Symptoms Of Low Sodium Levels In Elderly – What are electrolytes? Electrolytes are certain nutrients (or substances) present in the body that have many important functions – from controlling your heart rate to allowing your muscles to contract so you can move.

The main salts found in the body are calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphate and chloride. Because these important nutrients help stimulate nerves throughout the body and balance fluid levels, electrolyte imbalances can cause a variety of serious negative symptoms, including some that are potentially fatal.

Symptoms Of Low Sodium Levels In Elderly

You gain electrolytes by eating different foods and drinking certain liquids, while you partially lose them through exercise, sweating, going to the toilet and urinating. (1) This is why a poor diet, too little or too much exercise, and being sick are some possible causes of electrolyte imbalance.

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Electrolytes are found in body fluids, including urine, blood, and sweat. Electrolytes get their name because they literally have an “electrical charge.” (2) They separate into positively and negatively charged ions when dissolved in water.

The reason this is important is because of how neural reactions occur. Your nerves signal to each other through metabolic processes that depend on negatively charged ions, both outside and inside the cells.

Electrolyte imbalances can be caused by a variety of factors, including short-term illnesses, medications, dehydration, and underlying chronic conditions. (3) Some of the common causes of electrolyte imbalance are due to fluid loss, which can be caused by conditions including:

Because electrolytes play so many different roles in the body, imbalances usually cause noticeable changes in how you feel fairly quickly. Depending on the type of electrolyte imbalance you experience, a number of symptoms may occur, including:

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To diagnose electrolyte imbalance, your doctor may perform several different tests to determine your electrolyte levels. Your health care provider will most likely discuss your medical history with you, any recurring symptoms you experience, and perform urine and blood tests to detect abnormalities.

It’s also sometimes necessary to have an EKG test, ultrasound, or x-ray of the kidneys to look for serious electrolyte imbalances that can put you at risk for heart disease.

Your doctor will look for noticeable changes in your ideal electrolyte levels, including very high or low levels of potassium, magnesium, or sodium. This is usually quite easy to spot as the body works very hard to keep electrolyte levels within a narrow range. Concentration is measured per liter of blood, and electrolyte imbalance is diagnosed when you have either a higher or lower level than the normal range below: (4)

How do you know when it’s time to talk to a doctor about whether or not you may have electrolyte imbalance? If you can identify with the electrolyte imbalance symptom descriptions below, it’s best to talk to a healthcare professional to discuss how to reverse the problem and prevent it from happening again. Here are some common signs of experiencing electrolyte imbalance, and a little more about what can cause each one:

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The first step to correcting an electrolyte imbalance is to identify how it developed in the first place. For many, a poor diet high in processed foods high in sodium, but low in other salts such as magnesium or potassium, sets the stage for dangerous imbalances. In many cases, minor electrolyte imbalances can be corrected simply by making dietary changes and cutting back on junk food, takeout and restaurants, and instead cooking fresh food at home.

Focus your diet on whole, unpackaged foods—especially plenty of vegetables and fruits that provide potassium and magnesium. Some of the best are leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cabbage, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes or squash, bananas and avocados. A diet rich in magnesium or potassium can probably be enough to solve problems such as low potassium levels that can lead to blood pressure problems or magnesium deficiency that can contribute to anxiety, restlessness and muscle spasms.

To prevent dehydration and restore electrolytes, focus on electrolyte drinks and these foods—which are some of the most hydrating because they’re highly water-tight:

Another thing to consider is whether you are getting enough calcium. With or without eating dairy products, you can get calcium from leafy greens, other vegetables, beans and legumes. To get enough calcium naturally without the need for supplements, consider adding high-quality, preferably raw dairy products to your diet if you can tolerate them. Foods such as organic probiotic yogurt, cultured raw cheeses, and raw milk provide high levels of electrolytes as well as other important nutrients.

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When consuming packaged or processed foods, check the sodium level. Sodium is an electrolyte that plays a significant role in the body’s ability to retain or release water, so if your diet is very high in sodium, more water is excreted by the kidneys and this can cause complications in balancing other electrolytes.

Here’s how sodium works in the body: Essentially, water comes after salt, which means if you increase sodium too much, water retention also occurs. At the same time, the opposite is also true: Loss of sodium leads to loss of water, which can potentially cause dehydration and extreme thirst. Hypernatremia (the name for a condition that occurs when either too much water is lost or too much sodium is gained) is more common among older adults, people with diabetes, and those who eat a highly processed diet. People can too

High sodium levels from diarrhea, taking certain diuretics or laxatives, and exercising heavily and overtraining without staying hydrated all cause problems.

Monitoring how much sodium you consume helps control symptoms, including bloating, lethargy, dehydration, weakness, irritability and muscle twitching. Drinking water and eating mostly whole foods (not the prepackaged kind!) also ensures you’re getting enough of other important salts.

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Electrolyte imbalances can occur when water levels in the body change, either causing dehydration (not enough water relative to certain elevated electrolytes) or overhydration (too much water). Drinking enough water, without over-diluting your cells, helps prevent sodium and potassium levels from getting too high or too low.

How much water is the right amount for you? It all depends on your specific needs. Do you exercise often? Do you live in a hot climate that causes you to sweat? Do you eat a lot of watery fruits or vegetables, or more processed foods?

While “eight glasses a day” has always been the standard recommendation, this isn’t necessarily the best amount for every person, as factors like diet, age, exercise and body size determine how much water you need. A good rule of thumb is to drink enough so that you pee at least every three to four hours, which for most people is about eight to 10 eight-ounce glasses a day.

If you engage in vigorous exercise (especially in hot/hot weather that increases sweat production), be sure to replenish with plenty of water and electrolytes (such as synthetic formulas that contain sodium). If you have been sick (including with a fever that causes vomiting or diarrhea), be aware that you are losing fluids and should increase your intake. If not, you run the risk of dehydration, kidney stones, bladder infections, urinary stones and possibly even heart failure. That’s why it’s so important to protect yourself from dehydration. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding also need extra fluids (about 10–13 cups a day) to stay hydrated and prevent dehydration, as do teenagers who grow and develop faster than people of other ages.

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Is it possible to drink too much water? Overhydration is rare, but yes, it is possible. (6) Your kidneys can’t excrete very large amounts of excess water, so this can mean your blood electrolytes can become diluted. The result could be low sodium levels, which is more common among endurance athletes (who often try to compensate for sweating by drinking lots of water) but not very likely to occur in someone eating a traditional American diet high in salt.

Antibiotics, diuretics, hormonal drugs, blood pressure drugs and cancer treatments can affect electrolyte levels. The most severe forms of electrolyte imbalance are usually seen in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Their symptoms can be very severe when not treated properly and include high blood calcium levels or other imbalances that occur when cancer cells die.

Laxatives or diuretics also change potassium and sodium levels in the blood and urine. Certain diuretics are considered “potassium-sparing,” meaning they can cause potassium levels to remain very high while other electrolytes such as sodium, calcium, and magnesium can drop very low. This causes anxiety, rapid heart rate, digestive problems and sleep problems. It is also possible to develop electrolyte imbalance due to hormonal interactions from diuretics, aldosterone, and thyroid hormones. (7) Even high levels of physiological stress can affect hormones to the point of fluid and electrolyte imbalance.

If you’ve started a new medication or supplement and notice changes in your mood, energy, heart rate, and sleep, talk to

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