Sodium is the highest mineral outside your cells in your body. This is because it is responsible for a number of functions in your body, including maintaining the sodium-potassium pump exchange, which is responsible for generating energy in your body. If you do not have enough sodium in your diet, you can experience a number of impaired body functions, including some that affect your heart's functioning.
Hyponatremia
Abnormally low sodium levels are referred to as a condition known as hyponatremia. While the normal sodium balance levels are between 136 and 145 mEq/L, hyponatremia levels are less than 135 mEq/L. Low sodium levels can result from your dietary intake or lost sodium via your sweat while exercising. However, many times low sodium levels stem from an underlying medical condition. This includes congestive heart failure, kidney disease, liver disease, an underactive thyroid or an adrenal gland insufficiency. When you exhibit low sodium levels, your physician will take your medical history and likely test you for one of these conditions.
Electrical Impulses
Sodium is an electrolyte, which means it is responsible for conducting the electrical impulses that allow your nerves to communicate with each other. When you do not have enough sodium in your body, the electrical impulses from your brain that keep your heart beating at a steady pace may not work as strongly. This is why low blood sodium levels often are associated with heart failure -- an estimated one-fourth of heart failure patients have hyponatremia, according to Science Daily. This also can be noticeable in other muscles of your body that rely on nerve impulses to function, causing muscle spasms, weakness and cramps.
Blood Pressure
Your sodium levels also are responsible for maintaining your blood pressure and fluid balance in your body. When your sodium levels dip to a hyponatremia state, fluid from outside your cells starts to rush inside your cells. This can cause your cells to swell and sometimes burst. While there are a number of ways hyponatremia can affect your body, the way associated with heart failure is hypervolic hyponatremia, which causes your body to swell because you have more water than you have salt. This can cause your body to swell uncomfortably.
Symptoms
Although low sodium levels affect your heart, you may likely experience other symptoms before your heartbeat is affected. This includes feelings of nausea, a headache, confusion, fatigue or lethargy. Over time, this may progress to symptoms like vomiting, loss of muscle function, seizures or loss of consciousness. Because hyponatremia is a serious condition, it is important to seek immediate medical treatment to prevent damage to your heart and nervous system.
References
- PubMed Health; Hyponatremia; November 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Hyponatremia; July 2009
- American Academy of Family Physicians; Management of Hyponatremia; Kian Peng Goh, MRCP; May 2004
- Health.com; Heart Failure: Eating Less Salt; July 2010
- MedlinePlus; Sodium in Diet; May 2010
- Science Daily; Serum Sodium Level Is a Major Predictor of a Poor Prognosis for Heart Failure Patients; March 2005
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