By Haley Heisley

“Hi, I’m Haley and I will be your nurse today.”

Life as a new grad nurse has been an amazing experience. The moments I once found crazy and interesting are now a part of the everyday norm, and the things I once had difficulty doing are now already muscle memory. Learning about medications and disease processes, as well as teaching my patients about them, is the core of nursing. A big thing we see in patients all the time and a big factor of what causes complications in one’s health are electrolyte imbalances. 

We see a lot of patients coming in to the hospital after getting their routine lab work done, which is where these imbalances were first noted. The main electrolytes in our body are potassium, sodium, calcium, chloride, magnesium and bicarbonate. We consume these electrolytes through the foods we eat, fluid we drink and supplements we take. They are excreted  through our sweat and urine.  Doctors may order you supplements if you loose too much of these electrolytes through excessive sweating, urination, diarrhea, etc., which we will see in the lab results. You can also have too much of an electrolyte in your body, which is just as dangerous as having too little of one. You never want to take these supplements without speaking to a doctor first and knowing your electrolyte levels in your blood.

Sodium aids in maintaining balanced fluid levels and helps out the functions of our nerves and muscles. Potassium also helps out our nerves and muscles, as well as our heart and metabolism. Calcium aids in stabilizing our blood pressure by contracting our blood vessels. Chloride works to stabilize our body fluids, blood levels and blood pressure. Magnesium helps the growth of our bones and the functions of our muscles and nerves. Bicarbonate helps us waste carbon dioxide by helping it along our blood flow and maintains our pH balance. 

You may be wondering now, how will I even consume these electrolytes? Do I have to change my diet? The answer is, you most likely are consuming these electrolytes each day without even realizing it! Bicarbonate is made through the carbon dioxide that we exhale, so we won’t be getting this electrolyte through our food and drinks. Magnesium is found in spinach, quinoa, almonds, cashews, black beans and even dark chocolate! Potassium is found in milk, greek yogurt, bananas, leafy greens, avocados and legumes. Sodium is found in salted snacks (pretzels, nuts, crackers), pickles, salmon and celery. Calcium is found in cow’s milk, white beans, broccoli, soybeans and crab. Chloride is found in rye, tomatoes, lettuce, olives and seaweed.

Too much or too little of anything is never a good thing, which is why it is important to keep a well-balanced diet. Routine lab work and annual doctors appointments with your primary care provider will aid in catching early signs or symptoms of electrolyte imbalances. Symptoms as well as causes vary greatly for each type of electrolyte, but if you are concerned something may be off ,you can reach out to your doctor for further evaluation. Help your body by knowing your body!