You have likely heard about the dangers of eating high amounts of sodium in the form of table salt, so you may wonder why someone would intentionally add more of it to their food or drinks. But, there’s another side to the sodium story—especially for endurance athletes like cyclists—and whether you should start having salt tablets on your rides.

Cycling can be a high-effort sport that causes us to sweat... a lot. Every bead of sweat that drops onto your handlebars contains more than just water. It also contains a mixture of electrolytes, including sodium and potassium.

“Electrolytes, including sodium, are like the power lines of our body—they are positive- or negative-charged ions, which conduct electrical signals that maintain fluid levels, muscle contraction, and activity of neurons,” Marni Sumbal, RD, owner of Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition and author of Essential Sports Nutrition tells Bicycling. If you’ve ever gone for a big ride and afterward noticed your jersey is imbued with white crust, that’s sodium—the electrolyte you shed in the greatest amounts during heavy sweat sessions and, arguably, the most crucial to replace.

Replacing sodium lost during a workout is important, both during and after exercise. Although many cyclists turn to sports drinks for replenishment, you could also turn to salt tablets.

But what are salt tablets, how do they work, and will they help you achieve your race day goals? Here’s everything you need to know about an athlete’s need for sodium and if salt tablets might be right for you, both during and after rides.

Why should you supplement with sodium?

Because sodium is highly concentrated in sweat, it’s the electrolyte most likely to dip below equilibrium when you are, well, sweating during exercise. “If you fail to replace the fluids and electrolytes (sodium) lost in sweat, a cascade of negative events occurs, such as a rise in osmolality [how many electrolytes are in your sweat], a drop in blood pressure, and an increase in heart rate,” Sumbal explains. None of this is conducive to a stellar performance on the bike.

It is not enough to just drink water. In fact, Sumbal says, if you drink too much water too quickly without consuming adequate sodium, your sodium levels will drop as your body water levels rise, which causes blood cells to swell. “The excessive water intake dilutes plasma electrolyte concentrations, resulting in dangerously low sodium levels which can result in hyponatremia,” she explains.

Symptoms of hyponatremia or low blood sodium levels, include confusion, headache, vomiting, muscle weakness, and even death. So, yes, it’s a good idea to make sure there is some sodium built into your sports nutrition plan.

In general, Sumbal says that athletes who consume little dietary salt, rapidly over consume plain water, or sweat profusely with inadequate water and electrolyte intake, are at risk of low sodium during exercise.

When should you supplement with sodium?

When you ride for 60 minutes or less and the total volume of your sweat is lower, you probably don’t need to supplement with sodium.

However, for longer, more intense rides (think all-day or all-out efforts) when greater losses can occur and you drink higher volumes of liquid, it’s advisable not to overly dilute your blood sodium, so taking in some salt can be a smart move.

This is particularly true when it’s hot and humid, you are not adequately acclimated to the sultry environmental conditions, you have a high sweat rate (greater than 1.2 liters per hour), are a subjective “salty sweater,” (i.e, your shirts have white stains from sweat), or during exercise lasting more than two hours.

Sumbal adds that when you consume liquid calories along with sodium (as in a sports drink), you can pull a greater amount of water across the small intestines, optimizing water absorption and retention, which will help with plasma volume levels and maintaining better hydration status. “Some sodium in your bottle can also increase your drive to drink,” she says.

A review of studies looking at endurance and ultra-endurance athletes suggests that during long-distance exercise it’s advisable to take in 500 to 700 milligrams of sodium per liter of fluid to adequately lower the risk of developing hyponatremia. When the sweat rate is elevated in sultry conditions, endurance athletes should aim for 300 to 600 milligrams of sodium for each hour of activity.

But, wait, would chewing a salt tablet or dissolving one in your water bottle make it easier to get the sodium you need?

What are salt tablets?

As its name implies, salt tablets contain the key electrolyte sodium, mainly in the form of sodium chloride or table salt. It may come in tablet or capsule form, and some need to be dissolved in fluid while you can swallow or chew other types, which may get the sodium into your system quicker.

Other electrolytes in the mix may include magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Be aware that there is little research to demonstrate that consuming electrolytes other than sodium during exercise does much, if anything, to boost performance.

