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Low electrolytes symptoms (and how to prevent them)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Many people have low electrolytes symptoms. Unfortunately, most of them don’t realize it. They know </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">something</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400"> is off. They might, for instance, feel tired, crampy, low energy, or experience headaches. But they can’t identify the root cause of the problem.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Often the symptoms are blamed on lack of sleep, stress, poor blood sugar control, or getting old. And these could be factors. All of the symptoms I listed are multifactorial, meaning they don’t have just one cause. It’s often a combination of a number of things, but an underappreciated and fairly common cause is a lack of </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-are-electrolytes-and-why-are-they-important" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">electrolytes</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I speak from experience. A few years back, I was getting quite frustrated with my jiu-jitsu performance. Was this a natural consequence of turning 40? In my case, it definitely wasn’t. Rather, I was experiencing a natural consequence of </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/electrolyte-imbalance-or-deficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">electrolyte deficiency</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. Bumping up my electrolytes (especially sodium) per the recommendation of my former coaches solved the problem. My energy came roaring back.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">It was a lightbulb moment for me. I knew if a health fanatic like me could be low on electrolytes, almost anyone could be low on electrolytes, especially those on a low-carb diet like me (more on that later). That’s why I teamed up with my former coaches to create </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/products/lmnt-recharge-electrolyte-drink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">LMNT</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Here’s the thing. Optimizing sleep and managing stress can be difficult. And none of us are getting any younger. </span><span style="font-weight: 400">But preventing the </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/symptoms-of-low-sodium-and-how-to-treat-hyponatremia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">symptoms of low electrolytes</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> is fairly easy. If you’re eating an electrolyte-rich diet, hydrating properly, and supplementing wisely—barring any medical conditions—you’ll be in good shape.</span><span style="font-weight: 400">&nbsp;Let’s dive in.</span></p><h2><b>Electrolytes 101</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Electrolytes are charged minerals that conduct electricity in your body. They allow nerve impulses to fire, </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-electrolytes-do-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">regulate fluid balance</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, structure bone, regulate muscle contraction (including heartbeat), serve as cofactors for energy (ATP) production, and much more.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The electrolytes gang includes </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/is-sodium-good-or-bad-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">sodium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and bicarbonate. Each of these minerals/ions has specific roles, some of which I’ll cover later on.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Electrolytes enter and exit your body each day. They enter through dietary sources (including </span><a href="https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/does-salt-help-with-hydration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">salt</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">), and exit through sweat, urine, and feces.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Speaking of urine, each of us has a homeostatic system that ensures blood electrolyte levels stay within reasonable ranges. This system includes the brain, kidneys, bones, and a bunch of hormones.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">If you don’t get enough sodium, for instance, you </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC3951800/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">secrete</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> aldosterone to reabsorb more sodium in the kidneys. Aldosterone, however, also increases potassium excretion and raises blood pressure.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The takeaway is that being low on electrolytes causes side effects you don’t want. But what do we mean by low electrolytes?</span></p><h2><b>What Does Low Electrolytes Mean?</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Low electrolytes can mean one of two things:</span></p><ol><li><span style="font-weight: 400">An electrolyte imbalance</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">An electrolyte deficiency</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-weight: 400">An electrolyte imbalance (also called an electrolyte disturbance) is when blood levels of a given electrolyte get too low or too high. Depending on the severity of the imbalance, the condition may require prompt medical attention.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The biggest hydration-related imbalance is called </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/hyponatremia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">hyponatremia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. Hyponatremia (low serum sodium) is often caused by drinking too much plain water, and it’s the scourge of endurance athletes. Low sodium is why many marathoners finish the race in a lethargic, light-sensitive funk. Occasionally hyponatremia is </span><a href="https://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/2/1/151" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">fatal</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I won’t review all the </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-to-prevent-an-electrolyte-imbalance-and-what-causes-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">electrolyte disturbances</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> today. Just understand that for every electrolyte, there’s a corresponding “too low” (hypo) and “too high” (hyper) blood level, and that they are usually caused by things more serious than low dietary intakes of electrolytes, like kidney issues, medical conditions, or medications.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">An electrolyte deficiency, on the other hand, occurs when you don’t consume enough of a given electrolyte for optimal health. It’s distinct from an electrolyte imbalance in that it doesn’t declare your blood levels are low on electrolytes. But wait—won’t inadequate sodium, </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/potassium-benefits-and-best-sources#:~:text=As%20an%20aside%2C%20I%20use,heart%20failure%2C%20and%20liver%20disease." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">potassium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, calcium, or magnesium intakes cause serum electrolyte levels to fall?</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Generally not. If you don’t consume enough, your body pulls what it needs from bone to maintain blood levels. It’s an essential part of the homeostatic system I mentioned earlier.