-
Electrolyte drink?
Hello there. I recently had an appointment with my Primary Care doctor. I have been getting lightheaded often lately and we discussed the amount of water I drink daily and she suggested I might be drinking too much water. (I drink a lot of water, but not sure how much). She said I should try an electrolyte solution in some of water bottles.What electrolyte brands/solutions do you recommend?
Thanks.
-
11 Replies
-
Wanted to update, the lightheaded happens when I stand up too quickly. My blood pressure has always been on the lower side my whole life. Average 110/70
-
Hi – I discuss electrolyte solutions in this video here in the Hydration pillar inside the Beginner’s Health Roadmap that you can consider.
But lightheadedness when standing up quickly can also point to a need for adrenal support since it the adrenals will increase blood pressure when going from sitting to standing to help push blood to the brain, so if there’s low adrenal function, this can lead to dizziness. I explain this further in this video in the Adrenal Balance course.
If adding in electrolytes as your doctor suggested does not help, you might want to consider adrenal support by addressing mental/emotional, physical and bio-chemical stressors.
-
thank you so much for these links (I’ll let you know if i have any questions) and for the fast response. I will look into adrenals with my naturopath on the next visit.
-
Hey ,
You’re asking a good question! There can be different reasons for getting lightheaded when standing up. The term for this is ‘orthostatic hypotension’.
Salt and other soluble molecules attract water. When the body loses a lot of electrolytes, loses the ability to hold water. This can happen when you’re drinking a lot of water. There can be other reasons too that you might want to consider when drinking electrolytes doesn’t solve the problem. I will give you some tips on how to replenish your electrolytes below.
Here are some other reasons that could cause you to get lightheaded when you’re getting up:
Chronic stress
The body regulates potassium and sodium through a hormone called ‘aldosterone’. Aldosterone, just like the stress hormone cortisol, is made in the adrenals. In fact, the two hormones are regulated by the same hormone produced in the brain called ACTH. In stressful periods initially, the brain produces more ACTH leading to elevations in cortisol, however…when stress continues, the brain reduces ACTH. The body knows that prolonged elevated stress hormones take a toll on the body. For example, elevations in stress hormones can cause suppression of the immune system. Since ACTH is also needed to produce Aldosterone, chronic stress can cause loss of electrolytes as well, which causes blood pressure to drop.
You might associate elevations of cortisol and stress hormones with emotional stress. This is true, but besides emotional stress, there can be physical forms of stress. Examples are pain, infections and sleep deprivation. Bernadette explains it well in this video.
With stress, other symptoms could also appear, like exhaustion, depression and getting sick more easily. When you’re in your reproductive years, it could also influence your cycle. Chronic stress can also cause lower production of progesterone. For a complete list of symptoms, I would recommend you watch this video.
In this case, drinking electrolytes can help, but it won’t fix the root cause.
Hypoglycemia
Low blood sugars can also cause low blood pressure. Blood sugars can be low because of beginning insulin resistance or simply not eating enough. This post I wrote a few weeks ago explains in more detail how this works.Anemia
To maintain healthy blood pressure, we need blood volume. When we are unable to produce enough red blood cells or when we lose a lot of blood (for example after blood donation, blood loss during heavy cycles or blood loss from wounds after an accident), blood volume will lower and can cause low blood pressure. Did your doctor check your red blood cells? If so, sharing your labs could provide us with more insight and it will help us to give you more personalized advice.Nutrients we need to produce a healthy amount of red blood cells are vitamin D, vitamin A, zinc, folate and vitamin B12. Vitamin D, folate and vitamin B12 can be checked by your doctor. Iron is also needed to give volume to red blood cells.
Iron deficiency can also cause low blood pressure. Iron is needed to produce hemoglobin which is a molecule that gives size to red blood cells. Without hemoglobin you could therefore lose blood volume which could cause orthostatic hypotension as well.
Medications
When you’re using medications like beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, diuretics… If you’re using other medications, I would also read this post about low blood pressure which provides causes and tips about low blood pressure in general.How to raise electrolytes
There are different ways to raise electrolytes. Sole is a salt solution which is easy to make.1. Add 1 tsp of Himalayan salt or (Celtic) sea salt to clear water into a glass water bottle which is about 750ml.
