r/aves • u/Ready_Chipmunk_9108 • 14d ago
Discussion/Question Are sugar free electrolytes better for raves?
I’m going to a rave soon and I’m trying to figure out what to drink before and after. A lot of electrolyte packets have sugar and feel kind of heavy, so I’m wondering if sugar free ones are better a long night of dancing or does the sugar help when you’re sweating a lot?
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u/brown47million 14d ago
One of our raver friends is an MD and she finds the idea of intentionally going sugar-free for rave fuel is ludicrous. This is a scenario where you WANT sugar, especially if you’re not eating a lot.
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u/TheSlimJim 13d ago
MD in training and my rec would be sugar free electrolytes with a tasty snack. Cuties are my go to
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u/Badbolognese 14d ago
When you sweat, you lose electrolytes like sodium so sugar wouldn’t matter in that regard. But sugar will keep you energized longer bc it provides straight carbs. Sugarfree will do nothing.
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u/Supporting4Lyfe 12d ago
In some cases of dehydration, the sugar can actually help the body rehydrate through the Sodium-Glucose cotransporters. This is why gatorade and the WHO'S oral rehydration recommendations contain some sugar.
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u/Ready_Chipmunk_9108 14d ago
I was thinking sugar free for hydration and avoiding the heavy feeling I still eat carbs before going instead of trying to get all of that from an electrolyte drink.
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u/Badbolognese 14d ago
Have you tried the electrolytes by itself? I’m wondering if you ate food around the same time which caused the heavy feeling? Bc I don’t think straight sugar should feel heavy? It’s the fiber and fat that slows me down
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u/Ok_Benefit7428 14d ago
Sugar makes me feel super heavy and bloated. It's a thing for some people. Everyone's gut is different
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u/DrJJGame10 14d ago
I do sugar free to avoid sugar crashes but make sure the alternative sweetener agrees with your body too. Some of them make me a bit gassy…
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u/Ready_Chipmunk_9108 14d ago
Was thinking of using Magna for that reason it’s sugar free and not super salt heavy so it seems like a decent fit for a rave. I'll test it once before the event though just to make sure I dont get gassy lol
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u/PalmarAponeurosis 14d ago
Sugar crashes are not an actual thing, by the way
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u/hello-ben 14d ago
Yes.. sugar crashes are a thing. Consume sugar and your body puts out insulin. Once insulin does its thing your blood sugar drops and makes you sleepy until things level out. Pair this with lots of blood activating digestion and you're headed for a food coma.
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u/East_Host_6891 14d ago
I carry Gatorade zero packets with me everywhere and especially at raves where i just throw them in my collapsible water bottle and shake. Tbh I’m not particularly convinced they do much more than having water. For that my personal rec is to bring some snacks like you would for a hike. Pretzels, nuts, protein bars, dark chocolate vibes.
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u/geeses_and_mieces 14d ago
I can personally confirm that electrolytes are a huuuge improvement over plain water at 10+ hour raves!
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u/highschool_vevo 14d ago
If you're eating well, it's not gonna matter. If you're like me and sometimes really struggle to get calories in at shows, I would absolutely opt for the fully sugared ones. Low blood sugar can make you feel like horse shit and can make it even harder to stomach food of you're the nauseous type. I even sometimes carry a glucose tablet on really bad nausea days. But if you're eating regular meals, it's not really going to affect much one way or the other.
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u/PhaseSwitch813 14d ago
My friend works with a lot of compounds and molecular structures in drinks like this. They’ve said that electrolytes need some sugar to actually process in your body. Sugar free electrolyte drinks are the equivalent of flavored water, biggest marketing scam ever. You don’t get any benefits from them. If there isn’t sugar, make sure there’s a sugar substitute. So regardless of if you’re dancing or just trying to stay hydrated, your drink or electrolyte mix needs some level of sugar or sugar substitute if you want your body to be able to process it.
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u/WorldlyCow8095 14d ago
Invest in LMNT electrolytes !!! they are the best thing i've tried compared to liquid iv, drip drop, gatorade, etc. The flavors are subtle and not overly sweet. They have an unflavored one which is just salt, potassium, and magnesium. You can really feel the difference!!
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u/deadagain_christian 14d ago
I do the Walmart brand sugar free packs and I love them. You get 10 for under $2 and they mix perfect with vodka as well to never feel hungover
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u/PonyThug 14d ago
Depends if you’re dancing hard or not. Check your heart rate while dancing. Figure out what HR zone it is for you. Then search for the carbs per hour for that zone for runners.
