What are the main differences between hypernatremia and hyponatremia. How do these conditions relate to dehydration. What causes electrolyte imbalances in the body. How can you recognize and treat various types of dehydration.

The Importance of Fluid and Electrolyte Balance in the Human Body

The human body is a complex system that relies heavily on proper fluid and electrolyte balance to function optimally. With over 60% of our body composition being fluid, maintaining the right balance is crucial for various physiological processes. Sodium, a critical electrolyte, plays a vital role in this delicate equilibrium.

When this balance is disrupted, two main conditions can occur: hypernatremia and hyponatremia. Both of these conditions are closely related to dehydration, but they differ in their specific characteristics and effects on the body.

What is the role of sodium in the body?

Sodium is an essential electrolyte that helps regulate fluid balance, nerve impulses, and muscle function. It’s necessary for:

• Maintaining blood pressure
• Facilitating nutrient absorption in the intestines
• Enabling proper muscle and nerve function
• Regulating blood volume

Dehydration: The Root Cause of Electrolyte Imbalances

Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluids than it takes in, disrupting the balance of water and electrolytes necessary for normal bodily functions. This imbalance can lead to various complications, including hypernatremia and hyponatremia.

What are the common causes of dehydration?

Dehydration can result from various factors:

1. Excessive sweating due to heat or physical activity
2. Diarrhea or vomiting
3. Fever
4. Inadequate fluid intake
5. Certain medications, especially diuretics
6. Medical conditions affecting fluid balance (e.g., diabetes)

Hypernatremia: When Sodium Levels Rise Above Normal

Hypernatremia, also known as hypertonic dehydration, occurs when there’s an excess of sodium relative to water in the body. This condition typically results from significant water loss without adequate replacement of fluids.

What are the symptoms of hypernatremia?

Common symptoms of hypernatremia include:

• Intense thirst
• Dry mouth and mucous membranes
• Confusion or altered mental state
• Muscle twitches or spasms
• In severe cases, seizures or coma

Hypernatremia can be particularly dangerous if left untreated, as it can lead to brain shrinkage and potential neurological damage.

Hyponatremia: The Dangers of Low Sodium Levels

Hyponatremia, or hypotonic dehydration, is the opposite of hypernatremia. It occurs when there’s an excess of water relative to sodium in the body. This condition can arise from various causes, including excessive water intake without adequate electrolyte replacement.

What medical conditions can lead to hyponatremia?

Several medical conditions can contribute to the development of hyponatremia:

• Kidney failure
• Heart failure
• Liver cirrhosis
• Adrenal gland disorders (e.g., Addison’s disease)
• Certain medications (e.g., diuretics, antidepressants)
• Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone secretion (SIADH)

Interestingly, hyponatremia doesn’t always cause excessive thirst, as fluid levels may be normal or even elevated. Instead, initial symptoms often include confusion and lethargy.

Recognizing the Signs of Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalances

Early recognition of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances is crucial for prompt treatment and prevention of complications. While symptoms can vary depending on the type and severity of the imbalance, there are some common signs to watch for.

How can you identify dehydration in adults?

In adults, signs of dehydration may include:

• Increased thirst
• Dry mouth and lips
• Decreased urine output or dark-colored urine
• Fatigue or weakness
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Headache
• Dry skin that lacks elasticity

Are the signs of dehydration different in children?

Children may exhibit different signs of dehydration compared to adults:

• Sunken eyes or fontanelles (soft spots on an infant’s head)
• Lack of tears when crying
• Dry mouth and tongue
• Irritability or listlessness
• Fewer wet diapers than usual
• Cold and clammy extremities

Treatment Approaches for Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalances

The treatment for dehydration and electrolyte imbalances depends on the severity of the condition and the underlying cause. In mild cases, oral rehydration may be sufficient, while more severe cases may require intravenous fluid administration.

How can mild dehydration be treated at home?

For mild dehydration, the following steps can be taken:

1. Increase fluid intake, preferably with oral rehydration solutions
2. Consume foods high in water content (e.g., fruits, vegetables)
3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can contribute to further dehydration
4. Rest in a cool environment to prevent excessive sweating

It’s important to note that in cases of hyponatremia, simply drinking more water may exacerbate the condition. Proper electrolyte balance must be maintained during rehydration.

When is medical intervention necessary for dehydration?