2. Keep the jar on the counter and put a piece of wax or parchment paper between the metal lid and the jar. Salt corrodes metal so it will rust with time.
3. Drink during the day to replenish your electrolytes.
If your like to use supplements, this is also an option. In this video, you can find several good options.
-
thank you very much for this. My PC doctor is very good about ordering any blood lab work I want. I usually work with a naturopath then tell my PC what tests. I haven’t been to my NP in a year.
What bloodwork would you suggest that Western Medicine usually does? What is the test called to check my RBC?
She usually calls in a CBC and TSH, T4, T3. They only do the one time cortisol. So I will look into the DUTCH test Bernadette mentioned.
If you have bloodwork recommendations I’ll call and ask then get those done in the next month or so.
This community is such a resource. Thank you. I will watch some of the other video links you sent.
-
I’m going to order some of the brands you recommended or try making sole. Then I believe I should do the DUTCH plus test soon. Thank you for sharing the links.
-
is black tea (English breakfast) or green tea another good option? What electrolyte benefits, if any, does tea offer? I love tea so it would be an easy add.
-
Hey ,
Electrolytes
If you suspect that electrolytes are the problem I would recommend you measure potassium and sodium.CBC and MCV
A CBC would be helpful to determine if anemia might be at play. In a CBC markers like the red blood cell count, MCV, MCH, MCHC, hemoglobin and hematocrit (The fraction of the blood composed of red blood cells) are included.Low Vitamin B12 can cause the size of the red blood cells to increase, while low iron can cause the size of the red blood cells to decrease. The MCV (The average size of the red blood cells) could be looking normal when the body deals with a decrease in vitamin B12 and iron at the same time. Therefore I recommend my clients measure B12, iron and ferritin as well.
Thyroid Lab Values
Your doctor might want to rule out imbalances in thyroid hormones. TSH, T4 and T3 are often measured for this reason. If you want to examine your thyroid health, you might want to watch this video well. It explains what in functional medicine is considered a full thyroid panel. If you are experiencing symptoms related to hypothyroidism, a full thyroid panel might be worth doing. Hypothyroidism can also cause you to feel dizzy when you’re standing up. This video explains what other symptoms may present in the case of a slow thyroid.Stress
Usually, cortisol is measured as a single blood test. However, cortisol follows a diurnal pattern. It is supposed to be high in the morning after waking up and decrease during the day. A single measurement, which is the standard in regular medical care, won’t tell you how cortisol behaves during the day. The DUTCH test would be a better test to asses cortisol levels since it follows cortisol production during the day.When electrolyte imbalances are at play and you’re doubting that drinking too much water was the cause of the mineral imbalance or if you are recognizing other symptoms of adrenal disbalance, this test could reveal if an adrenal imbalance is at play.
… and I’m glad you’re enjoying the content here!
-
,
There are electrolytes in tea, although the amount is low. I wouldn’t rely on it as a source for electrolytes. Unfortunately, because it would be an easy add indeed!
-
[Image] Thanks for the tip about using rubber bands to track my h20 consumption. I had at least 120 oz of water (72 oz plain water, and 48 oz using Liquid IV electrolytes my husband had) I also had 24 oz of black tea. This is a typical day for me. I weigh 125lbs, so it looks like I am drinking more than recommended. I will continue to make some of my water bottles have electrolytes now. I don’t have a crazy thirst, I just like to drink cold water. Do you think I should cut back on how much I drink, or try to find a balance of 50/50 water/electrolytes? What ratio. I have noticed less lightheadedness when drinking the electrolyte mix.
-
so the general guideline is to drink 1/2 your weight in ounces. So at 125lbs, you should aim for ~62 oz. So yes, given the fact that you are noticing improvements in your lightheadedness, try a combination of reducing the total amount of water you’re drinking and adding in electrolytes once a day.
Please keep us posted! Hope it fully resolves.
Log in to reply.
