Signs You Have an Electrolyte Imbalance & How to Correct It

Ever experienced a nagging headache or muscle cramp but couldn’t figure out why? You probably blamed it on an intense workout session, a medication you took, or sitting or standing for too long. However, there’s another possible culprit we often miss: electrolyte imbalance.

Anyone can develop an electrolyte imbalance, but most people don’t know when they have it. Understandably, we can’t exactly feel our electrolytes getting out of sync, so we drink more coffee, take more aspirin, or try to sleep off the symptoms while the real issue goes unnoticed and untreated.

The good news? It’s pretty easy to keep your electrolytes balanced. But it’s good to know how to tell if they may have gone haywire. In this article, we’ll walk you through the signs and symptoms of electrolyte balance, possible causes, and the best way to maintain proper electrolyte levels, regardless of age or physical activity.

What are electrolytes, and why are they important?

Before exploring the ins and outs of electrolyte imbalance, let’s first take a look at what electrolytes are and why we need them in the first place.

Electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, and magnesium, are minerals in the body that carry an electric charge when mixed with fluids, such as blood and sweat. These minerals are vital for maintaining the water balance inside and outside the cells and play a crucial role in regulating hundreds of other critical metabolic processes, such as managing heart rhythm, supporting nerve and muscle functions, and boosting brain health and performance.

Our bodies would struggle to function at their best—if at all—without electrolytes. But to do their job effectively, these minerals must be kept in proper balance in the body, explains Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Vishnu Potluri.

What is an electrolyte imbalance, and how does it happen?

According to MedlinePlus, “An electrolyte imbalance means that the level of one or more electrolytes in your body is too low or too high.”

While the body produces some electrolytes naturally, we primarily rely on surpluses from foods, beverages, and supplements like electrolyte powders. The thing is, we lose water and electrolytes through everyday processes like sweating, breathing, and urinating—even more so through vomiting, diarrhea, and physical activity. Cleveland Clinic warns that if the loss is excessive or prolonged enough, the levels of one or more electrolytes in the body may drop too low, resulting in an electrolyte imbalance.

Conversely, too many electrolytes in the body can also lead to an imbalance. This condition, known as electrolyte toxicity, often occurs when there is excess sodium (hyponatremia), chloride (hyperchloremia), potassium (hyperkalemia), or other electrolytes in the bloodstream, as documented in The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine.

Whether caused by too little or too much electrolytes, an imbalance can have severe consequences for your health and well-being. Therefore, it’s important to know the possible signs of an electrolyte imbalance to catch it early and reduce the risk of future occurrences.

What are the signs and symptoms of electrolyte imbalance?

To best manage an electrolyte imbalance, you must know you have it. Please note, however, that the signs and symptoms you may experience depend mainly on what caused the disorder and the severity.

Usually, people with mild electrolyte imbalance may not have any symptoms, per Healthline. But if the condition worsens over time, UCLA Health says you may start seeing general symptoms, such as:

• Muscle cramps, spasms, or weakness
• Irregular or fast heart rate (arrhythmia)
• Diarrhea or constipation, lethargy, or seizures
• Confusion, irritability, or delirium
• Nausea and vomiting

Other common signs of electrolyte imbalance may also include:

• Frequent headaches and fatigue
• Blood pressure changes
• Numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes
• Dizziness, especially when standing up
• Dry mouth
• Changes in appetite or body weight

Generally, if you have an electrolyte imbalance, you don’t feel very well or want to be involved in much activity, explains Cooper University Health Care. But in severe cases, electrolyte imbalances can cause seizures, comas, or death.

Should you experience any of these signs and symptoms, Alex Larson, a registered dietitian for sports athletes, advises you to “try to focus on increasing your electrolyte consumption.” She adds, “This will hopefully help alleviate your symptoms and improve your performance and overall health.”

What are the leading causes of electrolyte imbalance?

Our electrolyte levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day. However, specific changes in the body’s natural fluid balance can create conditions ripe for an electrolyte disorder.

