low sodium levels

bioheil

My doctor recently told me I was drinking too much water because my sodium levels were low. I drink water but a crazy amount and I have never heard of low sodium levels before. Any ideas?

bioheil

I am under my reccomended oz every day so I am kind of at a loss.

SeasideOasis

I have definitely heard of this. You can either A.) Drink less water or B.) Try eating things with a little more sodium...Don't start salting stuff to death by any means, but a little more here and there wont kill you. Its not like me who has more than enough sodium everyday

BrewerGeorge

Since I came onto this board, I've wondered whether some people might be unintentionally deficient on sodium because of the emphasis here on drinking large amounts of water and cutting sodium. Combine that with exercise sweat and it could be an issue.

Salt is an essential nutrient and you really can die (fairly quickly) from not having enough of it. Find out if you're salt-sensitive. You can find instructions online to do this with a glass of salt water and a blood pressure monitor. If you are, speak with your doc about how much you should eat given the amount of water and exercise you're doing. If you're not salt-sensitive, just eat more salt - it won't hurt you.

bioheil

Thanks for the ideas. I am going to contact my doctor again.

bioheil

My low sodium levels are accompanied by headaches...and they are back...