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Still, maintaining healthy blood levels of electrolytes doesn’t mean zero issues. Relying on the homeostatic system to maintain serum electrolytes can have undesirable consequences, including </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6140170/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">osteoporosis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, increased blood pressure, and increased kidney stone risk.</span></p><h2><b>What Causes Low Electrolytes?</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Electrolyte deficiencies are caused by inadequate electrolyte intakes. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">Inadequate</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">, however, is a relative term. Different people need different amounts of electrolytes to look, feel, and perform their best. For instance, a low-carb athlete may need two times more salt than a sedentary person due to increased sodium losses through sweat and urine.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">What about electrolyte imbalances? Those only occur when electrolyte homeostasis gets derailed. That can happen due to:</span></p><ul><li><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/can-you-drink-too-much-water" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">Overhydration</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> with plain water (causes low sodium)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Heart failure</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Kidney failure</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Vomiting or diarrhea (causes </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/low-potassium-symptoms-and-best-sources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">low potassium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Use of diuretics, laxatives, or other medications (causes low sodium and low potassium)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Vitamin D deficiency (for calcium imbalance)</span></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5620030/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">Taking calcium supplements</span></a></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Now let’s talk about the symptoms of low electrolytes.</span></p><h2><b>Low Electrolytes Symptoms</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Before I dig into the symptoms, a few caveats:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">I won’t cover low phosphate symptoms because phosphorus deficiency is rare in modern society. Most people consume </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5693714/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i><span style="font-weight: 400">too much </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">phosphate</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">I won’t cover chloride because chloride naturally appears with sodium in salt.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">I won’t cover bicarbonate because your body can synthesize bicarbonate.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">That leaves sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.</span></p><h3><b>Low Sodium Symptoms</b></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Thanks to decades of baseless anti-salt rhetoric, most health-conscious people don’t consume enough sodium. Then they wonder why they feel lousy.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I see this a lot in low-carb folks. The symptoms of sodium deficiency—headaches, muscle cramps, low energy, weakness, insomnia, and irritability—are often labeled “</span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-causes-keto-flu-and-6-keto-flu-remedies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">keto flu</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.” Keto dieters also </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5858534/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">lose</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> more sodium through urine. And if they happen to be </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">active </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">keto dieters, their sodium needs rise even more.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">A sodium deficiency alone won’t cause hyponatremia. (The main causes are heart failure, kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, vomiting, diarrhea, diuretic usage, and overhydration.) But it will</span> <span style="font-weight: 400">increase the risk, especially if you drink lots of plain water.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The symptoms of hyponatremia may </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470386/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">include</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Confusion</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Loss of consciousness</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Seizures</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Extreme lethargy</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Light sensitivity</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Brain damage</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Brain swelling</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Death</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Fortunately, these complications can be prevented and resolved by consuming salt—specifically, 4–6 grams of sodium (about 2–3 teaspoons of salt) per day through diet and supplementation. 4–6 grams of sodium daily seems to be the sweet spot for heart health outcomes according to our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22110105/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best data</a>.</span></p><h3><b>Low Potassium Symptoms</b></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400">About <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545438/#:~:text=The%2075th%20percentile%20of%20usual%20potassium%20intake%20exceeds%20the%20potassium%20AI%20for%20most%20adult%20DRI%20age%2C%20sex%2C%20and%20life%2Dstage%20groups%2C%20indicating%20that%20between%20one%2Dquarter%20and%20one%2Dhalf%20of%20U.S.%20and%20Canadian%20adults%20exceed%20the%20AI%20(see%20Table%207%2D4)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">60–80%</a> of Americans fall short of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK587683/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adequate intake</a> set by the National Academy of</span><span style="font-weight: 400"> Medicine (NAM): 3.4 g/day for men and 2.6 g/day for women. And some <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6181280/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evidence</a> suggests that 3.5–5 grams per day is an even better&nbsp;target.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Potassium deficiency symptoms are hard to detect. I’m talking about </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/does-potassium-help-lower-blood-pressure" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">elevated blood pressure</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, impaired bone density, problems with insulin function, and a higher risk of kidney stone formation.