Here are several factors that could increase your risk of electrolyte imbalance:

1. Being dehydrated

When the body doesn’t have enough water or loses more than it takes in—whether through excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea—its fluid volume shrinks. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this fluid loss increases your risk of dehydration and may lead to an electrolyte imbalance if not replenished quickly enough.

Our bodies are between 50 and 75 percent water, so once you’re dehydrated, your body’s fluid levels have dropped below what’s needed to perform routine functions. It can also increase your electrolyte concentrations, disrupting their normal balance and inducing electrolyte disorders like hypernatremia (too much sodium in the blood).

Related: How to Hydrate Fast And 8 Signs You May Need To | Does Adding Salt to Your Water Make it More Hydrating?

2. Following a poor or restrictive diet

Your daily food choices can also make or break your electrolyte balance. Most people rely on their diets for their daily electrolyte intake. So, if yours doesn’t contain healthy foods high in magnesium and potassium (and other vital electrolytes), you likely won’t get enough of these minerals. Furthermore, diets severely restricting carbs or encouraging prolonged fasting can deplete essential electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

“Carbohydrates hold your body’s water and sodium to help ensure you stay hydrated. Because the keto diet involves eliminating carbohydrates, you can easily sweat and lose necessary electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium,” Arizona IV Medics explains.

Furthermore, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Franziska Spritzler says, “When you restrict carbohydrates, your body begins to process electrolytes differently. This is because when insulin levels are low, the kidneys excrete more sodium.”

3. Doing prolonged fasts

Like keto diets, prolonged fasting generally lowers insulin. According to a research paper published in the American Journal of Medicine, it may also prompt the body to expel more electrolytes like potassium and sodium through urine. We get most of our electrolytes from food, so eating less means less access to electrolytes and a higher risk of imbalance and deficiency.

Learn more: Can You Drink Electrolytes While Fasting?

4. Taking certain medications

Some medications, including laxatives, diuretics (aka., water pills), and steroids, can also disturb the body’s natural electrolyte balance by influencing how it absorbs, regulates, or eliminates electrolytes.

Here’s a brief overview of how these drugs may alter your electrolyte levels and cause an imbalance:

• Diuretics: While vital for treating high blood pressure and other health problems, “some diuretics also cause the body to pass more potassium in the urine and lead to low potassium levels in the bloodstream, also called hypokalemia,” warns Michelle Brodin, a clinical pharmacist at Mayo Clinic.
• Laxatives: If you’ve ever been constipated, you may have tried laxatives to provide relief. According to Harvard Health, laxatives draw water from the body into the stool to soften it, thus speeding up bowel movements. However, overuse of these drugs or severe diarrhea or vomiting after taking them may rob the body of vital fluids and electrolytes and provoke an electrolyte imbalance.
• Steroids: If you know anything about steroids, specifically corticosteroids, you know they can relieve inflammation super-fast. This is because they mimic cortisol, one of the body’s natural anti-inflammatory hormones. The downside is that some corticosteroids, like aldosterone, reabsorb sodium from the blood and excrete potassium. Higher sodium levels and less potassium mean you have an electrolyte imbalance.
• Antibiotics: We use them to treat or prevent bacterial infections, but certain antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides and tetracyclines, can impair kidney function, which is crucial for keeping our electrolyte levels stable. One study links prolonged exposure to aminoglycoside therapy to Fanconi syndrome. In this condition, the kidneys struggle to reabsorb electrolytes like potassium and magnesium, resulting in low levels of these electrolytes.

5. Having various health conditions

People with certain health conditions also face a significant risk of developing electrolyte imbalances. According to the Houston Kidney Specialists Center, “Underlying medical problems, such as thyroid disorders, pancreatitis, liver disease, and certain cancers, can also cause electrolyte imbalances, and so can some types of medicines. Kidney disease is another major cause of electrolyte problems, which usually occurs when the filtration system of the kidneys breaks down.”