Seek medical attention if you or someone you know experiences:

• Severe dizziness or disorientation
• Rapid heartbeat
• Seizures
• Loss of consciousness
• Inability to keep fluids down due to persistent vomiting
• No improvement despite home treatment

Prevention Strategies for Maintaining Proper Hydration and Electrolyte Balance

Preventing dehydration and electrolyte imbalances is often easier than treating them. By adopting certain habits and lifestyle changes, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing these conditions.

How can you ensure proper hydration throughout the day?

To maintain proper hydration:

1. Drink water regularly, even before you feel thirsty
2. Consume foods with high water content
3. Monitor your urine color (pale yellow indicates good hydration)
4. Increase fluid intake during hot weather or physical activity
5. Use oral rehydration solutions during illness, especially if experiencing diarrhea or vomiting

What dietary changes can help maintain electrolyte balance?

To support proper electrolyte balance:

• Include salt in your diet, unless otherwise advised by a healthcare provider
• Consume potassium-rich foods (e.g., bananas, avocados, leafy greens)
• Eat magnesium-rich foods (e.g., nuts, seeds, whole grains)
• Consider electrolyte-enhanced beverages during intense physical activity

The Impact of Medications and Medical Conditions on Fluid and Electrolyte Balance

Certain medications and medical conditions can significantly affect fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. Understanding these influences is crucial for maintaining optimal health and preventing complications.

Which medications commonly affect fluid and electrolyte balance?

Several types of medications can impact hydration and electrolyte levels:

• Diuretics (water pills): Increase urine output, potentially leading to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances
• Antidepressants: Some can cause hyponatremia by affecting water retention
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): May affect kidney function and sodium retention
• Laxatives: Can cause loss of fluids and electrolytes through increased bowel movements
• Chemotherapy drugs: Often affect fluid balance and electrolyte levels as a side effect

If you’re taking any of these medications, it’s important to discuss potential fluid and electrolyte imbalances with your healthcare provider and follow their guidance on monitoring and prevention.

How do chronic medical conditions affect hydration status?

Several chronic conditions can impact fluid and electrolyte balance:

1. Diabetes: Can lead to increased urination and risk of dehydration
2. Kidney disease: Affects the body’s ability to regulate fluid and electrolyte balance
3. Heart failure: Can cause fluid retention and electrolyte imbalances
4. Liver cirrhosis: May lead to fluid accumulation in the abdomen and legs
5. Adrenal gland disorders: Can affect hormones that regulate electrolyte balance

Patients with these conditions often require careful monitoring of their fluid and electrolyte status and may need specialized treatment plans to maintain proper balance.

Special Considerations for Athletes and Physically Active Individuals

Athletes and those engaging in regular intense physical activity face unique challenges when it comes to maintaining proper hydration and electrolyte balance. The increased fluid loss through sweat and respiratory vapor during exercise requires special attention to prevent dehydration and associated complications.

How can athletes optimize their hydration strategy?

To maintain optimal hydration during physical activity:

• Begin exercise well-hydrated by drinking fluids throughout the day
• Drink water or sports drinks during exercise, especially if the activity lasts longer than an hour
• Replace fluids lost through sweat by weighing before and after exercise
• Consume electrolyte-rich foods or beverages post-exercise to replenish lost minerals
• Monitor urine color as an indicator of hydration status

What are the risks of overhydration in athletes?

While proper hydration is crucial, overhydration can lead to hyponatremia, which can be dangerous. Risks of overhydration include:

1. Dilution of blood sodium levels
2. Nausea and vomiting
3. Headache and confusion
4. In severe cases, seizures or coma

Athletes should aim for balanced hydration, replacing fluids lost through sweat without excessive intake. Electrolyte-containing sports drinks can be beneficial for prolonged or intense exercise sessions.

The Role of Climate and Environment in Fluid and Electrolyte Balance

Environmental factors play a significant role in fluid and electrolyte balance. Hot climates, high altitudes, and humid conditions can all affect how our bodies regulate fluids and electrolytes.

How does hot weather impact hydration needs?

In hot weather:

• Sweat production increases to cool the body, leading to greater fluid and electrolyte loss
• Risk of heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke increases
• Thirst mechanism may not keep up with fluid needs, requiring conscious effort to stay hydrated
• Electrolyte replacement becomes more critical due to increased sweating

What unique hydration challenges does high altitude present?

At high altitudes:

1. Increased respiratory rate leads to greater water loss through breathing
2. Lower humidity can cause faster evaporation of sweat, masking fluid loss
3. Decreased thirst sensation may occur despite increased fluid needs
4. Risk of altitude sickness can be exacerbated by dehydration

In both hot climates and high altitudes, it’s crucial to drink fluids regularly, even before feeling thirsty, and to pay attention to electrolyte replacement, especially during prolonged exposure or physical activity.

