Sodium intake question?

Question

This past summer I have started working out and eating better and losing weight. However, the past 2-3 weeks, I have been getting headaches quite a bit. At first ibuprofen did the job but the past three days, (not today tho) I had headaches that lasted most of the day. My upper neck and either left or right side of head dully throbbed and tylenol did nothing.  I took some ibuprofen yesterday evening,  loosened my braid, and took a nap.

Woke up better, headache still lingering. I got some baked lays chips and ate them and very quickly my head starting feeling better and the ache hasnt come back yet. Ive been sweating a LOT this past summer(its flipping boiling outside) and drinking tons of water, to keep fron being dehydrated. I have cut down on junk food and eat way less chips and processed junk than before. Could less sodium and too much sweating cause headaches like this? I eat regularly through the day, like plain oatmeal for breakfast, organic yogurt for snacks, bananas, ect. And I mostly drink water. No soda.

Hal Lancer · Accepted Answer

OK, I read the first paragraph and thought, you re probably dehydrated. But no, you covered that. So then I researched it, and yeah, there is a link between low sodium in the diet and headaches. Now your diet is very healthy--congratulations!--it s hard to be low in sodium if you eat any processed, packaged foods, but you re not eating any. It doesn t take much sodium in the diet to hit the recommended level. Since you re working out a lot and sweating a lot, you also might be low on electrolytes and find the headaches go away if you drink some Gatorade-type drinks. These have a bit of sodium as well--check the label. I bet with a little experimentation, you can be feeling better. Please click this link for an article I found about this:
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/side-effects-low-potassium-low-sodium-6041.html

By the way, I just saw your other question about clicking shoulder that went unanswered. Noisy joints in arms or legs that aren't painful, including the shoulder, are common and not a cause for medical concern. Yes, sometimes therapeutic exercise helps reduce the noise, but you only need to see a doctor for your clicking shoulder if it becomes painful or swollen:
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/features/knee-cracks-pops

Congratulations again on your healthier diet and weight loss. Wishing you all the best.

Ellie · Answer

sodium is far better than salt, but you should still limit it as it will still make you retain water which could interfere with your weight loss (water weight). I think that you should try to have a minimal sodium intake and drink plenty of water in order to lose weight. 0.25g is recommended on packaging. x

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Sodium intake question?

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