What Are the Symptoms of Low Sodium?

If you are showing symptoms of low sodium, you may not be able to regulate the amount of sodium in your body properly.

That can lead to symptoms of low sodium that could be harmful if left untreated. There are several ways to treat low sodium and get back on track with normal levels again.

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Symptoms of Low Sodium

Low sodium diet can be very effective in treating hyponatremia. (Image via Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)

When your blood sodium levels fall, you may not experience any symptoms at first. If they drop more gradually, though, you might eventually develop the symptoms. If they drop very quickly, you will probably experience the following severe symptoms right away.

• Headache
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Muscle cramps

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Treatment of low sodium

Sodium supplements are available in many forms. (Image via Pexels/Sora Shimazaki)

Treatment of low sodium is a matter of increasing your intake of salt and water. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for sodium is 1,500 milligrams per day for healthy adults and 2,300 milligrams per day for those over 51 years old or who have heart disease or high blood pressure.

Sodium supplements are available in many forms: table salt (sodium chloride), baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), monosodium glutamate (MSG), potassium chloride, disodium phosphate and others. If you take a prescription drug that has more than one ingredient, check the label carefully to make sure it doesn't include salt as an ingredient.

If you can't get enough from food sources alone, your doctor may prescribe diuretics or water pills that help remove excess fluids through urination. That would allow the body's other systems to function better as they wouldn't be working so hard trying to keep up with fluid retention caused by low levels of sodium.

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How to Prevent Symptoms of Low Sodium?

Low sodium diet is one of the best way to reduce and prevent the aforementioned symptoms. The low sodium diet includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats (such as chicken or fish), low fat dairy products and fish.

In addition to these foods that are low in sodium, you can add nuts and seeds as well as olive oil to your diet. Limit your intake of processed foods, and limit the amount of salt added to your food while cooking or eating out at restaurants.

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Conclusion

Some doctors recommend taking medications that contain salt if you have hyponatremia. These medications are called salt pills, water pills or diuretics.

They can help your body retain sodium when it’s needed and also make sure you don’t lose too much sodium in your urine. However, these medicines aren’t right for everyone symptoms of low sodium, so check with your doctor before taking them