Electrolytes can raise your blood pressure when your sodium is too high and when you have too many electrolytes or an imbalance in electrolytes.
High sodium intake is also associated with and causes high blood pressure.
The causes for electrolytes to drop are dehydration and over hydration and eating disorders as well as kidney disease.
The most common cause of electrolytes to drop is dehydration from not drinking enough water or other liquids or from dehydration from excessive sweating, fever, diarrhea and vomiting.
Water intoxication from drinking too much water can also cause your electrolytes to drop or become unbalanced.
When your body is low on electrolytes your body will not function properly and it can lead to confusion, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, seizures, cardiac arrest and coma in severe cases.
In less severe cases you will usually just feel weak, maybe confused, dizzy and fatigue and can usually replace the lost electrolytes through drinking water, sports drinks eating watermelon, cantaloupe and or taking some electrolyte tablets or drinking pedialyte.
More severe cases of low electrolytes will require hospitalization and IV fluids.
It's very important to stay hydrated and drink water and other hydrating drinks before you get dehydrated and low on electrolytes.
The best electrolyte tablet is OTE hydro tablets which are refreshing and contain multiple electrolytes which include magnesium, potassium and sodium.
DripDrop Hydration Electrolyte Powder Packets are also good for replacing lost electrolytes.
You can restore your electrolyte balance by drinking plenty of water, drinking some Gatorade and other electrolyte based sports drink and by drinking some Pedialyte or eating foods such as watermelon, Cantaloupe, other fruits or drinking other natural fruit juices.
Gatorade is Good for electrolytes as Gatorade is rich in electrolytes and helps replace lost electrolytes during exercise or any other time.
You can lose electrolytes through urine and sweat and the electrolytes are very important to the body and are used in daily bodily functions like regulation of your nervous system.
The signs and symptoms of low electrolytes which let you know if your electrolytes are low include weakness and muscle spasms.
Other signs and symptoms of low electrolytes are extreme fatigue, changes in your heart rate, prolonged bout of diarrhea or vomiting, signs of dehydration and unexplained confusion, tingling, numbness and muscle cramps.
You check if your electrolyte levels are low through an electrolyte panel test which is a blood test that measures the levels of seven electrolytes in your blood.
Certain conditions, including dehydration, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease, can cause electrolyte levels to become too high or low.
Being dehydrated and not getting enough water and hydrating fluids can cause your electrolyte levels to drop and even being sick such as with the flu or cold or stomach flu can also cause low electrolyte levels.
Pedialyte and sports drinks and water can help you raise your electrolyte levels.
Electrolytes are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge.
Electrolytes affect how your body functions in many ways, including the amount of water in your body and the acidity of your blood (pH) Your nerve and muscle function.
The human bodys cells use potassium alongside sodium.
When a sodium ion enters a cell, a potassium ion leaves, and vice versa.
Potassium is also especially critical to your heart function.
Too much or too little can cause serious heart problems.
When your body is low on electrolytes it can negatively affect vital body systems.
Electrolytes must be evenly balanced for your body to function properly.
Severe electrolyte imbalances can cause serious problems such as coma, seizures, and cardiac arrest.
These substances are located in the extracellular and intracellular fluid.
Within the extracellular fluid, the major cation is sodium and the major anion is chloride.
The major cation in the intracellular fluid is potassium.
Good drinks and foods for replacing lost electrolytes and increasing electrolyte levels in the body are coconut water, milk, water, watermelon, cantaloupe, fruits and fruit juices, smoothies, electrolyte infused water, electrolyte tablets, sports drinks and Pedialyte.