Can I Hydrate 1st?
It's 2 AM on a school night and I’m lying on a mattress wide awake. The situation has me confused and panicked. My Zzz's are probably the most critical nutrients for my health. A sleepless night makes the following day wild, like Chewbacca looking wild. That’s not all, my heart is racing as if I am sprinting, sweat is fluttering across my skin, and I’m battling a headache the size of a duplex house. What’s going on? Left with no other choice but to calm down, I turn to my alter ego Professor Nutellio to determine what’s happening to me right now. My brain is flowing. First thing to consider is what’s recently introduced or eliminated from my lifestyle.
Something new is brewing in my morning routine; my feet are registering 2 to 3 miles of running approximately 4 days throughout the week. You can count on sweat being produced by the masses when I'm running like Sonic the Head hedge. My tank tops, jerseys, and t-shirts are saturated with salty water, which smells of chlorine. BOMB! That’s the most convenient time to rehydrate. In my case, this is one factor contributing to my current insomnia episode. The 2 main components lost during cardio are water and sodium. My diet is naturally low in sodium, which doesn't help my depleted sodium level. Severe and/or chronic salt loss causes other electrolytes like potassium, calcium, and magnesium to neglect their primary roles. This dance of restless nights seems to be a pattern on run days. In essence, there is an electrolyte disturbance.
Another factor that is not helping my case is the large intake of water I consume daily, which increases my trips to the potty. It feels like the water passes through my body like a water slide; the moment I have a cup, it doesn't take very long for me to have to urinate. This means the kidneys are not retaining water and salt is being emptied out rapidly. My kidneys are working harder to hold onto water and salt. Sodium is a valid electrolyte. It has the task of managing the extracellular fluid volume (e.g. blood and normalizing the cell's membrane potential). All electrolytes are playmakers, but today the spotlight is predominantly on sodium, which gets unfair publicity.
After some thinking and reading peer-reviewed studies, rebalancing my electrolytes has become a critical aspect of my sport training. Especially on workout days. I’m flirting with electrolyte effervescent tablets such as Nuun™. The fizzy features of the tablets are also appealing to me. Nonetheless, these types of products are vital for recovery and replenishing minerals like sodium and potassium. In addition, more salt is included in the overall diet. Throughout the day, I still drink a decent amount of water but now I drink a few more sips of products with electrolytes to keep things stabilized. For example, more fruits and fruit juices are added to the hydration plan to contribute to the electrolyte replenishment mission. Remember to tell your colleague “Can I hydrate 1st " before heading out to a vibe. Let's not forget the little guys, they pack a mighty punch if they feel abandoned. Stay Strong & Stay Vivid!
Reference
Armstrong, L.E. (2021). Rehydration during Endurance Exercise: Challenge, Research, Options, Methods. Nutrients. https://doi:10.3390/nu13030887.
Durning, M.V. (2021). Uncovering the myth of the 8x8 rule. American physiological society. The Physiologist Magazine.
Shrimanker, I et al. (2023). Electrolytes. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.books/NBK541123/.
