Knackered by 2pm and headachey by knock-off? 5 signs you need electrolytes on hot days
Sweat takes salt with it, and water alone doesn’t replace it.
You've been on the tools since 6:30, it's 34 degrees by lunch and your shirt has been wet since smoko. You've drunk water all morning, but the afternoon still drags.
Safe Work Australia's heat guidance makes a point worth remembering: “thirst is satisfied before fluid loss is replaced”. You can stop feeling thirsty before you've caught up. Here are five signs your hydration needs more than water, and what to do about each one.
Your shirt is soaked through by smoko
Australia's food standards use 60 minutes of sustained, strenuous activity as the benchmark for when an electrolyte drink is designed to be used. A day of physical work in the heat goes well past that.
Sweat is mostly water, but it also carries sodium and smaller amounts of potassium and magnesium. Over a full shift, water replaces the fluid and not the salt.
Try this
Have one electrolyte drink before you start or on the drive in, then drink cool water at every break.
Your work shirt dries with white salt marks
Those white lines are salt left behind as sweat dries. The Australian Institute of Sport lists “salty sweat” as one of the situations where electrolyte replacement can be useful.
If your hi-vis or hat brim is crusted by knock-off, you're likely losing more sodium than most.
You're drinking, but rarely need the loo
Safe Work Australia lists “reduced or dark urine output” and dry lips as signs of dehydration. If you're only heading to the portaloo once all day, you're probably behind.
Drink cool water little and often. On the longest, hottest days, swap one or two of those drinks for an electrolyte to put back some of the sodium you've sweated out. Healthdirect has more on what to look for.
Your arvo drink is an energy drink or soft drink
Safe Work Australia's guidance recommends avoiding caffeinated and carbonated drinks when you're working in heat. That includes the 2pm energy drink and the servo soft drink.
If you want something with flavour, pick a still drink without caffeine and check the sugar on the label.
True Electrolyte is a still, caffeine-free drink with 1.2g of sugar per serve, in Tropical, Lemon Burst, Strawberry and Blueberry.
The heaviest jobs land in the afternoon
Safe Work Australia suggests scheduling more physically demanding work for the cooler parts of the day. When the concrete pour, roof sheeting or digging gets pushed to 2pm, you're working hardest just as you're furthest behind on fluid.
Try this
Plan heavy jobs for the morning where you can. Keep a few single-serve sachets in your crib bag for the afternoons you can't avoid.
Confusion, slurred speech, collapse or hot, dry skin can be signs of heat stroke. Stop work, get the person into shade, start cooling them and call 000. Electrolyte drinks are not a treatment for heat illness.
How True Electrolyte helps you stay hydrated on the job
A 240g pouch keeps in the shed or ute, and each 6g serve mixes into 400ml of cold water. It's still, caffeine-free and made by True in Sydney. Magnesium is necessary for normal electrolyte balance, and each serve provides 19% of the RDI.
Many sports drinks are made to fuel exercise, so they carry a lot of sugar: around nine teaspoons a bottle. True Electrolyte has 1.2g of sugar per serve (less than a third of a teaspoon) and is sweetened with stevia and thaumatin, so you can have one on every hot shift without the sugar load.
- Sodium334mg
- Potassium219mg
- Magnesium60mg
- Sugar1.2g
- CaffeineNone
- Sweetened withStevia and thaumatin
- FlavoursTropical, Lemon Burst, Strawberry, Blueberry
- Pack240g, 40 serves
“Excellent product - not sicky sweet - realistic flavor”
“I was looking for a clean electrolyte that actually made me feel hydrated, and this ticks all the boxes”
Keep a few sachets in the ute this summer
Electrolyte Travel Pack: 12 single-serve sachets in assorted flavours.
Tear one straight into your drink bottle on site, no scoop or tub needed. Keep a few in your crib bag or glovebox and switch flavours whenever you like.
$30
Already have a favourite flavour? The 240g pouch is $45 for 40 serves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many should I have on a work day?
Keep cool water as your main drink. On long, hot days, one serve before you start and another at lunch is a simple routine. Mix 6g (2 level teaspoons) into 400ml of cold water.
Should I take salt tablets instead?
Safe Work Australia's heat guidance recommends avoiding salt tablets. An electrolyte drink gives you fluid and electrolytes together.
Does it have caffeine?
No. True Electrolyte is caffeine-free and still, not fizzy.
How much sugar is in it?
1.2g per serve. It's sweetened with stevia and thaumatin.
Will it stop me getting heat stroke?
No drink can do that. Working in heat safely depends on shade, rest breaks, scheduling heavy work for cooler times and drinking cool water. Know the warning signs and call 000 if someone shows them.
Can I have it while pregnant or breastfeeding?
It isn't recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Talk to your GP or midwife about staying hydrated during this time.
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