Hypernatremia and Hyponatremia: What Is the Difference?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• What Is Dehydration?
• Types of Dehydration
• Treatment for Dehydration
• When to Call a Doctor

It’s a well-known fact that the human body is more than 60% fluid. In addition to water, your bodily fluids contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that keep the body functioning well. Sodium – an electrolyte – is a critical nutrient for all people. Everyone needs a certain amount of it in their bodies.‌

If the balance of fluids and sodium is upset, you can experience hypernatremia – having too much sodium and not enough fluid. Or you can experience hyponatremia – having too much fluid and not enough sodium. Both of these conditions can be the result of dehydration.

Dehydration is what happens when your body doesn’t have enough fluids to carry out all its normal functions. Your body needs a balance of water and enough of the nutrients known as electrolytes to work properly. If you dip below the ideal levels for either of those things, you can experience symptoms of dehydration. 

You become dehydrated when you lose fluids and electrolytes, particularly sodium, but you don’t replace them by eating or drinking. Fluids leave your body through sweating, urination, and in the vapor that you breathe out from your lungs. You can lose fluids rapidly due to: 

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Fever
• As a side effect of some medications

When you lose a balanced combination of sodium and water, you experience isotonic dehydration. This means both your fluid levels and your sodium levels are lower than they should be. You will need to replace both fluids and sodium if this happens.  

There are also cases where you can lose mainly fluid or mainly sodium. Losing mainly fluid is known as hypertonic dehydration – or hypernatremia. Losing mainly sodium is known as hypotonic dehydration – or hyponatremia.

Hypertonic dehydration (hypernatremia). Hypertonic dehydration happens when you lose water from your body but don’t lose an equal quantity of electrolytes, specifically sodium. You will have too high a sodium concentration in your blood and other bodily fluids. Typically, this causes you to feel thirsty, so that you want to drink water to replace the fluids you lost.

In some cases, you may be losing fluids faster than you can replace them. This may happen due to:‌

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Use of diuretics
• Excessive sweating
• Frequent urination due to high blood sugar
• Kidney disease

If hypernatremia isn’t treated, you could experience worsening thirst. You could go on to develop confusion, muscle twitches, or seizures. In severe cases, hypernatremia can lead to coma and death.

Hypotonic dehydration (hyponatremia). Hyponatremia is what happens when you have too little sodium in your body. This can happen if you lose electrolytes and fluids together but only replace the lost fluids. It may happen if you drink only water and don’t take in other nutrients after losing a lot of fluids from sweating. Doing this will cause an imbalance of fluids and electrolytes.

Hyponatremia can also be the result of some diseases. Some causes of hyponatremia include:‌

• Kidney failure 
• Heart failure
• Liver cirrhosis 
• Use of diuretics
• Certain medications, including chemotherapy drugs, anti-seizure medications, or anti-inflammatory drugs
• Pancreatitis
• Peritonitis
• Addison’s disease

You might not feel thirsty if you are experiencing hyponatremia, because your fluid levels may be normal. Instead, the first symptoms of hyponatremia may be sluggishness and confusion. Without treatment, you may develop muscle twitches or seizures. Eventually, you could lapse into a coma or die. 

Treatment for all types of dehydration involves replacing fluids and electrolytes in your body. In the case of mild dehydration, you can drink fluids that contain a combination of water and other ingredients to replace salt and other lost nutrients. Sports drinks or rehydration beverages with electrolytes are one option for rehydrating yourself. ‌

Another option is to drink water and eat a snack to get fluids and sodium into your body. Juice and soda may make diarrhea worse, so use caution in drinking those.

If you or another adult have the following symptoms of severe dehydration, you should seek medical attention:

• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Infrequent urination
• Dark-colored urine
• Fatigue‌

Severe dehydration symptoms in young children and babies include:‌

• Sunken soft spot on top of the skull
• Irritable or listless
• Dry mouth
• No tears when crying
• No wet diapers for 3 hours

A doctor will measure the sodium levels in your blood to determine what type of dehydration you have. Once they know that, they will give you fluids or an electrolyte solution. You may need to have this through an intravenous needle (IV) to speed up your recovery. ‌

Dehydration is a serious health issue. You can prevent dehydration by eating a balanced diet and drinking fluids, especially during exertion or hot weather. If you have underlying conditions that make you susceptible to dehydration, speak to your doctor about what you can do to stay safe. 