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">In the presence of other factors, a potassium deficiency can also contribute to hypokalemia, the medical term for low serum potassium. The symptoms of mild hypokalemia include:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Muscle cramps</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Muscle weakness</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Malaise</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Fatigue</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Constipation</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">And the symptoms of moderate to severe hypokalemia include:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Muscle paralysis</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Cardiac arrhythmias</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Slower heart rate</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Polyuria (a large volume of dilute urine)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Brain damage</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Glucose intolerance</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">To be clear, however, hypokalemia is rare in those with healthy kidneys.</span></p><h3><b>Low Magnesium Symptoms</b></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Magnesium </span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">supports</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> over 300 enzymatic reactions in the human body. If you don’t get enough of this mineral, your health will notice.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">But I don’t recommend trying to diagnose a magnesium deficiency by symptoms alone. Why? Because the list of symptoms is long and nonspecific.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Here’s a sampling of magnesium deficiency symptoms:</span></p><ul><li>Muscle cramps</li><li>Tremors</li><li>Involuntary muscle spasms (tetany)</li><li>Aggression</li><li>Irritability</li><li>Fatigue</li><li>Anxiety or depression</li><li>Confusion or disorientation</li><li>Issues using vitamin D</li><li>Cardiac arrhythmias</li><li>Heart failure</li><li>High blood pressure (hypertension)</li><li>Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)</li><li>Cataracts</li><li>Coronary artery disease</li><li>Soft tissue calcification</li><li>Immunosuppression</li><li>Migraines</li><li>Osteoporosis</li><li>Seizures</li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Based on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786912/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published evidence</a>, the better approach is to conduct a dietary analysis of your current magnesium intake, and then simply consume 400 to 600 mg of </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/magnesium-benefits-and-best-sources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">magnesium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> per day. I’ll talk more about optimizing magnesium status later.</span></p><h3><b>Low Calcium Symptoms</b></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400">About 99% of bodily calcium is </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56060/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">used</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> to structure your skeleton. Because of this, calcium deficiency does a great disservice to bone density. The consequences include:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Osteoporosis: A disorder of impaired bone density and increased fracture risk.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Osteopenia: A milder form of osteoporosis.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Rickets: A childhood disorder of brittle bones, bone pain, muscle weakness, and skeletal deformities.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Osteomalacia: Similar to rickets but for adults.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">What about hypocalcemia? This state of low serum calcium won’t occur from a calcium-poor diet alone, but as a </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430912/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">consequence</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> of renal failure, vitamin D deficiency, problems with parathyroid hormone (PTH), poor magnesium status, critical illness, or certain pharmaceuticals.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The symptoms of hypocalcemia include:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Tetany</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Muscle spasms</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Anxiety, depression, or mood swings</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Seizures</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Irregular heartbeat</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Okay, let’s move on to solutions now.</span></p><h2><b>How to Prevent Low Electrolyte Symptoms</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The basic rules for preventing low electrolytes are:</span></p><ol><li><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-to-stay-hydrated" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">Hydrate properly</span></a></li><li><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/electrolyte-rich-foods-and-when-to-supplement" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">Eat electrolyte-rich foods</span></a></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Supplement to make up shortfalls</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-weight: 400">To hydrate properly, simply drink to thirst. And when replacing sweat losses, replace both fluids AND sodium. This will prevent overhydration and the resulting hyponatremia.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">To get a handle on your electrolyte intake, start with a dietary analysis. Log your meals in an app like Cronometer, see where you stand, and adjust as needed.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">You’re looking for baseline intakes of around 4–6 grams of sodium, 3.5–5 grams of potassium, 1 gram of calcium, and 400–600 mg of magnesium per day. Your sodium mileage may vary due to lifestyle factors, but the other electrolytes shouldn’t budge much.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">It’s best we get the bulk of our nutrients through our diet and then supplement what we need afterward, so the first lever I recommend pulling is food. This means:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Generously salting your meals for sodium and chloride</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Consuming green leafy vegetables for potassium, magnesium, and calcium</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">Eating other electrolyte-rich foods (read the </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/electrolyte-rich-foods-and-when-to-supplement" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">article</a><span style="font-weight: 400">)</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Even after this step, most folks are still short of their targets. Based on our analysis of those </span><span style="font-weight: 400">eating low-carb whole food diets, we found most folks, after taking their diet into account, fell short by:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-weight: 400">5 grams of sodium</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">1 gram of potassium</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: 400">300 mg of magnesium</span></li></ul><p>Depending on your diet and lifestyle, your needs and shortfalls may look a bit different, but I can say with a high degree of confidence that almost everyone could benefit from upping their sodium, potassium, and magnesium intake.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">That’s where </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/products/lmnt-recharge-electrolyte-drink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">LMNT</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> (our tasty electrolyte drink mix) and a mindful application of electrolyte supplements come in. These are low-effort interventions to prevent low electrolyte symptoms from hindering your performance. Worth it, I’d say.</span></p>