​6 Intermittent Fasting Mistakes You Might Be Making

Athletes who engage in intense exercise for prolonged periods of time—an hour or more—may at times need a sodium boost, Dubost says. “Hyponatremia can occur, which is a drop of sodium in the blood resulting in dizziness, confusion, weakness, and even death,” she explains. While it’s not common, hyponatremia can occur when people are sweating hard and pounding lots of water to rehydrate, but aren’t replacing the sodium their bodies shed while perspiring. If you’ve just wrapped up a grueling, shirt-soaking workout—or if, during an endurance event, you’re experiencing any of the symptoms Dubost mentioned—eating some salty foods can help your body recover. (Try these 13 Health - Injuries.)

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“Once again, excessive sweating can result in a drop in sodium,” Dubost says. As with heavy exercise, excessive sweating could in some cases lead to hyponatremia, she explains. If the weather conditions are making you sweat hard and you’re experiencing headaches, light-headedness, or crazy thirst, sprinkle some salt onto whatever you’re eating. It may relieve your symptoms. 

Salt-losing nephropathy is a form of kidney disease that makes it difficult for your body to maintain adequate sodium levels, says Lawrence Appel, MD, an American Heart Association spokesperson and a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University Medical Institutions. “People with this condition lose excess sodium in their urine, and need to make a conscious effort to keep their [sodium] levels up,” he says. If they don’t, the result could once again be hyponatremia, which could produce symptoms like dizziness, headaches, weakness, or fatigue. Call your doctor and let her know what’s up. (Know these 6 signs of kidney failure.)

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Several medications—diuretics, in particular—can lead to mineral imbalances in your body by increasing your urine output, Dubost says. While it’s true that diuretics are often prescribed for those with hypertension, and it’s also true that eating too much salt can be risky for those with elevated BP, there may still be times when someone taking diuretics needs to consume some extra sodium to help balance things out.

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Seniors—especially those aged 80 or older—may experience a brain boost by upping their salt intake, according to a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging. The study team found that, compared to older adults on low-sodium diets, those who consumed moderate amounts of sodium performed better on some tests of brain functioning. It’s important to point out that this study is preliminary. So while it’s possible some extra sodium may benefit your brain, don’t go nuts with the salt shaker until you’ve cleared it with your doctor. (Plus, one recent study also linked increased sodium intake to greater risk for diabetes.)

A cluster of conditions known collectively as Bartter syndrome can affect your kidneys’ ability to process the salt you consume. Basically, too much sodium ends up in your urine, and not enough is absorbed into your body, Appel says. The condition is rare, and it springs from genetic abnormalities. Symptoms of the syndrome include everything from vomiting and excessive thirst to intense salt cravings. Again, you need to speak with your doctor before upping your salt consumption.

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