Should I Take Potassium In The Morning or Night? - Here's The Answer...

Be it from bananas, avocados, cooked spinach, or squash, potassium is an essential part of the diet. And although there are plenty of potassium-rich foods, roughly 97% of Americans aren’t eating enough ¹.

Why? Low-sodium diets. But contrary to everything we’ve been told, a low sodium diet can be harmful—and result in low potassium levels.

While boosting your sodium intake may be necessary, increasing your potassium intake is also. They’re two nutrients that work closely together, and when you have sufficient potassium in your diet, it can stop sodium from increasing blood pressure ^{2, 3}.

So much so, that getting enough potassium has more benefits for blood pressure than cutting out sodium ^{4, 5}. Neat, right?

To increase awareness about the importance of potassium in the body, we’ve created a guide to potassium supplementation—what it is, why you need it, and when the optimal time to supplement is.

Let’s get started.

What Is Potassium?

While commonly lumped in with the other electrolytes—sodium, chloride, magnesium, etc.—potassium is an essential mineral in and of itself involved in several biological functions.

And it also happens to be one of the four major nutrient shortfalls in the American diet—especially since the RDI intake to 4,700 mg/day ⁶.

But perhaps what’s more staggering is that a mere 3% of Americans met the recommended intake before guidelines changes, which is likely even fewer now with a higher intake value.

Potassium is important for heart and bone health, and it’s also known to reduce the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease—two of the leading causes of mortality in the United States. You’ll also find potassium has benefits for blood pressure glucose intolerance, cardiac arrhythmias, and more.

Inadequate intake is the primary cause of deficiency, but for anyone looking to increase their dietary intake, you’re in luck—it’s found in various foods.

For most people eating a balanced diet low in processed foods, potassium intake is generally sufficient, but low levels can lead to symptoms like:

• Muscles weakness
• Fatigue
• Muscle cramps
• Muscle aches and stiffness
• Numbness
• Heart palpitations
• Difficulty breathing
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Mood swings

It doesn’t sound pleasant, right? That’s why boosting your intake through a potassium-rich diet or including supplements is essential—and we’ll cover when the best time to take potassium is!

The Functions Of Potassium

1. Regulates fluid balance

The balance of fluid inside your cells (intracellular fluid) and outside your cells (extracellular fluid) is carefully maintained by the concentration of electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium.

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When this balance is thrown off, it can lead to cells shrinking or swelling, which interferes with heart and kidney function ^{7, 8}.

2. Supports the nervous system

Nerve impulses that control bodily functions like heartbeat and muscle contractions are generated by the movement of sodium and potassium ions in and out of cells.

The movement alters the cell’s voltage, which produces a nerve impulse. And when potassium levels drop, it affects how the body’s nerves function ⁹.

3. Regulates muscle contraction

Altered potassium levels can impact the nerve signals that control the heart muscles by altering the voltage of nerve cells.

High blood potassium levels can cause the heart to become dilated and flaccid, which weakens contractions and results in arrhythmias ^{10, 11}.

Likewise, low levels can also alter the heartbeat, which subsequently interferes with blood circulation to the brain, organs, and muscles ¹².

So, what does getting enough potassium do for your body?

• Reduces blood pressure
• May protect against stroke
• Supports bone health and reduces the risk of osteoporosis
• May prevent kidney stones
• Reduces water retention
• Regulates glucose levels

Potassium and Sleep

Magnesium has always been touted as the super mineral for sleep, but recent research suggests that its friend, potassium, may be just as beneficial—and this is why swapping your morning potassium supplement for the evening might be ideal.

A recent 2017 study published in Nature Communications shows that red blood cells have their own circadian rhythm ¹³. Just as humans work on a day and night schedule, so do red blood cells.

But why should you care? RBCs don’t have mitochondria, the energy centers of your body that also control your body clock.

Red blood cells contain their own circadian rhythm that dictates when to be active and when to rest. Still, since they don’t contain DNA, researchers found that fluctuations in potassium levels had a significant impact on red blood cells’ activity and rest.

Specifically, potassium levels increased during the day and decreased at night, and when these levels were altered, cells’ circadian rhythm was, too. Simply put, potassium affects how red blood cells, responsible for transporting oxygen through the body, operate during the day.

Although it may not seem like a huge finding, researchers suggest this could help explain heart attacks occur most often in the morning.

You’ve likely heard that potassium and magnesium work synergistically in the body, serving as important electrolytes and both playing a big role in circadian rhythm.

But because magnesium and potassium together can decrease blood pressure, you want to ensure you’re consuming enough sodium to balance it out.