14 Common Signs of Sodium Deficiency

Our body operates on a delicate electrolyte and mineral balance. Changes to this homeostasis results in a range of symptoms. The severity of symptoms depends on the extent of the depletion of these electrolytes. Potassium and sodium are two essential electrolytes our body needs to stay healthy, and a lack of one or both critical nutrients results in severe issues with our physiology.

Hyponatremia refers to a condition where you have very low levels of sodium in your bloodstream. This electrolyte helps your body with regulating the water in and around cells in your body. There is a variety of reasons why you might start to experience the onset of hyponatremia. Underlying medical conditions and drinking too much water mat deplete or dilute the amount of sodium in your blood.

As the condition starts to reach critical levels, patients experience swelling in cells as the water level in the body continues to rise. The inflammation and swelling caused by hyponatremia can lead to a life-threatening situation if left untreated. Here are 14 signs of sodium deficiency.

1.     Nausea

When sodium levels run low, the affected individual may start to feel nauseous. Nausea describes a condition where you feel ill in your stomach. You might feel like vomiting, even if you don’t have anything in your stomach.

Nausea can come in waves, with you feeling severe distress, only to have it subside for a few hours. Nausea relating to sodium deficiency occurs due to the build-up of fluid in your cells around the stomach lining and gastrointestinal tract. As the swelling of the cells continues, the nausea symptoms may continue to increase.

Nausea symptoms are incredibly challenging to deal with and may send you running to the bathroom, feeling the urge to purge. The waves may get progressively worse as the condition deepens in the affected individual.

Taking anti-nausea medication may provide temporary relief, but it’s not doing anything to resolve the underlying condition. As a result, your nausea may turn into sensations of vomiting.