Treatment for low sodium – In order for your body to function correctly, there are a number of essential nutrients it requires.

 

 

Essential doesn’t mean these are the only ones of importance.treatment for low sodium there are many non-essential nutrients that your life depends on.

 

 

Essential in this regard simply means they aren’t internally produced by your body, making it “essential” to source them externally through your diet.

 

 

One such essential nutrient is sodium.

 

 

Considered one of the mineral salts or electrolytes, treatment for low sodium responsible for maintaining fluid and electrical balance in the body due to its ability to affect concentration gradients as well as electric potential.

 

 

Despite this important function, sodium has been getting a bad rap as of late.

 

 

That’s not because sodium is itself inherently bad, its simply because the amounts we are typically exposed to through our modern diet presents an excess.

 

 

This excess amount of sodium throws our fluid balance way off, leading to symptoms of dehydration.

 

 

It also causes disruptions in the bioelectric system of the body, leading to cramps and muscle spasms.

 

 

An overabundance of sodium can also affect the heart and lead to chronic hypertension.

 

 

Healthy daily sodium intake should be no more than 2300 mg for an adult, but the average intake for an American sits at around 3400 mg!

 

 

That’s more than 1000mg over the recommended limit. And the recommended limit isn’t even the ideal limit, it actually advised that you aim for no more than 1500 mg per day.

 

 

Excess sodium consumption is simply a case of too much of a good, or rather, necessary thing.

 

 

The major cause of this is processed foods as well as the modern human palette.

 

 

Sodium is a cheap and readily available preservative. A property that has been exploited over the centuries, but certainly kicked into overdrive with the advent of mass-produced processed food.

 

 

Sodium is also a major component of arguably the most popular condiment, table salt. Our taste sensitivity to salty things is usually super low, which is why we often over salt our food in order to enjoy it.

 

 

But let’s say you manage to get your sodium down to a healthy normal. What then are the benefits you’re reaping from this mineral salt and where can you get in in healthy doses?

 

 

Benefits of sodium

 

Fluid Balance

 

Treatment for low sodium – Sodium helps balance the body’s fluid levels both within cells and in your bloodstream.

 

 

In the blood, sodium is vital for controlling blood volume by working in conjunction with the kidneys and the hormone aldosterone.

 

 

Sodium is balanced by potassium when it comes to fluid balance, so you ultimately need one to have the other.

 

 

Manages Blood Pressure

 

As we mentioned, sodium helps regulate blood volume. What this achieves is a net balance in blood pressure, an essential aspect of good health.

 

 

You want your blood pressure to neither dip to low (hypotension) or rise too high (hypertension).

 

 

Chronic hypertension is a particularly troubling problem when it comes to modern health concerns. It is a risk factor in heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US today!

 

 

Muscle Contractions

 

Another useful benefit of sodium is its effect on muscle contraction.

 

Sodium is an electrolyte which means it has a direct impact on muscle action just as other electrolytes do.

 

 

Inadequate levels of sodium are often associated with cramps and spasms as the muscle contraction motor neurons misfire.

 

 

That leads us to the next important benefit of sodium.

 

 

Nerve Impulses

 

Sodium creates electrical potential across nerve synapses.

 

 

What that means is it influences the firing of nerve impulses responsible for communication through the body.

 

 

When sodium is deficient, the impulses happen at an ineffective rate and intensity.

 

 

This results in muscle cramps amongst other things.

 

 

Conclusion

 

So there you have it, 4 reasons why you actually need sodium.

 

 

Treatment for low sodium the thing is, most of us already get enough, if not too much of it.

 

 

This insight article is to kind of dispel the myth that sodium is altogether bad for you, which may be the result of an extreme counter-reaction to the harm that excess sodium is doing.

 

 

Our goal is to let you know how much sodium is good for you and to remind you that you do actually need it.