Low sodium levels & alcohol

In this brief article, we will be talking about low sodium levels and alcohol, symptoms of low sodium levels and alcohol, causes of low sodium levels, and more information about low sodium levels and alcohol.

What Is Low Sodium Levels or Hyponatremia?

Low sodium levels or hyponatremia is a medical disorder where you have low levels of these essential minerals in your body.

This kind of medical disorder can be caused by an excessive alcohol intake which can cause low sodium levels. 

There is behaviour called beer potomania which is called manic around beer or having excessive beer intake.

The intake of too much alcohol or beer in this instance can cause low sodium levels in your body since beer has a lot of water but less sodium. 

People who are easily affected by low sodium levels due to alcohol are those who don’t eat too much foods that are rich in protein such as fish.

Beer potomania is another term of hyponatremia or low sodium levels. 

Low sodium levels can also be triggered by excessive water intake in affected people.

This kind of excessive consumption can also trigger neurological complications as well since the brain can only hold the right amount of water for too long.

Symptoms Of Beer Hyponatremia or Low Sodium Levels

As mentioned before, beer hyponatremia can be caused by binge drinking alcohol and low nutritional foods consumptions and the following are its symptoms:

• Acutely or mild altered mental state
• muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps
• lethargy or fatigue
• trouble walking
• irritability or sleeplessness
• confusion
• nausea or vomiting
• headache
• seizures
• inability to wake or coma

Beer hyponatremia typically exhibits as the mentioned symptoms above which can occur at several symptoms at once with an average estimated serum sodium concentration of 108 mEq/L.

Since sodium is one of the main elements in the body which is the cause for appropriate neuromuscular excitability maintenance and assists nerve impulses conduction, sodium balance complications may be associated with danger to fundamental life functions. 

Patients who have been diagnosed with a sodium balance disorder due to low sodium levels tend to experience changes in mental status, reduction of verbal output, dysphagia, behaviour changes, and spastic quadriparesis.

There are also several chronic symptoms that the patient should be looking out for so to immediately address them to a doctor. 

Some of these chronic symptoms of low sodium levels were mentioned before and these are coma, fits or seizures, vomiting, and spasms.

The patient will feel greatly distressed because of these symptoms and the worst-case scenario is that they will deal with this distress by taking alcohol which only worsens this kind of condition. 

You can learn more about this kind of complication by buying this book on this website.

Risk Factors Impacting Hyponatremia or Low Sodium Levels

Risk factors have been found to create the onset of low sodium levels in susceptible patients:

• age
• having specific complications such as SIADH or kidney, heart, or liver disorder
• taking certain diuretics, antidepressant medications, or pain medications
• taking ecstasy
• drinking heavy amounts of water
• Deep work exercise which may convince people to drink lots of water immediately

The following are other medical complications that can cause this kind of complication in susceptible people:

• diarrhoea or vomiting
• heart failure
• kidney disease
• liver disease
• medication use
• syndrome of improper ADH secretion (SIADH)

People with SIADH can create many hormones that are anti-diuretic that can trigger low sodium levels in susceptible people.

Some of the medical treatments can also cause the onset of this condition.

As mentioned before, alcohol is one of the main triggers of having low sodium levels.

This is why this kind of drink is better off prescribed to be taken in moderate amounts but not heavy degrees since this can cause psychological disorders or medical disorders. 

You might be a little confused that having too much water can cause low sodium levels.

This is because there is a need to practice the equilibrium of having the appropriate number of elements needed and this includes water and sodium.

What Is Hypernatremia or High Sodium Levels?

Hypernatremia or high sodium levels is a typical electrolyte problem that is defined as a rise in serum sodium concentration to a value exceeding 145 mmol/L which is farther from the measure of low sodium levels.

This medical complication can be the outcome of having low water levels in relation to the electrolyte issue. 

This condition is considered as a water complication not a balance of sodium levels.

There is also a community-acquired form of this condition where older adults who are physically or mentally disabled that also had an infection can have this condition.

Studies have found that people who have this condition had an age fluctuation similar to the overall hospital population.

The following are the early symptoms of this condition:

• A strong feeling of thirst
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite

Chronic symptoms of this condition are the following:

• Confusion
• Muscle twitching
• Bleeding in or around the brain.

You can learn more about this condition as a water complication by buying this book on this website.

The Distinctions Between Hyponatremia (Low Sodium Levels) And Hypernatremia (High Sodium Levels)

Hypernatremia or high sodium levels and hyponatremia or low sodium levels are sodium balance disorders that tend to occur in children who have been hospitalized and have been evaluated for serum chemistry in their bodies.

These disorders can arise from mild abnormalities or chronic impairments without the appearance of clinical symptoms.

In this case, the symptoms of these disorders can first start out as soft.

Hypernatremia appears as a result of dehydration but this disorder doesn’t have to present itself with hypovolemia which is not a clinical indicator.

The following are the early symptoms of hypernatremia

• muscle weakness
• irritability and agitation
• high-pitched cry
• Insomnia
• Lethargy

While hyponatremia can be presented with hypovolemia, hypervolemia, and euvolemia.

There have also been studies where the lessening of serotonin osmolarity can be paralleled with a lessening of serum sodium which inhibits the secretion of ADH. 

Hyponatremia or low sodium levels is more likely the outcome of the disabled ability to inhibit the secretion of ADH despite the completion of serum osmolarity.

Massive amounts of water are considered to be the rare trigger that the kidney has minimal ability to get rid of the sodium.

What Is Severe Hyponatremia?

Severe hyponatremia or chronically low sodium levels is where sodium levels get reduced slowly over the following days or weeks and the symptoms and issues associated with this condition are considered to be moderate.

