Who Should Use An Electrolyte Supplement?

“Utilizing electrolyte powders can be beneficial to replace losses, but it is important to remember that it is just that, a replacement,” says Gately. She adds that electrolyte supplements can be an important addition to water intake if you’re a heavy sweater or your workouts last over an hour.

They can also be useful if you train in hot or humid conditions. Excessive sweating can cause dehydration and loss of nutrients, which may cause cramping and fatigue.

How Effective are Electrolyte Powders for Hydration?

Electrolyte powders hydrate you faster than plain water. They also help keep your body’s fluid balance in check and prevent nasty dehydration symptoms like tiredness, thirst, and headaches, Gately says.

If you anticipate a long workout, sip on an electrolyte drink throughout.

What to Look for in Electrolyte Powders and Packets

Before considering what ingredients and stats your ideal electrolyte supplements should have, you need to spell out why you’re supplementing electrolytes. What you’ll want in the powder, packet, or mixed drink differs based on use case. Here’s what to know. 

Electrolytes: There is a huge range of electrolyte levels across the electrolyte supplement spectrum, but for the most part electrolytes fall under sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride. As a rule of thumb, high sodium electrolyte supplements (500mg per serving and up) are preferred for longer and more intense workouts, while lower (less than 500mg per serving) are better suited for low-intensity workouts. If you’re supplementing for day-to-day hydration, a lower electrolyte level should suffice—something like 250mg and down.

Carbs: Not all electrolyte supplements have carbs. Generally speaking, those that do—and especially those that carry a significant carb load, like 10g and up—are aimed at supporting longer workouts. But considering you can get all the carbs you need from a standard diet, we wouldn’t sweat a few grams added to your electrolyte powder. 

Caffeine: Fewer and fewer electrolyte supplements contain caffeine, but still some do. Firstly, if you’re a competitive athlete planning to use an electrolyte supplement for competition, make sure caffeine isn’t a banned substance for your sport. Otherwise, caffeine is fine in an electrolyte supplement—it’s a stimulant, which is useful when going into a heavy workout—but not a must-have. 

Sugar: In a vacuum there is nothing wrong with sugar added to an electrolyte supplement. But most diets—especially American diets—get plenty of sugar without the need for further supplementation. Thus, most added sugar in electrolyte supplements is there for taste, but in testing supplements we found its inclusion unnecessary.