Electrolyte imbalances are also common in people with diabetes. Higher blood glucose levels cause the body to pull water out of the cells to supply other regions, resulting in lower sodium levels in the blood. Being thirstier and urinating more frequently are also common diabetes symptoms. The National Kidney Foundation explains that as blood glucose levels rise, the kidneys must work harder to remove the extra sugar through urine. But peeing depletes water and flushes out electrolytes, which, if not replenished quickly, can cause imbalances.

6. Drinking too much water

You might feel excessively thirsty, especially when it’s hot, or you exercise for long periods. However, drinking too much water can severely affect your health, such as causing an electrolyte imbalance.

Take some athletes and other physically active folks, for example. They chug lots of water to improve their performance or stave off dehydration. But in some cases, this can lead to severe water intoxication or overhydration, which can lower sodium levels in the blood.

7. Other Common Causes of Electrolyte Imbalances

Electrolyte imbalances can also crop up due to the following:

• Medical conditions and electrolyte disorders that chronically affect the liver
• Hormone disorders like diabetes insipidus and syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)
• Metabolic alkalosis (a condition where your blood has a high pH)
• Severe burns or tissue damage to the skin
• Malabsorption (not absorbing nutrients properly due to intestinal or digestive issues)
• Being ill with symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, or high fevers
• Chemotherapy treatments, which can lead to changes in blood potassium levels, low blood calcium or calcium deficiency, and other electrolyte deficiencies

How do I know I have an electrolyte imbalance?

Unfortunately, watching for signs of electrolyte imbalance isn’t enough to tell if your electrolytes are out of whack. This is because many different electrolytes are in the body, and each may present different symptoms when deficient or in abundance. Some symptoms may also mimic those of other health conditions.

If you suspect you have an electrolyte imbalance, consult your doctor. They may want to perform a physical exam or order an electrolyte panel to confirm a suspected electrolyte balance. As Medline Plus explains, “A test called an electrolyte panel can check the levels of your body’s main electrolytes. A related test, the anion gap blood test, checks whether your electrolytes are out of balance or if your blood is too acidic or not acidic enough.”

Blood electrolyte levels are measured per liter of blood, and an electrolyte imbalance is diagnosed when you either have a value higher or lower than the standard ranges below, according to Cleveland Clinic:

• Sodium: 136 to 144 mmol/L
• Potassium: 3.7 to 5.1 mmol/L
• Calcium: In adults, 8.5 to 10.2 mg/dL
• Chloride: 97 to 105 mmol/L
• Magnesium: 1.7 to 2.2 mg/dL
• Phosphate: 2.5 to 4.8 mg/dL
• Bicarbonate: 22 to 30 mmol/L

If the test finds you have an electrolyte imbalance, your doctor can recommend a treatment to get you back on track. They’ll also be able to discover other issues or abnormalities (like kidney function) that may contribute to your electrolyte problem.

How do I fix my electrolyte imbalance at home?

The first step to solving an electrolyte balance is identifying the underlying cause. Is it your diet? Not drinking enough water or drinking too much? A health condition? Your doctor should be able to help determine this.

Once you’ve nailed down the cause, treatment can be tailored accordingly:

1. Eat more electrolyte-rich foods.

While unfortified packaged or processed foods may be convenient and tasty, they’re often packed with sodium but low in other essential electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, significantly increasing the risk of a severe electrolyte imbalance.

That’s why Dr. Axe, a certified doctor of natural medicine and clinical nutritionist, suggests reducing your processed food consumption and eating more whole foods high in potassium and magnesium, such as leafy greens, bananas, and avocados. He says a whole-food diet can help mitigate issues like low potassium levels, which may lead to blood pressure problems or magnesium deficiencies that contribute to anxiety and muscle cramps.

UCLA Health reinforces the idea that a balanced diet provides necessary electrolytes. They caution against relying on processed foods for electrolyte intake due to their typically low nutrient density. Their go-to suggestions for electrolyte replenishment from food include vegetables, leafy greens, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, dairy products, certain fish and seafood, and lean meats.