This is what medical experts call the asymptomatic form of this condition since there is the almost absence of symptoms.

This form of low sodium levels can happen when the affected patient is suffering from either heart failure, kidney failure or liver failure and some have found that affected patients are also low in their intake of salt.

The correction of this condition will be fixed slowly since the low levels can be appearing for more than 2 days.

The following are the symptoms of this form of low sodium levels.

• Confusion
• Seizures
• Coma

You can learn more about this kind of condition by buying this book on this website.

The Diagnosis Of Hyponatremia

People who have the risk factors of hyponatremia or low sodium levels should get their condition addressed immediately by the doctor where they will be treated immediately.

The following are some symptoms as mentioned before that alert the person to get these symptoms checked immediately

• Vomiting
• Seizures
• loss of consciousness 

The concerned person of affected patients should call an ambulance or proceed with their loved ones to the emergency department of the hospital.

When diagnosing for the condition of low sodium levels, the doctor will let the affected patient take a medical background of the patient, do a physical examination on the patient, and get the patient a blood test.

If the blood test has results that indicate that there are low sodium levels, the doctor may add some tests to make sure of the diagnosis and the causes of this condition.

The risk factors of this condition were mentioned before and these are indicators needed by doctors to know what treatment option will be good for the patient.

Some cases would have an interaction of risk factors which can indicate that various treatment options can be used toward the affected patient which can last a long period.

Outcomes Of Low Sodium Levels To The Body’s Chemical Balance

As mentioned before, beer is considered to be one of the main cause of hyponatremia or low sodium levels which can be found in its lack of solutes.

A solute is considered the electrolyte or protein that can be destroyed by the beer’s water content.

In this case, the consumption of beer can trigger low sodium levels because it has large amounts of water and low sodium content.

As mentioned before, sodium is an important element needed by the body since it is an electrolyte needed in the balance of body chemicals.

A person who is at risk for low sodium levels and is still depending on alcohol consumption to minimize the distress of this condition may have impaired kidneys that can‘t release excess sodium.

This will then result in fluids developing in cells because there isn’t much sodium in the body.

This will then make sodium levels in the body to be destroyed by the heavy amounts of water which can lead to low sodium levels.

You can learn more about the chemical effects of this kind of condition by buying this book on this website.

Treatment Choices For People With Hyponatremia or Low Sodium Levels

The treatment options for people with hyponatremia or low sodium levels can be confusing to take on by doctors.

You might think that the clearest treatment for this kind of condition is to give the affected patient sodium which is considered a hazardous method.

The quick reversal of sodium levels can result in neurological complications such as osmotic demyelination syndrome.

For instance, statistics have shown that in the 22 case studies of those with this kind of condition, 18% have been found to have this kind of neurological complication.

This kind of neurological condition has been immediately correlated with the speed of sodium replacement levels.

This is why doctors have decided to use a more gradual approach of giving sodium levels to the affected patient over 48 hours.

The following are the treatment choices of people with low sodium levels which will be discussed in the further sections.

• Medications
• Lifestyle changes
• Treatment based on the underlying cause

Medications For People With Hyponatremia or Low Sodium Levels

As you can see above, the revival of sodium levels should be done cautiously.

For instance, you have been assessed to have low sodium levels which means your intake will be taken into a safe level for you to consume.

Intravenous (IV) fluids with a high-concentration of sodium levels and/or diuretic medications to increase your sodium levels in the blood.

Loop Diuretics which are also known as water pills as they work to maximize sodium levels in the blood by making you urinate out the additional fluid. 

When this fluid is lost, it will be substituted with a high sodium level that is transported through an IV.

A typical case of this medication is Furosemide or Lasix. 

You may take this medication all by its own or you could combine with other medications that your doctor can prescribe to you for your condition.

If you are taking multiple medications for this kind of condition, you can buy this medication organizer on this website.

Lifestyle Alterations To Prevent Low Sodium Levels

You need to comply with your doctor’s prescription on how to deal with your sodium levels.

For instance, you are found to have low sodium levels in your blood which will lead to the doctor telling you to inhibit your water consumption. 

You should also prevent from drinking caffeine and alcohol which can disrupt the chemical equilibrium inside your body.

You should also take your follow-up medical examinations to make the doctor know that you are keeping up with your healthy nutritional diet for your condition such as blood tests.

You are not allowed to use any substances to help you self-medicate yourself.

You should also minimize your hours of exercises which can make you drink too much water that can increase this condition. 

If you are having chronic side effects from your medication, you need to be consulted by your doctor immediately to minimize the occurrence of these side effects.

You should start trusting your medication and lifestyle treatments so that you can find yourself in a better condition in no time.

Treatment Based On The Underlying Physical Or Mental Trigger

This treatment choice is for people who have this condition that was triggered by a medical complication.

For instance, you might be found to have a hormonal disorder before having low sodium levels, you will then be prescribed to have longer treatment for this disorder. 

There are also kidney complications that can trigger this condition which you can treat using dialysis.

You can also be treated with a thyroid disorder that can cause this condition as well which can be helped by changing your lifestyle to something with a healthy diet and having the appropriate medications for your thyroid disorder to treat your low sodium levels.

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have talked about low sodium levels and alcohol, symptoms of low sodium levels and alcohol, causes of low sodium levels, and more information about low sodium levels and alcohol.

If you have any questions about low sodium levels and alcohol, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your questions.

FAQs: low sodium levels and alcohol

Citations

Chemocare. Hyponatremia (Low Sodium).

Healthline. What Is Potomania and How Is It Treated?.

MedicalNewsToday. What are the symptoms of low sodium levels?.

PatientCare. A Middle-Aged Alcoholic Woman With Hyponatremia.