You should have some kind of electrolyte powder or electrolyte drinks on hand. When sick with any disease that can cause a fever (Fever is one of the symptoms of COVID-19 that pretty much everyone gets), staying hydrated is possibly the most important thing for you to be doing. You may be losing fluids from sweating and you may not be paying much attention to how much you are drinking. You will do a better job staying hydrated if everything you need to be hydrated can be right next to your bed. Once you have a fever it will really suck to go acquire stuff and you should be staying at home anyway.
Don’t bother with the drinks. Recommended home-made rehydration drinks usually are sugar + salt for electrolytes. You want ~12x as much sugar as salt, and if you want to prep early, you can store the sugar-salt mixture and add it to water—you want about a half tablespoon of the mixture pur cup of water.
Unless this is the only thing you have to eat/drink for more than a couple days, this is fine—no need for anything complicated or expensive. And if you’re too sick to eat solids or other foods, I’d suspect you don’t have COVID-19, you have something else.
Can you respond directly to the claims that potassium and magnesium are also useful? It seems like your implicit model is that people will definitely be able to eat and therefore those will not be a concern.
I’m not sure I understand the question, exactly. Yes, lots of things are useful, like vitamin D, Zinc, and Potassium—but they aren’t important for preventing dehydration, and the WHO recommends using the above sugar + salt formula for home preparation, which is why I pointed out that it’s recommended.
If you want to buy Soylent, or Gatorade, or anything else, go ahead, but if you’re trying to prevent dehydration, there’s no need to buy any specialized drinks.
(Also, instant soup mix + hot water is a perfectly good replacement when you have a fever, as long as you’re not actually getting severely dehydrated, say, due to diarrhea.)
Where does the 12x come from? The link mentions 1⁄2 a tablespoon of salt versus 2 tablespoons of sugar, which is a factor 4 in volume. A quick google says the densities only differ by 25% (and in the direction that makes the ratio closer, not further apart), so this is not mass percentage either.
EDIT: Never mind, they mention 1⁄2 a teaspoon of salt. My mistake.
Your blood normally contains around 140 mmol/L of sodium, and smaller amounts of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Sodium is the most important of these and has the narrowest normal range (135-145 mmol/L). Except for calcium (which can be taken from your bones) there is little storage. In normal circumstances you don’t lose much water and can get sufficient electrolytes from food, but during fever your fluid loss rate can easily be increased by multiple liters per day, and you may be eating much less as well.
I’m not sure if electrolyte powder is more hydrating than salt. . .
But I think there’s a lot to be said for making water taste good enough to you that you want to keep drinking it. Often things taste worse than usual when sick and having something you can mix with water that tastes good will make you more likely to keep drinking it. For the same reason I try to have a variety of hydrating things I’m willing to drink around so when one gets old I can switch to a different one.
I am wondering this too. I think they contain more of the essential compounds we need need for our water/”salt” balance. Like, not just sodium and chloride as in table salt, but also maybe potassium and calcium?
Main electrolytes : Sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, phosphate, and magnesium.
Low electrolyte conditions if you want to check specifics: hyponatremia (sodium), hypochloremia (choloride), hypokalemia (potassium), hypocalcemia (calcium), hypophosphatamia (phosphate), hypomagnesemia (magnesium).
Electrolyte imbalances are more of a concern with severe vomiting/diarrhoea conditions rather than with running a fever. (unless severe and prolonged sweating or underlying conditions).
Fever = increased sweating.
Sweat = water and mainly sodium and chloride.
An easy check is to taste your sweat. If it’s salty, you’re OK.
Monitor the colour of your urine—pale yellow (straw coloured) suggests adequate hydration.
Hydration is important to maintain. Plain water is usually sufficient. Little and often. (Too much water can also be dangerous i.e. don’t be drinking a litre at a time).
0.9% NaCl solution is isotonic (“normal saline ” I.V fluids)
Standard practice for homemade “electrolyte solution” is a pinch of table salt and a level teaspoon of sugar in a pint of water.
You should have some kind of electrolyte powder or electrolyte drinks on hand. When sick with any disease that can cause a fever (Fever is one of the symptoms of COVID-19 that pretty much everyone gets), staying hydrated is possibly the most important thing for you to be doing. You may be losing fluids from sweating and you may not be paying much attention to how much you are drinking. You will do a better job staying hydrated if everything you need to be hydrated can be right next to your bed. Once you have a fever it will really suck to go acquire stuff and you should be staying at home anyway.