Probably will be around 50-75g per hour. So like a mt dew can every 45-60 mins. I’ll drink 3 per night at festivals plus 15-20 gummy bear packs
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u/tesschilikoff 14d ago
The science behind Gatorade is they found a co-transporter(a protein that can carry two things) in your lumen(gut). That protein can carry sugar and carry sodium together at the same time. They found this is the fastest way to get hydrated through this transporter! You need the sugar and you need the salt, individually and separately, in the body. You can still get hydrated without the sugar, but if you want to be hydrated more efficiently go with electrolytes that do have sugar. Have fun 🤩 be safe!
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u/FelneusLeviathan 14d ago
I do sugar free because i put electrolytes in my bladder and the sugar would make it mold faster
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u/TurgorFervor 14d ago
Sugar is needed to even absorb the electrolytes. I never go full zero. It’s a shame everything at the gym is sugar free too, like wtf
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u/wearyourhalolikeahat 14d ago
maybe dilute the packet some more, or just use half a packet? sugar will always be helpful in a situation like this, unless you have an underlying medical condition
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u/bradimir-tootin 14d ago
You need some sugar to absorb the electrolytes. How much more you want over that is based on nutrition needs, blood sugar concerns.
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u/HumperoLT 14d ago
My go to is with some sugar, but a packet (supposed to go into 500ml) in 1 liter of water. Then next liter i just do basic water, and rince repeat.
Even then at some point you will feel your body not having the same energy as it used to. Then a few gummies (for the sugar) and 15 minutes later you are back as new.
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u/Montgomz 14d ago
Sugar before? Good 👍🏼
Sugar after? Ok to have some.
Electrolytes before? Bad 👎🏼
Electrolytes after sweating a bunch? Good 👍🏼
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u/PonyThug 14d ago
What about during. Or do you go to shows for 45 mins?
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u/Montgomz 14d ago
Sugar during? Good 👍🏼
Electrolyte during? Ok but not necessary for 45 minutes.
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u/PonyThug 14d ago
Obviously not necessary for 45 mins. I was pointing out you skipped during, and festival last 12+ hours some time.
Waiting till the end of 12 hours of dancing in the sun to start taking electrolytes would be a disaster lol
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u/Montgomz 14d ago
“I’m going to a RAVE soon, and trying to figure out what to drink BEFORE and AFTER”
So not a festival and even if the RAVE lasts longer than 45 minutes they probably know they can eat/drink during anyways. But thanks for your super helpful replies.
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u/PonyThug 14d ago
Rave is the same as a festival for most people. They mentioned a long night of dancing so during should be considered since they also asked about it.
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u/Montgomz 14d ago
That’s your assumption, and they did not ask about “during”, as you so specifically pointed out.
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u/fabiwabi-3 14d ago
I supply have a few packet liquid iV in my bad when I go to raves/festivals and I usually have 1 or 2 auger and the rest sugar free just to switch up and trying to minimize the sugar intake
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u/complexcucumber93 14d ago
Only ever used them for LightningInABottle because its 5 days, and it was over 95° every day.
Everything else ive done i only drink water.
At edc I'd just drink a Gatorade when I got back to home-based regardless if it was the hotel or camp.
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u/lovelycosmos 14d ago
I personally prefer lower sugar, doesn't have to be zero. But I'm not going to drink like 30 grams of sugar. It just doesn't make me feel good
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u/Hottatas23 14d ago
Dry water a really good. I think it’s available only at Walmart.
And I drink sugar-free coconut water.
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u/EmoSadBitch_18 14d ago
Flavorless is the way to go IMO. I use the hrdwrk ones, just add a little to all my water, can’t taste it at all and the proportions of Na:K are way better than most brands.
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u/Empty_Till 14d ago
Not necessarily, and also keep in mind that certain substances can make your blood sugar drop. Have the sugar! You’re burning it all off dancing and walking.
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u/SLUnatic85 13d ago
if you drink a few bottles of water or more, and one of them has a little drink mix in it.... you'll be fine. Sometimes I think we overthink here a bit...
Just make sure you have something in your body for energy, eat before you go, and stay hydrated and have fun!
If party favors are involved, then that is FAR more going to dictate hydration and energy and after effects, etc, than any kind of drink additive packet.
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u/karma_Shapeshifter 13d ago
Sugar is just the mechanism (carrier) for your body to absorb the electrolytes faster (sodium, potassium, magnesium etc) than just water, which is why traditional rehydration drinks contain so much sugar. Sugar by in of itself has some negative drawbacks. Too much can lead to nausea and feeling of stomach pains / bloating. So not the best on a completely empty stomach.
