Does Alkaline Water Have Electrolytes & What Are the Potential Benefits?

Potassium, sodium, magnesium and chloride are all key electrolyte minerals, helping keep the amount of water in the body in balance. The body’s fluids utilise these electrolyte minerals to conduct electrical impulses facilitating important bodily functions.  In fact, due to their electrical charge, these electrolytes are responsible for some of the most basic functions required for our bodies to operate, including cell regeneration and conducting action potentials (e.g. contraction of a muscle)  in our nerves and muscles. You can find these electrolytes in a variety of foods when observing a balanced diet. Additionally, minerals in drinking water are even more easily absorbed than minerals from most foods.

The composition of the zazen natural mineral stones comprise a balanced range of alkaline minerals including these all important electrolytes. In the same way spring water is naturally alkaline and electrolyte rich through the interaction with earth minerals this is how zazen water creates a beautiful electrolyte rich naturally alkaline drinking water.  zazen Water emulates Mother Nature’s water cycle by recognising the vital importance of these electrolyte minerals and more importantly how essential alkaline electrolyte rich water is in its role in aiding absorption; enhancing cellular hydration.

(Alkaline water also has additional potential benefits - click here for 5 reasons why you should drink Alkaline Water).

Electrolytes Explained and the Benefits of Drinking Them with Alkaline Water

Electrolytes are minerals that dissolve in water and carry an electrical charge. (They are also referred to as alkaline minerals and mineral salts). Your kidneys have specific transporters to regulate the concentration of each of these electrolytes in your blood.

So, why is alkaline water with electrolytes good for you? Since the body is mostly made up of water (75% of the body and 91% of the brain approximately), electrolytes are found everywhere in the body – inside the cells, in the spaces between cells, in the blood, in lymph glands and everywhere else. When you sweat, you lose fluids and electrolytes particularly magnesium. Should you fail to maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes and fluid levels, you may become dehydrated and  experience a range of harmful symptoms; cramps, restless legs, migraine, digestive issues, fever, fatigue, memory loss, as well as more concerning conditions such as tachycardia and atrial fibrillation.

Alkaline Water vs Electrolyte Water: What’s the Difference?

With so many options available on the market, you might begin to compare alkaline water vs electrolyte water, and feel stumped on what the difference is between the two. Is electrolyte water the same as alkaline water? Does alkaline water have electrolytes included in their chemical makeup? These are all common questions.

Essentially, both are good for you.  Electrolyte water is simply fluids containing a selection of common, dissolved minerals, such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. Once consumed, you will have these electrolytes pass through your body providing the necessary electrical energy to fuel critical functions. As shared above Alkaline water does by its very nature have these electrolytes as part of the balanced range of minerals and will reflect with a higher pH when compared with many other drinking waters. Mineralised alkaline water has shown to be helpful in boosting greater hydration, especially after anaerobic exercise. What’s also interesting is that zazen alkaline mineral water has more electrolytes than any other sports drinks on the market, which are usually also full of sugars. This means making the swap to zazen Alkaline Water might provide more benefits in terms of off-setting dehydration, relieving muscle cramps, restore proper blood viscosity, and improve recovery after working out.

What electrolytes are required in Alkaline Water to maximise hydration and what do they do?

Common electrolytes are: Sodium, magnesium, chloride, potassium, bicarbonate, calcium, and phosphate. Sodium has a positive charge, as does potassium, while chloride has a negative charge. Because electrolytes have electrical charges, they can move easily back and forth through cell membranes. This is important because as they move into a cell, they carry other nutrients in with them and as they move out of it, they carry out acidic metabolic waste products and excess water. Note: Magnesium is used in nearly every bodily function - it is considered our master mineral! Most of us need additional magnesium.

How do you properly hydrate yourself?

To keep body fluid levels in balance, your cells need to have a lot of potassium inside them and a lot of sodium in the fluids outside them. These electrolytes constantly move back and forth through the cell membranes, thus maintaining its structure.

Sodium easily combines with other elements and is necessary to make hydrochloric acid – the powerful digestive juice inside your stomach that breaks foods down to enable it to be digested and absorbed. As the electrolytes are absorbed water follows. Sodium also minimizes urination. When you’re drinking zazen Water, the liquid may stay in your body longer, giving it more time to get absorbed, which will potentially get you back into balance (hydration) quicker!

Summary on the Benefits of Alkaline Water with Electrolytes

Electrolytes (alkaline minerals) can potentially help keep the amount of water in the body in balance, carry impulses along the nerves, help make muscles contract and relax and keep the body from becoming too acidic or alkaline.