Don’t bother with the drinks. Recommended home-made rehydration drinks usually are sugar + salt for electrolytes. You want ~12x as much sugar as salt, and if you want to prep early, you can store the sugar-salt mixture and add it to water—you want about a half tablespoon of the mixture pur cup of water.
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Oral-Rehydration-Salts-Drink-(ORS)
Unless this is the only thing you have to eat/drink for more than a couple days, this is fine—no need for anything complicated or expensive. And if you’re too sick to eat solids or other foods, I’d suspect you don’t have COVID-19, you have something else.
Can you respond directly to the claims that potassium and magnesium are also useful? It seems like your implicit model is that people will definitely be able to eat and therefore those will not be a concern.
I’m not sure I understand the question, exactly. Yes, lots of things are useful, like vitamin D, Zinc, and Potassium—but they aren’t important for preventing dehydration, and the WHO recommends using the above sugar + salt formula for home preparation, which is why I pointed out that it’s recommended.
If you want to buy Soylent, or Gatorade, or anything else, go ahead, but if you’re trying to prevent dehydration, there’s no need to buy any specialized drinks.
Re. potassium, I buy a low-sodium salt because it’s usually high in potassium.
(Also, instant soup mix + hot water is a perfectly good replacement when you have a fever, as long as you’re not actually getting severely dehydrated, say, due to diarrhea.)
Where does the 12x come from? The link mentions 1⁄2 a tablespoon of salt versus 2 tablespoons of sugar, which is a factor 4 in volume. A quick google says the densities only differ by 25% (and in the direction that makes the ratio closer, not further apart), so this is not mass percentage either.
EDIT: Never mind, they mention 1⁄2 a teaspoon of salt. My mistake.
Probably stupid question, but why electrolyte drinks rather than just water?
Your blood normally contains around 140 mmol/L of sodium, and smaller amounts of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Sodium is the most important of these and has the narrowest normal range (135-145 mmol/L). Except for calcium (which can be taken from your bones) there is little storage. In normal circumstances you don’t lose much water and can get sufficient electrolytes from food, but during fever your fluid loss rate can easily be increased by multiple liters per day, and you may be eating much less as well.
What’s the advantage of electrolytes over just table salt?
Magnesium and Potassium, mostly.
This changed my mind, thank you.
I’m not sure if electrolyte powder is more hydrating than salt. . . But I think there’s a lot to be said for making water taste good enough to you that you want to keep drinking it. Often things taste worse than usual when sick and having something you can mix with water that tastes good will make you more likely to keep drinking it. For the same reason I try to have a variety of hydrating things I’m willing to drink around so when one gets old I can switch to a different one.
It includes potassium in right proportion.
I am wondering this too. I think they contain more of the essential compounds we need need for our water/”salt” balance. Like, not just sodium and chloride as in table salt, but also maybe potassium and calcium?
Store bought “potassium salt” provides you everything but the calcium, unsure about the proportions though. Also, it looks like not all “electrolytes” contain calcium anyway. Eg this one just contains potassium, sodium and chloride and zinc: https://www.target.com/p/pedialyte-advancedcare-electrolyte-solution-tropical-fruit-33-8-fl-oz/-/A-21538752
What happens when your electrolytes get low? I just have a vague sense that it’s bad.
Main electrolytes : Sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, phosphate, and magnesium.
Low electrolyte conditions if you want to check specifics: hyponatremia (sodium), hypochloremia (choloride), hypokalemia (potassium), hypocalcemia (calcium), hypophosphatamia (phosphate), hypomagnesemia (magnesium).
Electrolyte imbalances are more of a concern with severe vomiting/diarrhoea conditions rather than with running a fever. (unless severe and prolonged sweating or underlying conditions).
Fever = increased sweating.
Sweat = water and mainly sodium and chloride.
An easy check is to taste your sweat. If it’s salty, you’re OK.
Monitor the colour of your urine—pale yellow (straw coloured) suggests adequate hydration.
Hydration is important to maintain. Plain water is usually sufficient. Little and often. (Too much water can also be dangerous i.e. don’t be drinking a litre at a time).
0.9% NaCl solution is isotonic (“normal saline ” I.V fluids)
Standard practice for homemade “electrolyte solution” is a pinch of table salt and a level teaspoon of sugar in a pint of water.