Sodium is an important electrolyte, and has a major role in controlling the distribution of water throughout the body. The addition or loss of sodium usually accompanies the addition or loss of water. Sodium is also needed to maintain the electrical connections between the inside and outside of the body's cells, making cellular function possible. Low sodium levels (hyponatremia) occurs when sodium levels in the body are below normal. To ensure that your sodium levels are properly maintained, treat the root cause of sodium loss and increase your sodium levels again.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Treating the Root Cause
Step 1. Take anti-nausea medication to stop vomiting and increase sodium retention
When you vomit, you expel most of the contents of your stomach, including water and sodium.
- If you vomit excessively, such as when you have a stomach flu or other bacterial illness, you can lose a lot of water and sodium, causing your sodium levels to drop very low.
- Take anti-nausea medication to ensure that excess fluid loss due to vomiting stops.
Step 2. Take antidiarrheal medications to stop diarrhea and prevent sodium loss
If you suffer from severe diarrhea, the fluid that comes out of your intestines every day is almost 10 liters.
- Various nutrients contained in body fluids, including sodium, will be lost in the process.
- At the same time, when you excrete large amounts of fluids, your body doesn't have time to absorb the minerals it needs, including sodium.
- Take antidiarrheal medications to stop diarrhea and give the body time to increase sodium levels again.
Step 3. Ask your doctor for help with complex medical conditions
Treating the cause of low sodium levels can sometimes exceed your level of medical knowledge.
- In these cases, it is important to seek professional treatment to ensure that the condition is treated properly.
- Consult with your personal doctor to develop an efficient treatment plan.
Step 4. Treat the burned area of your body
If your skin burns over a large area, fluid will flow from around your body to the burned area to help heal.
- Sodium will also flow with water, and its concentration in the blood will decrease.
- Treat the burn until it heals completely and avoid a further drop in sodium levels.
Step 5. Treat the side effects of heart failure
The high blood pressure and low cardiac output associated with heart failure can trigger a response from the body, in which the body's systems activate stores of arterial pressure and blood volume.
- This can result in high amounts of arginine vasopressin, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that increases blood volume.
- An increased blood volume means more water in the blood, and therefore a lower sodium concentration.
- Talk to your doctor to learn about medications that can help you cope with the side effects of heart failure.
Step 6. Treat kidney disease to ensure adequate water regulation
If you have chronic kidney disease, your kidneys' ability to regulate water homeostasis (the body's process of regulating body functions, so that internal conditions remain stable) will be weakened.
- The balance between water intake and water output will be disturbed.
- This will result in excess water which dilutes body fluids and lowers sodium concentration.
- Talk to your doctor to learn about medications and treatments that can help you cope with the effects of kidney disease.
Step 7. Treat liver cirrhosis to increase sodium levels
The main feature of liver cirrhosis is the deterioration of water homeostasis.
- In this case, the kidneys will retain a lot of water in conjunction with sodium
- The inability to regulate the amount of water excreted through the urine with the quantity of water swallowed will cause low sodium levels.
Step 8. Treat the source of the dilute hyponatremia
Dilute hyponatremia occurs when increased water in the body causes a dilution of the sodium content.
- During dilute hyponatremia, the overall sodium level is actually at the right level, but the increased amount of water in the body dilutes the sodium concentration.
- Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). SIADH can cause dilute hyponatremia. In this syndrome, antidiuretic hormone (a hormone that causes urination) is overproduced, causing more water to be lost through the urine than is normal. This causes the retention of more sodium-free water, causing dilute hyponatremia.
- Hyperglycemia. Lower blood sugar levels outside the cells than inside will draw water from inside the blood cells into the extracellular fluid. This will cause a dilution of the sodium level in the blood.
- Excess water intake. If you drink excessive amounts of water, it can also cause watery hyponatremia.
Method 2 of 2: Treating Symptoms
Step 1. Limit water intake to reduce water volume
If you have excess water in your body, limit your fluid intake from 1,000 ml to 500 ml in a 24-hour period.
- Reducing your water intake will help your body increase the sodium to water ratio naturally.
- This method is much safer and more effective than sodium replacement.
- Water restriction is performed in conjunction with monitoring serum sodium.
- Serum sodium levels are regularly measured in the blood (once or twice a day) to see if the imbalance is worse, better, or has corrected.
Step 2. Eat high-sodium foods to increase sodium levels
Consuming more sodium is a good way to keep your sodium levels high.
- Sodium is easy to replace because it can be consumed in large quantities from a normal diet.
- Basically, most preserved, canned, and packaged foods are high in sodium.
- For example, a broth made with one cube of beef contains about 900 mg of sodium while 250 ml of tomato juice contains 700 mg of sodium.
- You can also add table salt in a variety of foods.
Step 3. Get sodium replacement intravenously to get sodium into the blood if you can't eat
For those who are unable to eat food, due to a medical condition or emergency, isotonic saline solution (0.9% NaCl) may be prescribed.
- Hypertonic solutions are also available, but only used in medical emergencies in intensive care facilities and under careful supervision.
- Generally it is only used as a last resort when there are neurological symptoms of hyponatremia.
- Intravenous treatment is generally given for 12 hours, and is prescribed in conjunction with ongoing monitoring of serum sodium.
Step 4. Drink an oral rehydration solution (ORS) to increase sodium in case of excessive fluid loss
Oral rehydration solutions are especially useful in cases of diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive sweating.
- However, ORS can also be beneficial even during dilute hyponatremia, when used in conjunction with fluid restriction.
- Commercially available ORS can be purchased without a prescription and is usually diluted with 1 liter of water.
- ORS can also be made yourself using 6 teaspoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt, melted in 1 liter of water.
- Coconut water can also be a good substitute for ORS.
Step 5. Drink sports drinks to replace electrolytes lost after exercise
Sports drinks are a good way to replenish the reduced sodium levels after a strenuous workout for a while.