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Hyponatremia (Low Blood Sodium): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Hyponatremia is diagnosed when there is too little sodium in your blood. It can be caused by a variety of factors.

Sodium is an essential electrolyte that helps maintain the balance of water in and around your cells. It’s important for proper muscle and nerve function. It also helps maintain stable blood pressure levels.

Insufficient sodium in your blood is known as hyponatremia. It occurs when water and sodium are out of balance. In other words, there’s either too much water or not enough sodium in your blood.

Normally, your sodium level should be between 135 and 145 milliequivalents per liter. Hyponatremia occurs when your sodium level goes below 135 mEq/L.

Symptoms of low blood sodium can vary from person to person. If your sodium levels fall gradually, you may not experience any symptoms at first, but they will eventually manifest. If they drop very quickly, your symptoms may be more obvious and severe.

Common symptoms of hyponatremia include:

• weakness
• fatigue or low energy
• headache
• nausea
• vomiting
• muscle cramps or spasms
• confusion
• irritability

Severe symptoms of hyponatremia

Losing sodium quickly is a medical emergency. It can cause:

• overactive reflexes
• loss of consciousness
• seizures
• coma
• and in the most severe cases, death

If you or someone you know seems to be losing consciousness or is having a seizure, call 911 immediately.

Many factors can cause hyponatremia. Your sodium levels may get too low if your body loses too much water and electrolytes. Hyponatremia may also be a symptom of certain medical conditions.

Causes of hyponatremia include:

• severe vomiting or diarrhea
• taking certain medications, including antidepressants and pain medications
• taking diuretics (water pills)
• drinking too much water during exercise (this is very rare)
• dehydration
• kidney disease or kidney failure
• liver disease
• heart problems, including congestive heart failure
• adrenal gland disorders, such as Addison’s disease, which affects your adrenal gland’s ability to regulate the balance of sodium, potassium, and water in your body
• hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
• syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), which makes your body retain water
• diabetes insipidus, a rare condition in which the body doesn’t make antidiuretic hormone
• Cushing’s syndrome, which causes high cortisol levels (this is rare)

Certain factors increase your risk of hyponatremia, including:

• older age
• diuretic use
• antidepressant use
• being a high-performance athlete (i. e., a marathon runner)
• living in a warmer climate
• eating a low-sodium diet
• having heart failure, kidney disease, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), or other conditions

If you’re at risk for low sodium, you may need to be more careful about your intake of electrolytes and water. Make sure to talk to your doctor about your risk factors and if there are any steps you can take to lessen your risk.

If hyponatremia is not treated, it can lead to serious complications, including:

• osteoporosis
• brain swelling
• brain injury
• seizures
• death
• osteoporosis and bone fractures

If you are at a higher risk for hyponatremia due to preexisting conditions, it’s important to take any new symptom seriously and talk to a doctor as quickly as possible.

A blood test can help your doctor check for low sodium levels. Even if you don’t have symptoms of low blood sodium, your doctor may order a basic metabolic panel. This tests the amounts of electrolytes and minerals in your blood.

A basic metabolic panel is often part of a routine physical. It may identify low blood sodium in someone without any symptoms.

If your levels are abnormal, your doctor will order a urine test to check the amount of sodium in your urine. The results of this test will help your doctor determine the cause of your low blood sodium:

• If your blood sodium levels are low but your urine sodium levels are high, your body is losing too much sodium.
• Low sodium levels in both your blood and your urine mean your body isn’t taking in enough sodium. There may also be too much water in your body.

If your doctor is still unsure of a diagnosis, they may order a few other tests to check for hyponatremia, including:

• liver function tests
• a chest X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan of your chest
• CT scan of your head

Treatment for low blood sodium varies depending on the cause, how severe the symptoms are, and how low your blood sodium levels are. It may include:

• cutting back on fluid intake
• adjusting the dosage of diuretics
• taking medications for symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and seizures
• treating underlying conditions
• stopping or changing a medication for a chronic condition that may be negatively affecting blood sodium
• an intravenous (IV) sodium solution

Keeping your water and electrolyte levels as balanced as possible can help prevent low blood sodium.

If you’re an athlete, it’s important to drink the right amount of water during exercise.

You may also want to consider drinking rehydration beverages. These drinks contain electrolytes, and help replenish sodium lost through sweating. These drinks are also helpful if you lose a lot of fluids through vomiting or diarrhea.

Staying hydrated throughout the day can help manage any wild swings in blood sodium. When you’re adequately hydrated, your urine will be pale yellow or clear, and you won’t feel thirsty.

