If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, that is a clear sign that you may be overdoing it on the salt. However, that is not the only downside of a sodium-laden diet.
It seems that even some supersalty meals can leave you feeling weird—or even downright uncomfortable. These are four surprising short-term symptoms, that may happen if you consume too much salt.
Frequent urination
Drinking too much water may be the reason you need to urinate so often. Do you know that eating too much salt can have the same effect? When you consume too much salt, your kidneys have to work overtime in order to clear out the extra salt. So, you end up peeing more than usual.
Persistent headaches
A recent study published in the BMJ,found that adults who ate 3,500 mg of sodium daily had nearly a third more headaches than those who only took in 1,500 mg.There is a strong link between high blood pressure and headaches. This study found that those heavy salt eaters were more likely to get headaches even if their blood pressure was normal. If your head feels like it is ready to explode,you should try cutting back on the salt.
Constant thirst
Salt is one of the reasons why your mouth is dry. After loading up on foods that are high in sodium, your body will start to sense that your salt and water levels are off kilter. According to Movassaghi, in order to get things back to normal, you need to take in more water. Your brains send out thirst signals as drinking more water will have things returned back to normal.
Brain fog
If you eat too much salt, you may end up dehydrated. Dehydration may affect your ability to think clearly . As it is found in Journal of Nutrition study, when women were mildly dehydrated, they performed worse on cognitive tests measuring concentration, memory, reasoning, and reaction time, compared with when they were adequately hydrated.
How to fix excess salt issues:
No matter what salty symptoms you are dealing with, one of the best ways to slash your sodium is to cut back on processed foods and drink more water. This will allow your body to catch up and get back into balance.When your sodium is back to normal, you should try to keep your salt intake under control. The US dietary guidelines recommend eating less than 2,300 mg per day.