THE SCIENCE
Have you ever thought about how you rehydrate after sweating out?
Turns out, it can be a game changer.
The Science of Hydration is Evolving
The science of hydration has seen significant evolution over the last few decades, challenging some long-held beliefs about salt intake and its role in maintaining proper hydration. Over the past few decades, the prevailing wisdom was to limit salt consumption to prevent water retention and high blood pressure. However, recent research has shed new light on this matter, suggesting that a moderate increase in salt intake may actually be beneficial for hydration.
Studies have shown that adequate salt intake helps the body retain water, ensuring better overall hydration levels. This shift in perspective underscores the importance of maintaining a balanced approach to salt consumption, emphasizing the need for an appropriate amount of salt in our diets to support optimal hydration and overall health. As our understanding of hydration continues to evolve, it's becoming increasingly clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to salt restriction may not be the best strategy for everyone.
How dehydration affects health and exercise performance
Engaging in high-intensity or prolonged physical activity can make your body lose water through sweat. If you lose too much fluid, you can become dehydrated.
According to experts at the American College of Sports Medicine, losing more than 2% of your body weight in water through sweating and not replacing it can cause problems. This dehydration can affect how well the body functions and impair exercise performance.
Some of the negative effects of dehydration on the body include:
• Reduced amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute
• Increased heart rate
• Impaired blood flow to the muscles
• Impaired thermoregulatory function
• Increased perception of effort
• Accelerated rate of glycogen depletion
Why losing salt matters?
Sweat is mostly water, but it also contains minerals in varying concentrations. Most people lose more sodium and chloride in sweat than any other electrolytes. The more intense the exercise, the more sodium you lose.
During extended or intense training sessions, these high sodium sweat losses can quickly develop into a sodium deficit. You might want to avoid this for various reasons.
Sodium helps the body save water
Sodium is absorbed from your GI tract, bringing water along with it. A similar process occurs in your kidneys, where an enzyme transports sodium out of the kidney tubules, creating a concentration difference that pulls water back into your body and reduces the amount of water in the urine.
Sodium regulates fluid balance in the body
You may have noticed that when you eat something salty, you immediately want to drink water. That’s because sodium makes you thirsty, helping your cells maintain the right fluid balance.
It helps prevent hyponatremia
If you sweat excessively during exercise and drink plenty of water without replacing lost salt, you may develop Hyponatremia.
Hyponatremia occurs when the concentration of sodium in your blood is too low. This causes your body's water levels to increase, leading to swelling of cells. As a result, you may experience symptoms like nausea, headaches, confusion, and in severe cases, seizures, coma, or even death.
It helps avoid cramps
Losing water and electrolytes, especially sodium, could be the reason you’re experiencing cramps when exercising.
When significant water and sodium deficits develop, motor nerve endings can become hyperexcitable due to altered mechanical stresses on the nerve endings and changes in the concentrations of electrolytes. This leads to spontaneous muscle contractions, known as cramps.
Potassium and magnesium are also lost through sweat but at lower rates than sodium. When conjugated with chloride, potassium can contribute to restoring fluid balance after exercise. Magnesium is critical for muscle function and may help prevent or improve cramps.
Discover
SALT-FORWARD HYDRATION
Use This
Staying hydrated is essential for maximizing exercise performance and post-exercise recovery.
Athletes and people who exercise regularly need to drink enough to replace the fluids and electrolytes they lose through sweating.
To fully rehydrate after exercise, you must drink more fluids than you lose through sweat. Just by drinking water might not be enough to ensure effective hydration.
However, simply drinking water may not be enough to get efficient hydration. Experts suggest choosing drinks with added sodium to help balance water and electrolyte levels.
Ditch This
Sports drinks containing electrolytes are proven to be more effective in improving exercise performance than water alone.
While most sports drinks contain carbohydrates (sugar) for extra energy during workouts, they can add unwanted calories, create unhealthy blood sugar spikes, and cause gastrointestinal discomfort in some people.
So, the best way to restore and maintain fluid balance is by replenishing electrolytes lost in sweat, but without the added sugar.
Electrolytes, in its most natural form
Proper hydration is vital for optimal exercise performance and overall well-being.
However, many available products are packed with sugar and synthetic
ingredients, which, let’s admit, don’t taste good.
H2O is a hydration solution, unlike anything you've tried before. It contains
Ancient Cave Salt as its source of sodium and chloride, sourced deep within
pre-historic mountain ranges and mined from ancient sea deposits in caves untouched
by modern pollutants and microplastics. Unrefined and free of additives, this
salt is rich in naturally occurring trace minerals.
Ancient Cave Salt
Ancient Cave Salts have been recognized for their therapeutic properties since 370 BC, likely due to the caves' unique microclimate, which is abundant in natural salt ions and kept at consistent temperature, humidity, and pressure.
OptiMSM®
A patented ingredient called OptiMSM ® (Methylsulfonylmethane) boosts H2O’s rehydration effects. OptiMSM® is easily absorbed by the body, improving the availability of sulfur, a crucial element for various bodily functions, including electrolyte balance.
No Sugar, No artificial Colors or Flavors
With H2O, there's no need to rely on drinks loaded with sugar, artificial colors, and flavors. Now, you have a clean and natural source of electrolytes to take control of your hydration needs. Naturally sweetened with Stevia Leaf.
References
1- Sports Medicine. Drinking Strategies: Planned Drinking Versus Drinking to Thirst. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5790864/
2- Journal of the American College of Sports Nutrition. Hydration and Physical Performance. Available: https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2007.10719656
3- Nutrition Bulletin. Hydration in sport and exercise: water, sports drinks and other drinks. Available: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2009.01790.x
4- Sports Science Exchange. Sodium: The forgotten nutrient. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael-Bergeron4/publication/237813192_Sodium_The_forgotten_nutrient/links/54986b0a0cf2519f5a1de366/Sodium-The-forgotten-nutrient.pdf
5- Nutrients. Compositional Aspects of Beverages Designed to Promote Hydration Before, During, and After Exercise: Concepts Revisited. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/1/17
6- Alternative and Complementary Therapies. Salt Cave Therapy: Rediscovering the Benefits of an Old Preservative. Available: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/act.2010.16302
