Is Electrolyte Balance the Missing Link For Your Energy, Mood, and Cognition?

A lot of my functional medicine telehealth patients are dehydrated when I first meet them. And this often surprises them, because they’re usually health-conscious individuals who make a point of drinking enough water throughout the day. 

What most people don’t know is that staying hydrated is about more than just drinking water. Real hydration happens at the cellular level, and it requires electrolytes—and, more specifically, electrolyte balance. 

Adding in electrolytes in the right way can be one of the simplest ways to improve energy, mood, and vitality, and it can be transformative for those who have been feeling achy, foggy, and depleted. 

You Might Not Be as Hydrated As You Think: The Role of Electrolytes

Our bodies need sufficient water for detoxification, digestion, energy, hormone balance, brain function, nutrient transportation, and pretty much every other biological process you can think of. (1) 

But electrolytes including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride regulate fluid balance at the cellular level. They control how water moves in and out of your cells. 

Without enough electrolytes in balance, water can essentially pass right through your system without being sufficiently absorbed or retained where it’s needed most, which is how people can become dehydrated even when drinking plenty of water. 

And drinking a really high volume of plain water without replenishing electrolytes can dilute sodium levels, which can actually worsen symptoms like fatigue and headaches. (2) This can be really confusing if you don’t know what’s going on. 

Signs that you might be dehydrated (even when drinking water) include: 

• Persistent fatigue (3)  
• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating (4) 
• Muscle cramps or weakness 
• Headaches
• Lightheadedness 
• Poor exercise tolerance 
• Low blood pressure

These can all be signs and symptoms of many different kinds of imbalances, and there may be more at play. But adding in a high quality electrolyte supplement (I’ll tell you about my favorite below) and/or more electrolyte-rich foods is such a simple step, and can make a huge difference. 

It’s also important to know that electrolyte imbalances range in severity. Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat, confusion, and nausea or vomiting can be signs of a more serious imbalance requiring medical attention. If you’re unsure about what’s going on, it’s always best to consult with a doctor. 

An Overview of Electrolytes and the Importance of Balance 

Electrolytes are essential minerals that carry a positive or negative electric charge when dissolved in fluids. (5) They play a crucial role in regulating nerve signaling, muscle contraction and relaxation, heart rhythm, blood pressure, energy production, pH balance, and more. 

Different electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride, play different roles, and it’s important to have a balance between all of them. Electrolyte imbalances can lead to dehydration, fatigue, muscle cramps, and in some cases more serious complications.  

What Causes Electrolyte Imbalances? 

Electrolyte imbalances can occur due to chronic or acute factors, including: 

• Insufficient intake of water or electrolytes
• Dehydration due to vomiting, diarrhea, or fever 
• Sweating without rehydration (6) 
• Drinking excess water without electrolytes 
• A diet low in natural electrolytes from whole foods 
• Nutrient malabsorption 
• The use of certain medications including diuretics, laxatives, corticosteroids, and antibiotics (7) 
• Excess intake of one or more minerals or excess electrolyte supplementation
• Chronic stress 
• Regular consumption of caffeine or alcohol 
• Long term keto dieting or prolonged fasting without electrolyte replacement 
• Hormonal imbalances
• Kidney, liver, or heart disease 

The Best Natural Sources of Electrolytes 

One of the best ways to support hydration is through foods that are naturally hydrating and rich in electrolytes. I love loading up on these nutrient and hydration powerhouses, especially during the hotter months when I’m naturally losing more fluids. 

• Cucumbers
• Watermelon
• Celery
• Coconut water
• Leafy greens including romaine and spinach
• Celtic sea salt and Himalayan salt
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Bone broth

READ NEXT: Hydrating Mason Jar Mocktail For Glowing Skin & Calm Mind – Dr. Will Cole  

Choosing an Electrolyte Supplement

While we can get lots of electrolytes from certain foods, I also generally recommend having a good quality electrolyte supplement on hand. A supplement takes a lot of the guesswork out of electrolyte balance and is so convenient especially if you’re someone who regularly exercises, fasts, sweats in the sauna, or loses fluid in other ways. 

It’s a both/and approach, where we eat our leafy greens and fruits and bone broth (which all have several unique health benefits beyond electrolyte content) but also have a quick and reliable supplement on hand. 

So, how do you find a good quality electrolyte supplement? There are a few key things to look out for. One is the added ingredients. A lot of electrolyte supplements and sports drinks are loaded with sugar, artificial colors and flavorings, or other additives, which can counteract some of the benefits of electrolytes and introduce their own problems. 