2. Adjust or change medications.

As explained earlier, some medications are notorious for depleting electrolyte stores and causing imbalances—think ace inhibitors, water pills, cancer drugs, antibiotics, corticosteroids, laxatives, and hormones. If you’ve started using any of these medications and noticed changes in your mood, energy, heartbeat, and sleep, talk to your doctor about possibly adjusting your dose to minimize your electrolyte imbalance risks.

3. Drink enough water.

According to Edrea Jones, M.D., a nephrologist at Piedmont, “The best way to keep electrolytes balanced in your body is by paying attention to your thirst.”

Thirst is one of the first ways our bodies tell us our fluids or electrolyte stores are running low. It’s also the most common sign of mild or moderate dehydration, so drink up once you feel that thirst sensation creeping in. That way, it doesn’t become too serious.

There’s no fixed amount of water everyone should aim to drink daily, but Dr. Jones suggests drinking about two cups of fluid two hours before any physical activity. Then, try to drink 4 to 6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during physical activity. Finally, have a drink after you finish exercising.

Pregnant or breastfeeding moms also have different daily water needs, as do kids and teenagers who are growing and developing faster than people of other ages. If you’ve had an illness that included vomiting or diarrhea, you must also increase your water intake to relieve dehydration and electrolyte deficiencies.

Whatever group you belong to, try your best not to overhydrate. You can also add a pinch of salt to your water to make it more hydrating.

Learn more: Calculating Your Daily Water Intake Needs | 8 Simple Ways to Stay Hydrated Every Day

4. Consider taking supplements.

If you’re eating a diet packed with fresh, nutrient-dense foods, you may be getting your daily fill of electrolytes. But if this isn’t the case, or you have an illness, or you are a fitness enthusiast aiming to optimize performance, a marathon runner pushing your limits, or just someone looking to stay refreshed during a sweltering summer heatwave, you may need an extra boost. This is where electrolyte supplements shine, delivering consistent and targeted hydration, no matter your lifestyle.

Many types of electrolyte supplements are on the market—electrolyte drinks, liquids, powders, tablets, etc. Sports drinks and electrolyte-infused waters are usually marketed toward athletes and physically active folks. However, most tend to contain extra sugars, calories, and additives that may derail your health and wellness goals and hydration efforts. Most people prefer electrolyte powders and tablets for their rapid rehydration and convenience.

Conquer Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalances with Lido

A safer, healthier, and more delicious alternative to those sugar- and calorie-packed sports drinks would be electrolyte mixes like LIDO’s electrolyte powders. They are sugar-free and are made with vegan- and non-GMO ingredients, natural fruit extracts, and the highest-quality pink Himalayan salt. Plus, they taste amazing and come in various delicious flavors—from zesty lemonade to tropical punch or watermelon, so staying motivated to drink more is easier.

Each stick pack of Lido electrolytes contains a precise blend of essential electrolytes, including sodium (650 mg), potassium (200 mg), and magnesium (60 mg). As such, you can replace vital electrolytes and relieve dehydration and imbalances quickly at home.

Lido is a fast, effective, and great-tasting hydration solution for mild to moderate dehydration. Mix a convenient stick pack into your water, and voilà—instant hydration whenever and wherever you need it.

Kickstart your hydration journey with Lido’s most popular watermelon flavor or the multi-flavor variety pack if you want to try all the delicious flavors. Or, learn more about how to save up to 10% on every purchase when you subscribe.

Final Thoughts

Electrolytes are crucial to our health and well-being, so it’s no surprise that having too little or too much can be detrimental. While most people can keep their electrolytes balanced through a healthy diet and proper hydration, some might need a quick fix after a sweaty hike or workout or an illness.

If you’re experiencing any of the signs of electrolyte imbalance discussed in this article or you’re simply concerned about your electrolyte levels, it’s best to consult with a doctor who can order the right test and give you a proper diagnosis.