Electrolytes can be an important hydration tool for endurance athletes, particularly during hot weather. You need to take in electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, and potassium during long bouts of exercise because you lose these key minerals through your sweat. You’ll often see runners, cyclists, and triathletes loading up their water bottles with some high-tech electrolyte formulas such as Liquid I.V.
A 50-calorie stick of the lemon-lime original Liquid I.V. hydration multiplier provides 570 milligrams of sodium and 370 milligrams of potassium. You can also get a sugar-free version made with allulose to replace the sugar.
Be sure to read the label when you pull a package of Liquid I.V. from the shelf. Some Liquid I.V. products are “energy” formulas, which means you’ll get 100 milligrams of caffeine per stick. That’s about the same amount of caffeine as a Starbucks Chai Latte or Coffee Frappuccino. That might be great for your morning workouts, but it will keep you up late if you drink Liquid I.V. too close to bedtime. Caffeine disrupts your sleep-wake cycle and can cause insomnia, depending on when you consume it.
When to stop consuming caffeine for a good night’s sleep
If you drink Liquid I.V.+Energy every day, that 100 grams of caffeine might not affect you as much as if you tend to avoid caffeine. It’s also going to affect you less if you’re used to drinking a lot of coffee or energy drinks. Some people who are less sensitive to caffeine might metabolize caffeine a lot more quickly and be fine having caffeine closer to bedtime.
That said, a 2013 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine investigated how much the timing of caffeine disrupted sleep. They had people consume 400 milligrams of caffeine either at bedtime, three hours before bedtime, or six hours before bedtime. That’s like drinking four Liquid I.V.+Energy sticks. Compared to the placebo, caffeine reduced their total sleep time by about an hour, regardless of when they consumed the caffeine. Caffeine also reduced their sleep efficiency, which is the percentage of time you spend in bed asleep. Having caffeine six hours before bed also reduced slow-wave sleep by more than 22 minutes. If you go to bed at 10 p.m. every night, that means cutting off your caffeine by about 4 p.m. to get some solid sleep.
How caffeine disrupts sleep
Even if you’re not as sensitive to caffeine as others, caffeine disrupts your sleep/wake cycle because it blocks a chemical called adenosine that helps in regulating your sleep. According to a 2022 article in the Journal of Sleep Research, caffeine affects brain activity while you’re sleeping. Caffeine also makes you more responsive to light and can delay your body’s production of melatonin under low light conditions.
Small amounts of caffeine can also increase your risk of anxiety by 39%, according to a 2024 article in Frontiers in Psychology. If you’re already drinking maybe a latte after lunch, the extra caffeine from a Liquid I.V.+Energy could have your mind chattering as you’re trying to sleep. The Sleep Foundation says that anxiety is linked to sleep disturbances.
If you want to stay hydrated without caffeine, be sure to stay away from the Liquid I.V.+Energy formula. Liquid I.V. does have a sleep formula with 3 grams of melatonin plus L-theanine and valerian.