Each brand specifies the amount of sodium in a tablet or capsule, and the amount can range from 100 to 750 milligrams per serving. For comparison, a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade has 270 milligrams of sodium, a scoop of Tailwind Rapid Hydration delivers 320 milligrams sodium, while a serving of Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix has 400 milligrams.

Do you need salt tablets?

As discussed, there are consequences when you lose too much sodium while exercising, but Sumbal isn’t bullish on salt tablets and doesn’t recommend her endurance athlete clients use them. “With salt tablets, it’s easy to ingest too much salt without adequate fluid,” she notes. “Salt tablets are often misused in that the athlete will focus too heavily on their sodium needs, but fail to consider the fluid that is needed to replenish sweat loss during exercise and also their carbohydrate needs.”

The overconsumption of sodium can lead to GI issues, a rise in blood pressure, swelling of face and extremities, and headache, notes Sumbal. Symptoms of hypernatremia (too much sodium in the bloodstream), like mental confusion, irritability, and seizures can be similar to those of hyponatremia. Also, some cyclists forget to check the amount of sodium in their sports drink and then add salt supplements, which can quickly lead to excessive intake.

According to Sumbal, because the human body does not lose sodium without fluids in the form of sweat, the first priority should be consuming adequate fluids, dependent on sweat rate. “Then focus on carbohydrate consumption and then sodium,” she says.

A heavy sweater exercising for three-plus hours should aim for around 28 to 32 ounces of fluid per hour of exercise and roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbs and 600 to 1,000 milligrams of sodium. “You can get this from using most sports drink powders on the market or adding a bit of salt to a bottled sports drink,” Sumbal explains. In other words, a sports drink can provide the ideal trifecta of fluid, carbs, and sodium which is not what you get from a tablet of sodium chloride.

According to research, a sports drink containing sodium in the range of 230 to 690 mg/L results in optimal absorption and prevention of hyponatremia, and is the concentration of sodium found in most commercial sports drinks.

Sumbal does stress that some cyclists are very heavy sweaters and would benefit from additional sodium (and fluid) than the standard recommendation. But again, it’s not necessary to turn to salt tablets. “If someone needs more sodium, they can simply add 1/8 teaspoon salt which is about 300 milligrams sodium to their sports drink,” she says.

By the way, gels and chews are typically very poor sources of sodium (and water) so they should be viewed as ways to get in a concentrated source of carbs and that’s it.

Remember, it’s not your goal to 100 percent replace the sodium you lose during exercise, just to make sure you keep your levels up to a point where there are no health or performance issues.

To date, we don’t have much in the way of solid research to pinpoint the potential performance benefits of salt tablets during exercise. One randomized controlled trial in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports looking at 26 half-Ironman participants, found that salt supplementation helped participants maintain better sodium balance as well as fluid balance as indicated by runners dropping less bodyweight. It also took the participants using a salt supplement less time to finish the race, compared to the control group. However, the study didn’t look at the difference between salt tablets and getting sodium from a sports drink.

Salt tablets could prove advantageous for endurance athletes, particularly those who experience profuse sweating if they are being diligent to not go overboard on sodium, are taking in enough fluids, and also being good about consuming sufficient carbs to stay well-fueled. If a cyclist simply prefers to guzzle plain water and get their carbs from stuff like gels and chews, which are typically low in sodium, then a salt supplement could prove useful to prevent sodium levels from dropping into the danger zone.

Speaking of performance, some cyclists mistakenly think more sodium can reduce muscle cramping, but in reality, it’s a series of factors including muscle fatigue, poor pacing, and often, poor training. Sumbal says there is no evidence that salt tablets will prevent cramps. “If your calf is cramping up because it’s overworked, adding more sodium to your body won’t help,” Sumbal says. And if a cramp is in fact due to dehydration or electrolyte depletion, sodium is just going to be one part of the solution.

As for after emerging from a sweat fest in the pain cave, using a salt tablet can certainly help you recover by replacing some of what you shed, but Sumbal again says it’s easier to add a pinch of two of salt to a rehydration beverage. This can even be a nice, big glass of OJ, she adds. She also suggests that you not be shy about adding salt to your recovery food or chowing down on salty foods (like pretzels) after a big ride.