We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Sodium and headaches

thewindandthework
thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I usually eat rather low-sodium, but yesterday I had much more sodium than usual. And today my head aches like crazy! I don't usually get headaches, so I'm trying to figure out what might be causing this.

I have definitely read that a high-sodium diet can be a factor in recurring headaches, but could a single high-sodium day cause headaches?

Replies

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Yeap, it's happened to me before. I had a day where I accidentally hit 9g when running keto (damned olives), and I thought that my head was going to explode. Expect a surge in water weight over the next few days too.
  • hannahvean
    hannahvean Posts: 8 Member
    Whenever I eat out at a restaurant, I find myself with a headache in the morning; I think it's due to excessive sodium. I also find it very hard to wake up in the morning after eating out the night before.
  • coueswhitetail
    coueswhitetail Posts: 301 Member
    It happens to me too....usually it seems to be when i get dehydrated from exercise and then had a high salt meal at a restaurant....sometimes I wonder if it's caused by MSG, but I think it is generally just sodium. In order to keep the headache at bay, I drink a lot of water with electrolytes....and try to avoid multiple salty meals back to back. I have gotten horrible migraines the morning after a salting meal, especially if I had been exercising in the heat the day or two before.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    It's very possible.
    Some studies think that what used to be blamed on MSG after a Chinese restaurant meal is actually from the high sodium. MSG has a lot of sodium in it.
  • ItsBetterThisWay
    ItsBetterThisWay Posts: 42 Member
    Believe or not but for some folks, not eating wheat for a day can cause headaches.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,749 Member
    cmtigger wrote: »
    It's very possible.
    Some studies think that what used to be blamed on MSG after a Chinese restaurant meal is actually from the high sodium. MSG has a lot of sodium in it.

    About 1/3 the sodium of table salt, apparently. But there tends to be a lot more salt added to the dish on top of the MSG
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    cmtigger wrote: »
    It's very possible.
    Some studies think that what used to be blamed on MSG after a Chinese restaurant meal is actually from the high sodium. MSG has a lot of sodium in it.

    About 1/3 the sodium of table salt, apparently. But there tends to be a lot more salt added to the dish on top of the MSG

    The label says 60 mg per 1/8 tsp. So it's 360 mg per teaspoon. Still not low, and add salt or soy sauce on top of that....
This discussion has been closed.

Categories