keggerkeg

First off let me say...i am a sweater...sweat a lot when exercising...so far this year (and I live in Northern indiana so really year is just starting) I seem to be having way more salty crystal / deposits on forhead etc when riding this year...significantly more than last year in summer when temps much higher...I did a 40 mile ride yesterday and when got back had lots of areas of pure wight salty deposits on forehead / neck...hard to describe how it looks but it is considerable amount...enough that I am somewhat emberassed to have been seen in public with it like that!

But I guess main questions are:
What would cause the salty deposits to be worse this season?
What is considered "excessive"?
Any special nutritional / dietary items that would decrease it?
Any special nutritional / dietary items that shoudl be take to help recover or mitigate effects?

thanks

trigger

You might want to look into a electrolyte replacement - Nuun or Endurolytes or something similar.

The_D

I lose salt like no one's business, esp. in the heat. I have darker skin do I look like a total nutter when I'm covered in that stuff on a Sat. afternoon.

After bad cramping last year, I've learned that Nuun/Zym tabs are great in the water. The real key is endurolytes. And drink water like you're getting paid to do it.

AFAIK, you can't really prevent it, you just have to mitigate the effects.

palesaint

I find as my strength and endurance builds up for cycling that I seem to be sweating more. I was soaked a LOT more this year than last on the trainer in the garage - to the point of dripping sweat in buckets even at 35 degrees F! Now that I am back out on the roads it seems I'm sweating more, including the salt lick deposits. I used to be able to go 2-3 rides between washing my jersey. Can't do that anymore. I believe it's just a side effect of becoming a stronger rider. So good on ya!

ericgu

It's pretty simple.

Your body doesn't like to lose salt when you sweat, so if you are sweating a fair bit (ie working out in the heat, etc.), your sweat will, over time, become less salty. The sources that I found say that the salt content can vary from 200mg to 1100mg per liter. You haven't been sweating that much, so your sweat is saltier than it will be in the summer when you're sweating a lot.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, though if you do long rides in the heat you might consider salt supplementation. I use succeed E!caps.

merlin55

Maybe you losing a lot of salt because you have a surplus of salt in your diet. Some people lose a lot of salt in their sweat and some lose very little. I'm on a low salt diet for a couple of years, drink only water on 3 and 4 hours rides of 60 to 70 miles, and don't have cramps, and my sweat is no longer salty....like it was years ago

DesnaePhoto

I too sweat buckets. And turn everything white. If Merlin's statement is accurate about surplus salt = higher salt concentration in sweat, then that explains a lot. Except that if I don't take supplements on rides over 2 hours, I get massive headaches. Even when hydrated. Just is the way my body seems to function.

I use S!caps. My head start to hurt if I don't take enough.

Special things to minimize the effects? Showers, laundry, and wiping down the bike.

CastIron

Everybody has slightly different body chemistry.

As to electrolyte replacement, what works well for me is to spike whatever beverage I fancy that day with 1/8 teaspoon of Morton Lite Salt. It's a nice bump of sodium and potassium, which my body responds quite well to.