Chronic lack of sodium?

Triathlon Forum
1

How do you know if you have a chronic lack of sodium (or electrolytes if that matters) in your blood? Is that something a doctor can test? Is it a common value in blood test results.

After reading the comment on the home page about Joanna Zieger I got to wondering… I sweat a lot. I live in a really hot place. I don’t put salt on any food and eat very few prepared foods with added salt. I get leg cramps and I’ve basically given up racing in the summer due to dizziness, cramps, and nausea.

That said I try to get a ton of salt into my workout and race menu, but now I’m wondering if I’m starting out so low in salt, as a result of my diet, that what I intake during a workout is far too little far too late.

Comments?

2

Justin, yes electrolytes are measured in a CBC.

Really, if you don’t get many electrolytes in your diet then you probably won’t lose that many in your sweat. I believe there is a regulation process.

Here are some facts as you’ve stated them:

  1. Cramp during the summer races
  2. Get loads of extra sodium during summer races

Perhaps the problem is the reverse of your suspicion? Perhaps you have too much sodium because your body is acclimated to your typical diet and then you forcefeed it too much sodium before and during your races?

Of course, it seems as though the idea that electrolytes are at the root of cramping problems could be entirely wrong as I’ve read here recently.

3

You can have sodium levels tested in your blood, along with other electrolytes.

I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tacycardia Syndrome (POTS) early this year and the first course of treatment was to up my sodium intake to 5 grams a day…as in 5000mg a day…that is a lot. I am like you and rarely took in salt. I was not eating a lot of processed food at the time and I don’t really like salt so I never add it to my food. I was taking in less than 1g a day on a regular basis. During my long workouts I think I was still ok in that dept because my infinit has adequate amounts…it was just day-to-day that I was not getting nearly enough.

I’m not sure if you are having any issues, or are just curious, and I have not read the Zieger article, but I’m heading that way right now, but low sodium can cause low blood pressure. When I upped my sodium I could actually tell a difference - someone warned me not to go from 1g to 5g in a short period of time, and they were right. When I went up too quickly I felt crappy - it takes a while for your body to adjust.

*edited because I can’t read.

4

I’m not sure why you say you are a bit different. What you describe is exactly the same as my diet. Rarely take in salt, except for Infinit during workouts. Never add it to food. Tend not eat foods with salt added.

Maybe I mistyped my original post.

Low pressure… Hmm… I also get light-headed really easily. I’ve passed out twice standing up too quickly, but not for a long time. I’ve always attributed that to some amount of low pressure, but never linked it to sodium levels.

5

Because I can’t read properly! (I’m going to claim post-ironman fatigue for lack of reading comprehension, or maybe I should claim low blood pressure)

I read it the first time and said “like you” then I went back and read the second paragraph about racing and read “add lots of salt” and didn’t read it well, and changed my post to say “different than.”

So yes, like you, I do not get much salt regularly.

I’ll re-edit my post again to make more sense and make it look like I know how to read.

But yes, low sodium can be directly related to low blood pressure, and fainting when standing up is a often a good indicator of low blood pressure. I have a very very mild case of POTS, but many people with it cannot get out of bed in the morning without fainting.

6

Hey Justin, I had similar symptoms this summer. I was diagnosed celiac last year and cut out all processed foods and found myself cramping and having low blood pressure. It got pretty bad in hot conditions.

Now I supplement with pickles at some meals. Not sure if there’s anything to it, but the pickles (or the placebo effect) worked wonders.

7

I’m no doctor, first off…but I have been dealing with cramping for a few seasons now. First, this may seem like a crazy question, but do you use nicotine or more specifically, smokeless tobacco like Skoal? I admit, I did full tilt since college for about 7 years total. That said, when I was working with my physician on cramping after normal diet logs, sodium counts, tempatures, CBC etc etc…I forgot to mention this to him. I finally did and he came up with a condition called Hypokalemia. This is basically the bodies inability to process potassium correctly, or not storing it properly. In my case, my CBC concluded that my potassium levels were at the low end of normal walking around, nothing alarming on a typical lipid panel, but after an hour run, then blood test, it was well below the normal levels. Exercise caused my potassium levels to drop. Potassium, along with sodium are major causes of muscle cramping.

The reason I asked about chewing tobacco is because it sometimes contains glycyrrhizic, which is an added flavoring…such as in skoal mint, wintergreen, cherry, etc. This is a common ingredient in many things, more famous for typical candies and teas. It is 30x stronger than most sweetners. After long time use of this and taking it straight to the blood stream, along with the nicotine and fiber glass ripping my gums apart…it may or may not have caused my body to stop regulating potassium correctly, especially the stores during or after exercise.

After I stopped using (still working on Nicorette gum, yes tobacco is addictive, I never thought I had a problem until I found myself not able to quit cold turkey), was prescribed a potassium tablet and worked with sodium tablets (pharma grade, not that Hammer shit they claim works)…the cramping has stopped completely.

Other than that, I can’t offer any advise, I would try the sodium supplements and check your BP regularly for fluctuation daily. It could be a potassium issue, like in my case. If you use chewing tobacco, which most triathletes don’t, stop…it help me.

8

No nicotine for me. I guess that means I’m not cool.

Awesome answer though. Thanks!

9

No nicotine here either, but you still might be on to something. I spent some time entering my diet into fit day and it looks like my sodium levels are probably fine, but my potassium intake is really low. On the order of 2000 mg, when it appears I should be getting something on the order of 6000 mg (for a ~2800 calorie diet). Something for me to look into further.

Thanks.

10

Try the potassium…ever wonder why they hand you banana’s??? The pills I started with where the lowest does, I think 600mg of potassium. My doc ended up increasing it to the 1000mg ones after another treadmill test a couple months later. For training, I take a tablet only on my run days and before long bike days. Races, I have a tablet with breakfast and since I’m scared of cramping (If you get them like me, its more or a muscle paralized, my upper quads go dead and I can’t even walk it out once they set in), I carry one in my bento box and eat before the run.

I honestly don’t know if the potassium itself helped. I know that my levels drop during exercise, but I tried so many other things in conjunction with potassium, it could have been any of them, stopped dipping, diet, potassium and sodium tablets.

I would also suggest this stuff called “Gatorlytes” made by gatorade. One doctor actually gave me some. Its a little packet you are supposed to mix with a 20oz of gatorade, adds 700mg of sodium. I am probably not as hard core as some, did my first IM this summer, but I add one packet to my fuel belt bottles (yes, because of cramping, Im scared between water stops!!). This stuff is amazing. After drinking one 8oz bottle after mile 7 of the run, I felt like I had more energy, plus wasn’t scared of cramps. I can’t find it anywhere to buy and actually ran out. If you know or find out, let me know, would love to pick some more up.

11

stopped dipping

Google “smokeless tobacco electrolytes” sometime and read a few of the studies. That’s probably one of the top reasons in your list.

John

12

Why don’t you just add 2000mg of salt/day into your diet and see if you get better??? Olives/pretzels…seems like it would be cheaper and more reliable way to test your hypothesis…

You can easily measure your sodium/potassium levels in your blood but I’m not sure that would answer your question. Salt/fluid balance is a bit more complex than that…

Dave