Absolutely yes. Cramps are certainly one of the side effects of low blood sodium (hyponatremia). Read this, it's a great article on the subject. http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/salt.html

I used salt tablets for the first time a year ago. Before I started using them, on long rides I would feel like I was bonking, even though I was squarely on the carbo intake target. No cramping, heat exhaustion or other events that might have clued me in to the problem. A 3-way discussion with a training partner and my coach made me realize that in weaning myself off of Gatorade and onto a healthier drink, I gave up the electrolytes. I began using Lava Salts and have had no similar problems since then.

Then there's a different set of conditions: my 18 year-old pitches baseball, and over the last two years passed out twice after finishing games in hot weather. Both events produced an ambulance ride to the ER and gobs of intravaneous fluid. What was mysterious about the second event was that we all knew he had consumed lots of fluid during the event.

What he was drinking was the dugout standby - Gatorade. I told him to either drink water or cut the Gatorade to 50/50, and to start using Lava Salts. He felt so much better from then on that he seemed to think he now had a silver bullet.

I believe in'em. Just read and follow the label, and stick with those made for endurance sports. Good luck!

Pay attention to other physical signs as well, before you started getting cramps you might have had gut-related symptoms, feeling bonk-like, even a little consciousness change. Taking a supplement at the earlier signs and symptoms may head off the more debilitating symptoms. Keep track of your usage, over time you'll be able to get pretty close regarding what you will need on a given day. Then you can just add them to your drink before hand and micromanage any symptoms with any additional suppliments or chicken soup on the fly.

Gatorade may have enough electrolytes for some others would come to a screeching halt without suppliments. Recent literature suggests that those prone to hyponatremia are off the front and BOP's. The former through dehydration, the latter through hyperhydration. Those with high sweat rates or high sodium content in their sweat are also prone.

I'm not a physician, I was an RN a long time ago. Most of what I know comes from personal experience with hyponatremia. It can be managed but it is an experiment of one. No one else will be able to tell you, you need xxxx mg na/hr to get through a race. We have to figure that out by trial and error. Many of the sports drinks have websites which provide the science behind what they are doing, and there was a survey done on this website year-two ago. Some of it is conflicting information and hard to integrate.

well, my stomach was definitely a little displeased. not full blown gi distress, but definitely some pain. also, there wasn't as much snap in my legs. didn't notice any changes in consciousness. i was attempting to alternate gatorade and water, but there was only so much gatorade i could drink. that sweet/tart flavor was just too much after a while. towards the end of the bike, i was definitely drinking more water which would exacerbate the problem.

i definitely have the salt rings when i sweat. i didn't/don't consider them excessive--at least not compared to some people.

it definitely seems as if sodium supplementation is something i should try/consider. i am more concerned about any negative short term effects(i.e. during a race) that would occur should i overdo it on accident.

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f/k/a mclamb6

I take one (1) Succeed sodium tablet per hr if it is hot out and one (1) every 1 1/2 or 2 hrs if it is not that hot out. Use them in training and see how your body feels.

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Go Big Red

I use E-caps, 100 mg of sodium, I figure its going to be very hard to get myself in trouble bumping my sodium intake up too fast at 100 mg a capsule -- figure a piece or two of Pizza Hut pizza will get you close to a 1,000 mg or more. I've been able to work a fix for the gut-related problems (that's where my symptoms start) by backing off the calories, taking the sodium supplementation with a little bit of water. Repeat every 10-15 mins. Easing off the throttle, sitting up/hands on the brake hoods helps to. Catch it early, its much easier to fix. It is possible to turn it around and press on.

FYI, just had my annual physical with my physician today. He's been following me with this for a couple of years. He remarked that what we are dealing with is just beyond the scope of his practice and expertise but he endorsed the approach. Friday brings with it 94 degrees and a 5:00 ride and 1:00 hr run. Time to put the plan to the test again.