Electrolytes: Is Sodium Something I Need More Of, or Just Something I Put on My Steak?

MEET THE ELECTROLYTES

Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in fluid. They help your body manage fluid balance and support the work of your nerves, muscles, and heart.

The familiar names include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride. They’re important whether you’re playing pickleball, lifting a grandchild, or reaching across the dinner table for the last dinner roll.

Sodium is especially relevant when we sweat. Sweat contains water and electrolytes, with sodium and chloride accounting for much of the salt we lose. How much we lose varies considerably from person to person.

If you finish a match looking as though someone sprinkled salt on your shirt, you may be a particularly salty sweater. This is a description of your perspiration, not your personality.

DO I NEED AN ELECTROLYTE DRINK EVERY TIME I PLAY?

Usually, no.

For many people doing moderate activity, water and regular meals are enough. That includes a good deal of recreational pickleball, especially when play is shorter, the weather is mild, and you’re not sweating heavily.

But a long session in the Florida heat is another matter. If you’ve been sweating heavily for hours, replacing some sodium along with fluids may be helpful. A sports drink is one way to do that; water and food can also contribute. Your needs depend on the heat, how hard you’re playing, how much you sweat, and your health.

In other words, you probably don’t need to prepare like a marathon runner just because you played three games and spent the next hour discussing your partner’s third-shot drop.

MY UNCLE’S VIOLIN CASE AND HIS SALT PILLS

My uncle played tennis well into his 80s. He had a distinctive way of arriving at the court: He carried his tennis racquet in a hard violin case.

I don’t know whether his opponents were more worried about his serve or whether he was about to play a concerto between sets.

He also had another habit. After every set, he would take a salt pill. At the time, the thinking was understandable: You sweat out salt, so you ought to put it back.

He wasn’t entirely wrong about the sweat. We do lose sodium when we perspire, and replacing some of it can matter during prolonged, heavy sweating.

But taking a salt pill after every set is not the routine approach recommended today. A pill provides salt but doesn’t replace the water lost through sweating. Salt tablets can also cause nausea or vomiting, potentially making fluid loss worse. Depending on the person, the dose may add more sodium than needed.

Today, a more sensible approach for most recreational players is to drink water regularly and eat normal meals. During prolonged play with heavy sweating, food or an electrolyte drink may help replace sodium as well. People with high blood pressure, kidney or heart disease, or sodium restrictions should discuss their individual needs with their healthcare professional. Salt tablets are generally best left out of the routine unless a clinician specifically recommends them.

My uncle’s tennis longevity was admirable. His salt-pill routine may have belonged to an earlier era.

The violin case, however? That was pure genius. Any opponent who sees you pull a tennis racquet out of a violin case has already lost the first point mentally.

THE OLD STANDBYS: GATORADE AND POWERADE

Gatorade and Powerade have been around long enough that many of us associate them with athletes being showered in brightly colored liquid after winning a championship.

That is one way to use a sports drink, although drinking it is generally more efficient.

Their traditional versions provide water, sodium, and carbohydrates, often in the form of sugar. The carbohydrates can be useful during prolonged, strenuous exercise, but the sugar may be more than you need for a casual game.

Both brands also offer zero-sugar versions. Those can be an option if you want flavor and some electrolytes without the sugar. Just check the label: The sodium content varies by product, bottle size, and serving size. Zero sugar doesn’t necessarily mean zero sodium—or that you need the drink in the first place.

For a point of reference, Gatorade lists 270 mg of sodium in 20 ounces of its original Thirst Quencher. Other products and sizes differ.

WHAT ABOUT HALF SPORTS DRINK AND HALF WATER?

If you find Gatorade or Powerade too sweet, mixing equal parts sports drink and water can be a reasonable option. It gives you some flavor and electrolytes with less sugar per bottle.

But remember: Watering down the drink also waters down its sodium. Whether that amount is useful depends on how long you play, how much you sweat, what you eat, and your health.

For example, 10 ounces of original Gatorade mixed with 10 ounces of water makes a 20-ounce drink containing approximately 135 mg of sodium—half the sodium in 20 ounces of undiluted original Gatorade. It also has half the sugar. Check the label on your own bottle, since products differ.

And don’t use the dilution as an excuse to drink unlimited quantities. Too much water—or too much sports drink—can still lower your blood sodium.

Think of it as a compromise: enough flavor to keep your water bottle interesting, without making it taste like dessert.

THE NEW KIDS ON THE COURT

The electrolyte aisle has become crowded. There are powders, tablets, ready-to-drink beverages, and individual packets with names that suggest they were developed by a team of elite scientists preparing someone to climb Mount Everest.

Some may be useful for people with substantial sweat losses. Others may simply be a very effective way to make ordinary water more expensive.

One important difference is how much sodium they contain.

For example, a packet of LMNT’s electrolyte drink mix contains 1,000 mg of sodium, along with potassium and magnesium, according to its label. That’s substantially more sodium than the 20-ounce Gatorade example above. They’re different products and serving sizes, but the comparison shows why reading the label matters.

