It might be that everyone who needs this info already knows it. In which case, I apologize, that’s just the way I am. But as a former endurance athlete who still has some impressive heat tolerance, I know one key thing that makes that heat tolerance possible: salts. (Okay, salts, years of hard training, and slightly questionable sanity, but that’s three things.)
It is way too chemically energetic to separate water from electrolytes, so we bleed them off as we sweat. Thing is though, we need them. A lot. No amount of water, which is still very critical, will replenish that balance. My preferred “rescue salts” are Nuun Tabs, and the only place in America I’ve seen them sold retail is in Seattle. They are not the most cost-effective, but are very fast acting. For regular/daily use, I order capsules from saltstick.com instead. Those need to be taken many hours in advance of the heat stress, but if so, they are just as effective, much cheaper, and likely better for you overall.
I’ve also known some speedskaters who use Black Strap Molasses for it’s crazy mineral/electrolyte content. I’ve not tried that myself, but I’m talking about skaters much more capable and knowledgeable than myself, so I believe them on that one.
The short term effects of “bonking” from electrolyte depletion are fatigue/malaise, a ‘pressurization’ of the head that is not a headache but feels like it could go that direction pretty easily, and fuzzy thinking. Fortunately if addressed quickly with a fast-acting solution, it can resolve quickly as well. Even in the worst of cases I put two Nuun Tabs in one glass of water, and then wait a while to see if I need a third, which I seldom do unless I do many more hours out in the madness.
You can also make your own from table salts and stuff. If you have any ‘lite salt’ (not MSG) that has a variety of salts other than straight up Na-CL, that’s considered to be a better bet. Common sense suggests to me that a 1:1 Na:K ratio might be best, but all the athletic-focused formulas are closer to 2.5:1 Na:K, but with lots of other adjacent stuff as well. Some chelated magnesium is also likely to improve your day a bit if the depletion is bad enough that you’re finding it tough to retain information, or having trouble with central vision while reading.
