Electrifying Electrolytes

We’ve all seen sports drink commercials. They tell us that electrolytes are important. But what are they?

Electrolytes are substances in the body that become ions and can conduct electricity. When present, they give the body a balance that is essential for normal cell and organ functionality.

Common electrolytes that doctors watch with blood tests are sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate.

Sodium is one of the most commonly known electrolytes. We know that the body needs it for many of its functions and that excess sodium is excreted in sweat and urine.

The chemical notation for sodium is Na+. By combining it with chloride, it becomes a household staple – table salt.

Many of the processes in the body, especially the brain, nervous system and muscles, require electrical signals for communication. Sodium is critical to generate these electrical signals.

An imbalance of sodium – too much or too little – can cause cells to malfunction and, in some cases, death.

Increased sodium levels in blood occurs whenever the ratio of sodium to water is off. This can result in kidney disease – often caused by deficient water intake or loss of water from illness.

Low sodium levels occur when there is too much in relation to water levels. This happens with some diseases of the liver or kidney and in patients with heart failure. It can also happen to burn victims due to the loss of water in the body from injury.

Blood sodium levels are measured in millimoles to liters (mmol/L) and normal levels are 135-145 mmol/L.

As you can imagine, sodium levels in the body are often controlled by fluid intake. This is one reason why we encourage drinking plenty of water during our challenging CROSSFIT 619 workouts. It is important to ensure that they body does not lose too much fluid when you work up a good sweat.