It’s no secret that water is good for your health. From improving your mood and cognitive abilities to regulating your body temperature, the benefits of drinking water are significant. Many people, however, have found themselves wondering whether or not drinking electrolyte water boosts the benefits of staying hydrated.

What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are minerals that, when dissolved in water, carry an electrical charge. It sounds like the recipe for a superhero origin story, doesn’t it? Well, you aren’t too far off. When your body retains these electrolytes from what we eat and drink, their electrical energy is used to facilitate critical bodily functions. Electrolytes are minerals like potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium. Each of these minerals impacts the body differently. Here are just a few of the bodily functions that these electrolytes work to ramp up:

Balance your body’s pH level
Balance the amount of water in your body
Move wastes out of your cells
Move nutrients into the cells
Rebuild damaged tissues
Regulate the muscles, nerves, heart, and brain functionality
You’ve probably heard of electrolytes before in advertisements for sports drinks and waters infused with electrolytes. This is because electrolytes are vital for athletes. When a person exercises and sweats, the electrolytes that the body uses to function become depleted. As a result, these electrolytes need to be replenished. Consuming sports drinks or electrolyte water is a great way to boost the electrolytes in the body during these physical activities.

Electrolytes are essential for everybody though – not just those playing sports. The body needs the right amount of electrolytes to perform fundamental functions such as walking, thinking, and even breathing! If our brains were completely depleted of electrolytes, we would quickly find that our nerve cells wouldn’t be communicating correctly, and this could lead to a slew of issues.

The Benefits of Drinking Electrolyte Water
Now that you know why the body needs electrolytes, you likely want a boost of electrolytes to get you performing at your best and feeling your healthiest. To truly understand the benefit of electrolytes, you need to understand what happens if your electrolyte reserves are depleted.

With the adult human body being made up of 60% water, staying hydrated is essential. When the body becomes dehydrated, electrolytes step in to regulate hydration levels and keep you functioning as you should. In some cases, when the electrolyte levels in your blood become too low, this can cause a severe imbalance. This can have a variety of adverse effects on your health, including:

Headaches
Confusion
Numbness
Tingling
Fast or irregular heartbeat
Fatigue
Muscle cramping
Muscle weakness
Convulsions