First, What Are Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are essential minerals, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride, that dissolve in your body’s fluids and carry an electric charge.

This charge is vital for:

• Sending nerve signals
• Contracting and relaxing muscles
• Balancing your body’s pH
• Moving fluids in and out of cells

Even a mild imbalance can affect your energy, mood, hydration, and physical performance.

Signs You Might Be Low on Electrolytes

When electrolyte levels drop, your body loses momentum, physically and mentally. Symptoms can range from mildly irritating to potentially dangerous.

Common signs include:

• Muscle cramps or spasms
• Fatigue or persistent weakness
• Brain fog, headaches, or dizziness
• Nausea or loss of appetite
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat
• Tingling in fingers or toes
• Irritability or mood changes

In more severe cases, electrolyte depletion can trigger serious complications like seizures, cardiac arrhythmia, or even coma. If you experience extreme symptoms such as chest pain, confusion, or a racing heartbeat, seek urgent medical care.

Why Electrolytes Drop

You do not need to be an endurance athlete to experience electrolyte loss. Everyday causes include:

• Sweating heavily from exercise, heat, or sauna use
• Illness with vomiting or diarrhoea
• Drinking large amounts of plain water without mineral replacement
• Certain medications, for example diuretics or laxatives
• Low carb, fasting, or restrictive diets
• Chronic kidney, liver, or heart conditions

When you sweat or lose fluids, you are not just losing water, you are flushing out sodium, potassium, and magnesium. If you replace that fluid with only plain water, your blood can become diluted, which may lead to hyponatremia, low sodium.

Low carb and keto diets can accelerate sodium loss because reduced insulin levels tell your kidneys to excrete more sodium and water.

How to Know If You Are Running Low

Apart from blood testing, the best way is to listen to your body. Watch for:

• Post workout cramps or muscle twitches
• Dizziness when standing up quickly
• Headaches or ongoing brain fog
• Fatigue that rest does not fix
• Unusual cravings for salty foods

If you have been sick, sweating a lot, or eating low carb, these are strong signs your electrolyte balance may need attention.

How to Rebalance Electrolytes

1) Rehydrate Smarter

Skip plain water overload. Use a balanced electrolyte drink containing sodium, potassium, and magnesium for quick absorption and real recovery.

2) Add Electrolyte Rich Foods

Boost intake with:

• Sodium, broth, pickles, salted nuts
• Potassium, avocado, spinach, sweet potato, bananas
• Magnesium, pumpkin seeds, almonds, legumes
• Calcium, yoghurt, sardines, leafy greens

3) Reduce Diuretics

Limit coffee, alcohol, and unnecessary diuretic medications when you are feeling depleted, these can speed up electrolyte loss.

4) Rest and Recover

If you are low on electrolytes, give your body time to bounce back. Swap intense workouts for walking, stretching, or yoga until you feel energised again.

Quick Takeaways

• When electrolytes are low, you may feel tired, dizzy, foggy, or crampy
• Your body’s fluid balance and nerve function suffer
• In extreme cases, serious heart or neurological issues can occur
• The fix is smart hydration with sodium, potassium, magnesium, plus a nutrient rich diet

Stay Balanced with Revitalise

Electrolyte imbalances are common in everyday life. Whether you are sweating, recovering from illness, or adjusting your diet, the Revitalise range makes water work harder so you can feel and perform at your best.

Shop Sodium+, high sodium  |  Shop Zero Sugar, low sodium

Related reading

• How to fix an electrolyte imbalance at home
• Electrolytes while intermittent fasting
• Dehydration headaches, signs, treatment, prevention