It’s important to increase your fluid intake if:

• the weather is warm
• you’re at a high altitude
• you’re pregnant or breastfeeding
• you’re vomiting
• you have diarrhea
• you have a fever

Don’t forget that it’s possible to drink too much water too quickly. This is another reason to maintain good hydration throughout the day.

Hypernatremia is a condition that is closely related to hyponatremia.

What is hypernatremia?

While hyponatremia involves low levels of sodium in the blood, hypernatremia occurs when there is too much sodium.

When a person doesn’t get enough water, either because of limited access to water or an impaired thirst mechanism, they can develop hypernatremia. It’s caused less commonly by diabetes insipidus.

Hypernatremia occurs when your serum sodium level exceeds 145 milliequivalents per liter (Eq/L).

Hypernatremia can cause:

• confusion
• neuromuscular excitability
• hyperreflexia
• seizures
• coma

Hyponatremia is diagnosed when there is too little sodium in your blood. It can be caused by a variety of factors, from conditions like Addison’s disease or Cushing’s syndrome, to excessive vomiting or diarrhea.

Hyponatremia can be mild, and cause no symptoms, or it can be very severe and life threatening.

Typically, if hyponatremia is caught in the mild stage and treated, or treated swiftly in the severe stage, it can be reversed.

What is hyponatremia and how to avoid it

We have repeatedly mentioned the importance of drinking regimen during sports. The myth that you can’t take a sip of water during training has long been a thing of the past. On the contrary, more and more coaches and doctors are talking about how important it is to stay hydrated during heavy loads.

However, lack of fluid is not the only danger that threatens the long-distance runner. Along with sweat, we also lose salt, and then we exacerbate this process by pouring glass after glass of water on the run. This can lead to a significant reduction in plasma electrolytes and a dangerous state of hyponatremia.

What is this symptom and how to deal with it, we will describe in detail in this article.

Photo: Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

What is hyponatremia?

The term “hyponatremia” itself can be translated as “lack of sodium”, that is, in fact, salt deficiency. Sodium is the key electrolyte found in the intercellular space: it accounts for more than 60% of the total electrolytes. It is necessary in order to transmit impulses from muscle contraction and provide motor activity.

The normal concentration of sodium in human plasma is 135-145 mmol/l. With a slight decrease in these indicators, doctors diagnose a mild form of hyponatremia. The athlete may not even immediately understand that something is wrong with him. If the plasma sodium concentration falls below 125 mmol / l, the symptoms become more pronounced and may require medical attention.

Types of hyponatremia

Depending on the concentration of electrolytes in the blood volume, hyponatremia is divided into three types:

1. Hypovolemia – insufficient volume of interstitial fluid, dehydration.
2. Hypervolemia – excess volume of fluid in relation to salts.
3. Euvolemia is a condition that develops at a normal concentration of sodium in the blood plasma due to an imbalance of the antidiuretic hormone.

For athletes, the first two types are most typical. The risk of hypervolemia during running occurs when an athlete consumes a lot of pure water or other unsalted drinks during the race. At the same time, minerals are excreted from the body along with sweat, and if you do not replenish their supply, then gradually the electrolyte balance in the body is disturbed.

Read on the topic: Isotonic: what is it for, how to choose and use it correctly

Hypovolemia has the opposite causes, but similar symptoms. Non-compliance with the drinking regimen in general and too little water consumed can lead to this condition.

Symptoms of hyponatremia

The severity of symptoms depends on the extent and speed of the fall in plasma sodium levels. Signs of hyponatremia in the initial stages: weakness, irritability, swelling of the extremities. Due to the decrease in concentration, the risk of stumbling and getting injured increases.

But these are all very non-specific signs, especially when it comes to endurance sports. Indeed, for ultramarathon runners, legs tangled from fatigue are a familiar phenomenon.

Experienced runners know that swollen fingers are already a dangerous symptom. This moment is easier to track and even feel if the rings begin to squeeze the skin unpleasantly. Also, scarce and rare excretion of fluid from the body should alert: this means that the kidneys cannot cope with the load.

Photo: trailrunplanet.com

If timely action is not taken, plasma sodium levels will continue to decline. Severe hyponatremia may be accompanied by convulsions, headaches, and vomiting. When the concentration of sodium ions decreases to 115 mmol / l, neurological problems that are life-threatening may occur.

