Sweat loss during exercise - The importance of sodium

Therefore, in specific conditions such as extreme heat or prolonged exercise, targeted sodium intake during exercise is crucial. By consciously managing your sodium intake, you can not only optimise your performance, but also reduce the risks of dehydration and cramps. In this blog, we dive into the functions of this mineral and why it is indispensable during hot days.

Sodium keeps your fluid in balance

One of the main functions of sodium is to balance the fluid balance in our body. This is because sodium plays a crucial role in regulating the number of dissolved particles (osmolarity) in the fluid in the bloodstream and around cells.

A drop in sodium concentration in the blood means a drop in osmolarity, and this can have negative effects on fluid balance as fluid from the bloodstream moves to tissues that have a higher osmolarity to restore balance. In extreme and rare situations, this can even lead to brain swelling. This highlights the importance of maintaining healthy sodium concentrations in the blood not only during exercise, but also before and after.

Sodium provides optimal hydration during exercise

Quality sports drinks often contain sodium, and not without reason as this mineral stimulates thirst stimulation and enhances the taste of drinks. This makes you more inclined to drink, which is essential for proper fluid intake during exercise. An optimal sodium concentration in sports drinks, usually around 450-700 mg per litre, can contribute to the flavour and therefore the intake of the drink. Too much sodium, on the other hand, can actually make the taste unpleasant.

Sodium takes up extra fluid in the body

Besides the fact that sodium will provide an increase in the absorption of water from the gut, it also plays an important role in retaining moisture longer, resulting in reduced urine production. This is a very important feature for athletes performing in extreme heat and humid conditions. In these cases, pre-loading sodium and water can help the body cope better with heat and dehydration.

Keep an eye on your sodium loss

Sweating is the body's main way of cooling itself during exercise. While sweating primarily helps to get rid of excess heat, it is also accompanied by loss of fluid and minerals, including sodium. The amount of sodium an athlete loses during sweating varies greatly depending on factors such as the duration and intensity of exercise, ambient temperature, genetic differences,.... Athletes who sweat a lot, especially in hot conditions, should therefore pay extra attention to supplementing sodium.

How much sodium do you need?

Sodium needs vary greatly by individual and situation. For most athletes who train for less than two hours, supplementing sodium is probably not essential, except based on taste preference. For athletes engaged in prolonged exercise, targeted sodium supplementation may be useful.

Here, it is important to consider not only the amount of fluid loss, but also the sodium concentrations in sweat. On average, we lose 0.5-1g of sodium per litre of sweat during exercise. By measuring the weight difference before and after exercise, you can thus determine how much sodium you should take in. But as mentioned above, this can be higher or lower per individual.

The Etixx range includes several products that help you increase your sodium intake during exercise:

Natural Oat Sport Bar: 156mg sodium/bar
Sport Gummies: 100mg sodium/bag
Isotonic: 552mg sodium/litre
Isotonic Drink Tabs: 643mg sodium/litre
PRO LINE Energy Gel: 200mg sodium/gel
Isotonic Energy Gel: 255mg sodium/gel
Sport Hydro Tabs: 830mg sodium/bottle