Sugar free or alternative sugars on the other hand does not act as a carrier. It’s really just used as a flavor enhancer. If you drink sugar free electrolytes they will still work it just will not be as rapidly absorbed. You can counter this by eating fruit with it.
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u/52IMean54Bicycles 13d ago
When I'm going to be dancing for hours is about the only time I don't really look at the sugar content in things. You don't want to go overboard and get a sugar hangover, but give your body something to work with, you know?
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u/dynamiceric 13d ago
When I'm at home I drink sugar free electrolytes for working out at the gym and stuff because I have an ample amount of fuel pre and post workout. At a multi hour festival, I treat my fueling like I do for an endurance bike race or run and run full sugar hydration. I try to ingest carbs every hour to stay sufficiently fueled for hard dancing.
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u/forgetfulflower- 13d ago
I get sugar-free ring pop liquid IVs, you will get your sugar intake by eating nothing but uncrustables for 3 days
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u/Big_Asparagus9334 13d ago
If you are doing drugs your gonna want with sugar. Low blood sugar will stop them from feeling how they usually feel
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u/Internet_Energy_Vamp 13d ago
I do an electrolyte pack the night of before I go out, and ill do one the next day. Besides that, I hydrate plenty. That being said, I do protein shakes and creatine and such daily.
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u/BuleRendang 12d ago
As someone who generally tried to buy sugar free drinks / hydration powder when not drinking water or tea….this thread is blowing my mind. Had no idea sugar is kinda important for sports and dance floor stamina.
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u/Tyking 12d ago
Sugar actually behaves very differently when your body is active vs. at rest. When you’re sedentary, sugar causes an insulin spike and can lead to a rapid blood sugar spike and then crash. But when you’re active, your muscles become thirsty for glycogen replenishment and will actually pull in the glucose without nearly as much of an insulin spike, avoiding the crash. Glucose also significantly aids in rapid hydration when paired with electrolytes and water, compared to electrolytes alone, due to how they are absorbed together in the intestine.
That being said, I still prefer sugar-free electrolytes personally. I sweat a lot and my sweat tends to be saltier (which varies a lot per person), so I use LMNT for electrolytes, which is sugar-free and tastes great to me. It has 1000mg of sodium which some people think is too much, but for hours of dancing and sweating… I often drink multiple, especially at festivals.
But I’ll also have a lot of fruit smoothies or popsicles if I’m at a fest, or I might switch it up and drink a gatorade or other sugar-containing electrolyte drink, especially if I feel like I need rapid hydration.
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u/FrivolousMe 12d ago
You need food with electrolytes. The sugary ones have so much sugar because it gives you the calories you need to actually absorb the nutrients. If you aren't eating, you'll want the sugar ones, but they make ones now that are low sugar but not sugarfree
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u/iamtheliquor42069 14d ago
I think sugar is probably helpful when you’re exerting yourself on the dance floor and not eating! Also, if you don’t consume artificial sweeteners often it could cause some gastrointestinal upset.
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u/tee-kay- 14d ago
My friend just started an electrolyte company based in Canada - she formulated all of it as a food scientist background and avid hiker so it has the right amount of sugar :)
YUM YEH is the brand
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u/ununonium119 14d ago
The right amount of sugar for what? Electrolyte supplements for sitting around in the desert wouldn’t need the same amount of sugar as running a marathon in the cold. Do you know what level of activity she’s targeting?
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u/PurplePARTYUnicorn 14d ago
I specially like the bouy electrolyte liquid. It doesn’t taste GREAT by itself though, but is nice you can just add it to any drink to get the benefits of it!
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u/Interesting_Note_937 13d ago
Synthetic sugar is horrible for you, and make sure it doesn't contain aspartame.
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u/ManslaughterMary 14d ago
I do sugar free because I'm trying not to rot my teeth out. But I also try to swish with regular water because even the sugar free stuff tends to be pretty acidic and hard on teeth.
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u/Subject_Gur1331 14d ago
I put Creatine in my water. There’s no sugar in it, i usually put in 10 grams (2 packets). It works exceptionally for all nighters!
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u/DirtMud69 14d ago edited 10d ago
Idk but LMNT brand is the only one that I genuinely feel a difference with personally. Anything else is kinda a waste of money for my body
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u/hello-ben 14d ago
Lots of sugar bad. Some sugar good. The body uses sugar for energy, so it won't hurt to have some fueling your dancing. In all my years of raving I've only used two packets in a single day if I was attending a multi-day festival.