Risk factors

Hyponatremia can affect any athlete, but there are several key risk factors:

1. Distance

The incidence of hyponatremia has increased more frequently in recent years as endurance sports become more popular. The longer the athlete is on the course, the more attention he needs to pay to electrolytic balance.

2. Hot weather

Together with sweat, we lose not only fluids, but also salt. When we are thirsty, we often drink more water than we need. And thereby further reduce the concentration of serum sodium.

3. Excessive or insufficient fluid intake

Dehydration at a distance leads to the same symptoms as excessive drinking: weakness, swelling of the limbs, dullness of attention.

4. Female gender

According to statistics, women suffer from hyponatremia more often than men. This may be due not only to hormonal characteristics. Even with the same body weight, the amount of intercellular fluid in the female body is less, so reducing its volume is more critical.

How to treat hyponatremia

If the serum sodium concentration has fallen slightly, then the intake of electrolytic solutions and even ordinary table salt will immediately improve the condition. A runner who suspects symptoms of hyponatremia may be helped by a glass of isotonic drink or a salty meal at the food station.

In acute and severe forms of hyponatremia, physicians use intravenous administration of a 3% NaCl solution in a volume of up to 150 ml in 20 minutes with a dropper. After that, the patient’s condition is assessed, and, if necessary, the procedure is repeated until the serum sodium concentration rises by at least 5 mmol / l.

After that, the treatment continues, but a less concentrated solution is used for droppers: only up to 0.9% NaCl. In this case, it is important not to rush, since a sharp increase in serum sodium for the patient is just as dangerous as a decrease.

How to avoid hyponatremia

To maintain the water-salt balance, it is recommended to monitor the level of electrolytes during heavy exercise. This is especially true in summer races during the heat, when sweating is especially active. In this case, it is better to drink often, but a little bit.

Instead of pure water, it is better to use an isotonic solution containing the required portion of electrolytes. Such a drink can not only be purchased at sports nutrition stores, but also prepared independently on the basis of ordinary table salt. A convenient option, especially for long races, will be salt tablets, which contain a concentrated portion of several minerals at once: sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Useful material: Salt tablets for running: what they are, how they work, when to use them

The organizers know what runners need, so food stations can also find something suitable to maintain electrolyte balance. Usually marathons offer salted peanuts or some snacks, and pickles are especially popular at Russian starts.

Although severe forms of hyponatremia are dangerous and require hospital treatment, the condition is not that difficult to prevent. The main thing is to be attentive to your feelings at a distance and not just hope to endure to the finish line on willpower.

Isotonics, saline tablets and electrolyte gels are not used by runners to splurge on trendy sports nutrition – they are really effective tools that will help to complete the distance without loss.

Read more: How much water should runners drink

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Laboratory Department of the Sklifosovsky Research Institute | Diagnosis of pathologies

Laboratory Department of the Sklifosovsky Research Institute | Diagnosis of pathologies | High-precision research methods

Research Institute of Emergency Medicine. N.V. Sklifosovsky

Blood sodium level

A blood sodium test is used to detect abnormal sodium levels, including low (hyponatremia) and high (hypernatremia) levels.

Because food affects our sodium levels, daily urine sodium tests can be helpful to your health care provider to reduce the impact of a single meal on urinary sodium levels.

A blood sodium test can be used to

• detection, assessment and control of electrolyte imbalance and/or acid-base (pH) imbalance (acidosis or alkalosis),

• determining the causes and monitoring the treatment of people with dehydration or excess fluid accumulation (edema),

• assessment and control of various chronic or acute diseases affecting the brain, lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, thyroid or adrenal glands,

• monitoring the condition of patients taking medications that can affect sodium levels, such as diuretics.

A blood sodium test may be ordered if there are signs and symptoms of low sodium, such as

• weakness, fatigue,

• confusion,

• lethargy.

However, with a slow drop in sodium levels, there may be no symptoms. That’s why sodium levels are often checked, even if you don’t have specific symptoms.

A sodium blood test may be ordered if there are signs and symptoms of high sodium, such as

• thirst,

• dry mucous membranes (e.g. mouth, eyes),

• rare urge to urinate.

In severe cases (extremely high concentrations) – anxiety, irrational actions or convulsions.

Sodium and other electrolytes may be measured while monitoring treatment with intravenous fluids or when dehydration is likely to develop.

Some medications, such as anabolic steroids, antibiotics, corticosteroids, laxatives, cough medicines, and oral contraceptives, can cause sodium levels to rise. Other drugs, such as ACE inhibitors, diuretics, heparin, and tricyclic antidepressants, can cause low sodium levels.

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