losses and disrupt your fluid and electrolyte balance. When this happens, you may be wondering what the best drinks are for replenishing electrolytes. In this post, we’ll explore what electrolytes are and why they’re important for our bodies to function well.

What Are Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are electrically charged mineral ions that play a role in several biological processes in the body. The main electrolytes in the body are sodium, calcium, and potassium. Other equally important electrolytes are bicarbonate, phosphate, chloride, and magnesium. Electrolytes are essential for your body to function normally.

Electrolytes help with:

• Fluid balance

• Maintenance of a healthy blood pressure

• Maintenance of normal body pH levels

• Muscle contractions

• Nerve function since they carry an electrical charge that conducts impulses

Disturbances in electrolyte levels may impair these processes and throw the body off balance. Prolonged electrolyte imbalances are linked to a variety of diseases such as bone, kidney, and heart diseases.

Causes of Electrolyte Imbalances (Including Dehydration)

It's common to be exposed to conditions, environments, and activities that may trigger an electrolyte imbalance. Dehydration stands out as one of the most common conditions that trigger electrolyte imbalances.

Dehydration refers to a state where your fluid and electrolyte losses are greater than your total intake. Whenever you lose fluid, you lose electrolytes as well. It’s important to look at dehydration as both fluid and electrolyte loss.

The causes of dehydration include:

• Physical activity, especially intense exercise

• Prolonged heat exposure

• Fever

• Cold and flu

• Vomiting and diarrhea

• Heavy alcohol consumption

• Diuretics: substances that increase urine production

Aside from dehydration, other causes of electrolyte imbalances include chronic illnesses such as kidney diseases, gut diseases, thyroid diseases, and cancer. These conditions either interfere with electrolyte absorption or promote electrolyte losses.

To correct dehydration associated with an electrical imbalance, your body needs electrolytes, not just water. Read on to learn why oral rehydration solutions are the best way to replenish electrolytes.

Signs of Electrolyte Imbalance

How can you know that your body is suffering an electrolyte imbalance? It’s simple: Look for the symptoms of dehydration together with other signs related to specific electrolyte deficiencies.

Signs of electrolyte imbalance include:

• Extreme thirst

• Fatigue

• Irregular heartbeat

• Fast heartbeat

• Muscle cramps

• Muscle weakness

• Dizziness

• Lightheadedness

• Irritability and confusion

• Seizures

Whenever you experience these signs, it’s important to seek medical advice. Seek medical attention as soon as possibly if the symptoms are extreme, recurrent, or you suffer from a chronic medical condition.

Replacing Electrolytes with Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS)

There are a couple options for correcting electrolyte imbalances, including, intravenous (IV) solutions and oral rehydration solutions (ORS). Intravenous solutions are administered in a health facility by trained medical professionals. IV solutions are used to correct severe dehydration. For mild to moderate dehydration, oral rehydration solutions are a low cost, less invasive alternative that can be used anywhere.

How DripDrop Outperforms other Dehydration Remedies

Greater Hydration

There are many oral rehydration solutions in the market, but DripDrop stands out. DripDrop was developed by a doctor on a mission to defeat life-threatening dehydration. We concentrate the electrolyte levels in our formula, adding a lower osmolarity than the WHO's Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) standard. This is ideal for both hydration and taste.

A serving of DripDrop's patented formula contains:

• 330 mg sodium

• 39 mg magnesium

• 185 mg potassium

• 1.5 mg zinc

• 70 mg vitamin C

• Only 7 grams of added sugar

DripDrop's patented formula addresses dehydration fast due to its precise ratio of electrolytes and glucose. When you are dehydrated, you need to replace lost electrolytes rapidly.

Electrolytes are absorbed through a system in the small intestine called the sodium-glucose cotransport system. This system is activated when you have the right amount of sodium and glucose. For rapid absorption and retention, an ORS needs a precise balance of sodium and glucose, as well as fewer particles suspended in the whole solution (low osmolarity).

DripDrop’s patented formula uniquely balances all of these critical ORS components to keep osmolarity low, at just 220mosm/L. That’s even lower than the WHO ORS formula (245 msom/L) and a lot lower than traditional sports drinks (300+ mosm/l).

Better Taste

Apart from electrolytes, an oral rehydration solution needs to taste good. Traditional ORS' are effective because they contain a high concentration of sodium electrolytes and relatively little sugar — but they don’t taste good. While sports drinks taste good, they are high in sugar and have very little sodium electrolytes, making them less effective. DripDrop’s patented formula is unique because it tastes great without compromising its efficacy.

Why Other Remedies Are Less Effective

Let’s see why DripDrop is better than other electrolyte beverages and why these other options are less effective.

Water

Pure water does not contain enough electrolytes needed to correct an electrolyte imbalance. That’s why despite drinking a lot of water, you may still feel thirsty.

Drinking too much water may result in a potentially life-threatening condition called water intoxication. Although uncommon, water intoxication is caused by reduced sodium levels (hyponatremia) due to overhydration.

Coconut Water

Coconut water is touted around as the perfect electrolyte replacement formula, and for a good reason. Coconut water is a good source of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus - But there’s a catch.

Coconut water doesn’t contain the right balance of these electrolytes to address dehydration. For instance, coconut water contains an excess of potassium compared to its levels of sodium, chloride, and phosphate. Excess potassium in the body causes irregular heartbeat, a serious condition that may result in death by heart failure. In 2014, the American Heart Association reported an interesting case of “Death by Coconut,” which was triggered by excess potassium levels.

Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks

You must have come across ads marketing sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade as the best rehydration formula. It’s easy to fall for the trap amidst the aggressive advertising.

However, most sports drinks and energy drinks don’t contain enough electrolytes. Furthermore, they contain too much added sugar. For your body to hydrate quickly, an ORS needs to activate the sodium-glucose cotransport system. This only occurs with the optimal balance of glucose and electrolytes.

So what’s the way forward?

DripDrop contains a precise, medically-formulated ratio of glucose and sodium that’s optimized for rapid rehydration and electrolyte replacement. With 3 times more sodium electrolytes and half the sugar concentration of sports drinks, DripDrop is the best hydration solution.

Fruit Juice

Fruit juices such as orange, lemon, and watermelon juices don’t provide enough electrolytes for optimal rehydration. In addition, highly processed fruit juices may contain too much added sugars and artificial sweeteners.

As a result, the glucose and sodium concentration in fruit juices isn’t optimal for activating the sodium-glucose cotransport system.

Save 25% on DripDrop, the Best Drink for Replacing Electrolytes

Whether you’re suffering from a cold or you’re an intense athlete, you’re susceptible to issues caused by dehydration. For cases of mild to moderate dehydration, DripDrop is a fast, effective, and great-tasting remedy for rapid electrolyte replacement.

With DripDrop’s precisely balanced ratio of glucose and electrolytes, you can replenish vital electrolytes and fluids to relieve dehydration quickly. DripDrop’s patented formula is powerful enough to help patients suffering from dehydration caused by Ebola and cholera, but safe enough for everyday use. This is why our formula is trusted by people around the world to correct mild to moderate dehydration. Finally, its convenient packaging allows you to have DripDrop when you need it, where you need it.

Get started with our most popular multi-flavor pouch for dehydration relief fast. Or, learn more about how you can save up to 25% on every purchase when you subscribe.