Sodium and potassium are electrolytes -- the electricity-conducting minerals or salts in your body that help maintain fluid balance and regulate muscle and nerve function. Normal potassium levels run from 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L and normal sodium levels run from 135 to 145 mEq/L. Low sodium and low potassium result from an imbalance of water in your body. Both conditions can be fatal if severe and left untreated.
Low Sodium: Mental Status Changes
Confusion, hallucinations, decreased consciousness and even coma are possible with low sodium, or hyponatremia. When sodium is low, water enters the cells and causes them to swell. While most cells adjust to the swelling, brain cells, confined by the skull, do not. Brain swelling causes most of the symptoms of hyponatremia, according to Medline Plus.
Low Sodium: Nausea and Vomiting
Hyponatremia can cause nausea and vomiting. Ironically, severe and chronic vomiting or diarrhea can also lead to hyponatremia, as your body loses electrolytes along with bodily fluids. Called hypovolemic hyponatremia, the body loses both water and sodium, but the sodium loss is greater.
Low Sodium: Other Symptoms
Low sodium can also cause several other symptoms: lethargy, fatigue and loss of appetite; headache, restlessness and irritability; and muscle spasms or seizures. Symptoms of hyponatremia range from mild to severe and may require you to simply cut back on fluids or go to the hospital for intravenous fluids and medication.
Low Potassium: Muscle Cramps and Abnormal Heart Rhythms
Though a small drop in your potassium level may not cause symptoms, a severe drop can be dangerous. Low potassium, or hypokalemia, affects the function of your muscles and nerves and may lead to muscle cramps or breakdown of muscle fibers. The heart is also a muscle, and severely low potassium can cause palpitations and irregular heart rhythms, especially if you already have heart disease.
Low Potassium: Fatigue and Weakness
Fatigue and weakness are also common symptoms of a low potassium level. Vomiting, diarrhea, eating disorders and certain diuretics and antibiotics are all possible causes of low potassium, as well as some kidney diseases. Elderly adults are more prone to hypokalemia due to aging, and about 20 percent of those taking thiazide diuretics for high blood pressure or congestive heart failure develop mild hypokalemia, according to the Merck Manual of Geriatrics.
Low Potassium: Constipation
Because low potassium affects muscles, it can disturb the smooth muscles of the intestine, causing constipation. Adequate potassium in your diet can prevent hypokalemia. Bananas and peaches, though rich in potassium, will not help constipation and may make it worse. They may, however, help control diarrhea that can lead to hypokalemia.
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