It’s also important to find a balanced mineral ratio. One problem I have with a lot of electrolyte supplements on the market is that they’re overloaded with sodium and they neglect potassium, which can further disrupt balance instead of restoring it. This is a major reason why I take and recommend Longevity Rx Cellular Hydration, which is designed with a 1:1 potassium to sodium ratio to make sure your cells can bring in nutrients and flush out toxins efficiently. 

Cellular Hydration is also made using whole food sources including watermelon, celery, Celtic sea salt, and coconut water, which your body is able to use much more effectively than synthetic forms of minerals. And it includes methylated B vitamins and choline to help support brain function, energy, and mood. These simple hydration sticks are such a great way to recover, rehydrate, and achieve balance no matter where you are or what you’re doing. 

How Do You Know If You Need More Electrolytes? 

We need electrolytes all the time, but depending on your lifestyle, diet, and individual factors, you may be getting enough from food alone, at least most of the time. Some people may benefit from more regular electrolyte supplementation, and there are times when we all need to consciously replenish. 

You may need more electrolytes if/when: 

• You’re experiencing signs of mild to moderate dehydration including fatigue, muscle aches or cramps, headaches, and brain fog even when drinking enough water 
• You exercise regularly or sweat a lot 
• The weather is hot or you’re spending time in hot and humid settings 
• You’re taking medications or supplements that act as diuretics 
• You’re experiencing chronic stress 
• You consume caffeine or alcohol regularly 
• You’re experiencing or recovering from illness involving diarrhea, vomiting, or high fever
• You follow a keto diet (this can be a very healthy way of eating for many people, it’s just important to know that it can increase your electrolyte requirements) 

It’s also possible to take in too many electrolytes, or too much of a single mineral that throws others off balance. Make sure to listen to your body, and remember that more isn’t always better. 

Getting To the Bottom of Electrolyte Imbalances 

If you’re experiencing chronic dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, beyond supplementation, it’s always important to investigate and address any potential underlying causes. 

Diet is often a significant factor: a diet high in processed foods and low in mineral-rich whole foods will often result in an imbalance of sodium (found in high levels in processed foods) and other essential minerals like magnesium and potassium (generally lacking in a standard American diet). (8) 

An electrolyte supplement doesn’t replace a balanced diet containing a variety of whole, mineral-rich foods; this should be priority number one. 

While we’re talking about this, I just want to make it clear that salt isn’t the enemy. We need sodium for electrolyte balance and many of our essential physiological functions. But sodium from natural Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt is very different from processed table salt (which removes almost all of the mineral content) and from the massive amounts of sodium found in processed foods. This is the nuance that’s been lost in most of our conversations around salt. 

It’s also important to look at factors like alcohol consumption, excess caffeine consumption, chronic stress, and other potential causes of ongoing imbalances. 

Everything In Balance 

So much around our health comes down to balance. The balance between plain water and electrolytes, between sodium and potassium, between whole foods and supplementation—this is really a microcosm of the bigger picture when it comes to wellbeing. 

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe. 

Photo: Unsplash.com

Sources

• Wittbrodt, M. T., Sawka, M. N., Mizelle, J. C., Wheaton, L. A., & Millard‐Stafford, M. L. (2018). Exercise‐heat stress with and without water replacement alters brain structures and impairs visuomotor performance. Physiological reports, 6(16), e13805.
• Rout, P., & Badireddy, M. (2025). Hyponatremia. In StatPearls [internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
• Pross, N., Demazieres, A., Girard, N., Barnouin, R., Santoro, F., Chevillotte, E., … & Le Bellego, L. (2013). Influence of progressive fluid restriction on mood and physiological markers of dehydration in women. British Journal of Nutrition, 109(2), 313-321.
• Armstrong, L. E., Ganio, M. S., Casa, D. J., Lee, E. C., McDermott, B. P., Klau, J. F., … & Lieberman, H. R. (2012). Mild dehydration affects mood in healthy young women. The Journal of nutrition, 142(2), 382-388.
• Shrimanker, I., & Bhattarai, S. (2023). Electrolytes. StatPearls.
• Shirreffs, S. M., & Sawka, M. N. (2011). Fluid and electrolyte needs for training, competition, and recovery. Journal of sports sciences, 29(sup1), S39-S46.
• Ayhan, Y. E., İlerler, E. E., Sosyal, D., Bektay, M. Y., Karakurt, S., Daşkaya, H., … & Sancar, M. (2024). Assessment of drug-induced electrolyte disorders in intensive care units: a multicenter observational study. Frontiers in Medicine, 11, 1343483.
• Ayub, M., Angez, M., Musavi, N. B., Rehman, S. T., Kataria, D., Farhan, R., & Jamshed, N. (2024). How Dietary Habits and Nutritional Deficiencies Relate to Hyponatremia in Older Adults. Journal of Ageing and Longevity, 5(1), 1.