More sodium is not automatically better. Depending on the person and the circumstances, that extra sodium might be useful, unnecessary, or something to discuss with a physician.

If the instructions recommend mixing a packet with a particular amount of water, pay attention. A tiny glass containing an entire packet may taste like you accidentally drank from the Gulf of Mexico.

WHAT ABOUT SUGAR?

Sugar in a sports drink isn’t inherently a villain. During sustained, demanding exercise, carbohydrates can help provide fuel.

But if you’re watching your blood sugar, calories, or both, a sweetened drink can add up quickly—especially if you’re drinking several bottles while playing.

If you have diabetes, check the carbohydrate amount and serving size. A zero-sugar option may be useful when you want electrolytes without a sugar load. Depending on your activity and treatment, however, you may occasionally need carbohydrates; an electrolyte drink and a treatment for low blood sugar are not automatically the same thing.

And yes, the color of a drink is a poor guide to its nutritional value. “Glacial tropical lightning berry” tells me more about the marketing department than it does about my blood sugar.

CAN I GET TOO MUCH?

Yes. With electrolytes, as with pickleball advice from the sidelines, more is not always better.

Extra sodium can be a concern for people with high blood pressure, heart failure, or certain kidney conditions. Potassium and magnesium also deserve attention, particularly for people with kidney disease or those taking medications that affect electrolyte levels.

If you have kidney disease, a history of high potassium, heart disease, or a prescribed fluid or sodium restriction, check with your healthcare professional before regularly using electrolyte supplements.

CAN YOU DRINK TOO MUCH WATER PLAYING PICKLEBALL?

It sounds like a trick question. We’ve all heard “Drink more water!” so often that some of us arrive at the court carrying enough to irrigate the entire state of Florida.

But yes—you can overdo it.

If you drink more fluid than your body needs and can eliminate, the sodium in your blood can become diluted. This is called exercise-associated hyponatremia—a long medical name for a blood sodium level that becomes too low during or after exercise.

It’s best known in endurance events, but it can occur with other activities, too. Imagine playing pickleball for hours in the heat and dutifully chugging bottle after bottle because you’re worried about dehydration. Your kidneys may not be able to get rid of the excess water quickly enough, and your blood sodium concentration can fall.

A sports drink isn’t a guarantee against this problem. Drinking too much fluid—including some sports drinks—can still dilute blood sodium. And taking a salt pill is not a license to drink unlimited amounts of water.

WHAT SHOULD YOU WATCH FOR?

Symptoms can include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and unusual weakness. More serious signs include confusion, difficulty walking, collapse, or a seizure.

Here’s the tricky part: Some symptoms overlap with heat illness and dehydration. You can’t reliably tell what’s going on just by looking at someone, and a blood test is needed to confirm low sodium.

If someone becomes confused, collapses, has a seizure, or seems seriously ill during or after play, call 911. Move the person to a cooler place and begin cooling if heat illness is possible. Do not force fluids or salt pills; emergency professionals need to evaluate the cause.

For less severe symptoms such as a persistent headache, nausea, or unusual weakness, stop playing, move somewhere cool, and seek prompt medical advice—especially if you’ve been drinking large amounts.

A BETTER HYDRATION PLAN

Start play reasonably well hydrated, drink regularly as conditions and your needs require, and take breaks in the shade. Avoid forcing down large quantities of fluid simply because you think more must be better.

Your needs vary with the heat, how much you sweat, and how long and intensely you play. Older adults and people with medical conditions or fluid restrictions may need an individual plan. If you regularly play for hours in the heat or have kidney, heart, or blood pressure concerns, ask your healthcare professional what makes sense for you.

The goal is to stay comfortably hydrated—not to finish the match sloshing louder than the ball machine.

WHAT ABOUT CRAMPS?

Ah, cramps: the body’s way of announcing, halfway through a match, that it would like to renegotiate the terms of your participation.

Sweating and fluid losses may play a role in some circumstances, but cramps have several possible causes, including muscle fatigue. An electrolyte drink is not a guaranteed cure or prevention strategy.

If cramps are severe, persistent, or keep returning, it’s worth discussing them with your clinician—especially if they occur with weakness, dizziness, or other symptoms.

DR. ENGASSER’S PERSPECTIVE

For most ordinary days, water remains an excellent first choice. When you’re playing longer, sweating heavily, or spending hours in the heat, it’s reasonable to think about replacing some sodium as well as fluid.

Read the label, consider the sugar and sodium, and choose a plan that fits your health and activity. A brightly colored drink may be convenient, but it is not a substitute for taking breaks, finding shade, and recognizing when it’s time to stop.

As for me, I’ll bring my water bottle, keep an eye on the Florida heat, and read the label before adding a packet promising “maximum hydration.”

And I’ll continue putting a little salt on my steak—although I’m fairly certain my steak has never played two hours of pickleball in Naples.