Sodium levels in the blood are often a misunderstood topic and it is imperative that we as individuals understand the meaning and importance of maintaining the proper balance of sodium in the body.
Meaning of Low Sodium
First, let's understand the meaning of low sodium. It is an important element in the body that helps maintain the correct balance of water in the cells around your body.
This stabilizes blood pressure levels in the body. When the sodium level in the blood falls, you will have many problems.
The condition is known as hyponatremia. When the sodium level falls below the normal level of 135 mEq / L, your body is known to be low in sodium.
What Causes Low Sodium Levels in the Body?
- Heart failure.
- Sweating too much.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Many types of kidney-related diseases.
- Diarrhea or other types of problems in the digestive tract.
- Drinking water while exercising.
- Taking a lot of water pills.
- Liver diseases.
- If you have Cushing's syndrome.
- If you are someone with diabetes insipid.
- An underactive thyroid gland can be another reason why there is an imbalance in the water and sodium levels in the body.
Here are Some of the Side effects of Low Sodium Levels
Now that we have seen the different causes of low sodium levels in the body, let's now understand the side effects that can be caused by low sodium levels in the blood:
- People with low sodium levels tend to vomit regularly.
- The patients are constantly nauseated.
- Another side effect is that the energy level in the body is very low.
- Patients also experience a constant This is often caused by the weakness of people. experience in themselves due to low sodium levels.
- For all of the above reasons, the patients with low sodium levels usually remain irritated. They are usually in a state of complete confusion.
- In some of the more extreme cases, the patients are known to tend to suffer from different types of seizures. Patients can even fall into a coma, which again can be fatal.
However, you should know that low sodium can be unrecognizable in most cases.
The signs, symptoms, and side effects listed above are very general in nature and people may not even realize that you are suffering from hyponatremia.
How to increase the sodium content in the body?
The following are the Different Ways in which Sodium Levels in the Body can be Increased
- The first and most important thing to do is reduce the amount of water you drink. In hyponatremia, the body usually suffers because there is some kind of imbalance between the amount of water and sodium. Therefore with less water intake
- You can also increase the sodium level in the body by having a drink that actually contains sodium. This helps to maintain balance
- Another major cause of low sodium is that if you take a lot of diuretics, your sodium levels will drop. Therefore, you should reduce the number of diuretics you usually take.
- There are artificial ways to get sodium into the body. You will need to monitor and test the sodium levels in your blood regularly, and if it does, external injections are several other ways you can take sodium.
- You can also include more salt. This can be counterintuitive, but you can consult your medical expert before taking this step. Salt is known to have a sufficient amount of sodium and taking it can help you balance sodium, you can take salt by making it a part of your salads, fruits you eat, vegetables, and various others foods
Therefore, you should not underestimate the sodium levels in your body. Low levels of this electrolyte can prove to be very dangerous and so the same should be maintained within recommended limits.