Does Sodium Influence Heart Rate?

[Chrissy]

When I first got diagnosed my doctor told me to overdose on sodium and potassium. So I drink alot of gatorade and eat food with salt in it. But since getting on my latest med, Nadolol, my b/p isn't as low as normal with this condition. I actually tend to run a bit high even for a normal person. I still bottom out at times, but not as often as I'm high normal. I don't add any salt to my food anymore, unless its bland, but I still drink the gatorade and am addicted to sunflower seeds. My heart rate was staying below 100 til recently. Now I jump up to 115 just going to the bathroom. I'm convinced my Nadolol is not working right right now and am going to see my doc in January. But is the sunflower seeds helping or worsening my hr?

[Tessa]

Hi, Chrissy

I wonder why your doctor told you to overdose on sodium and potassium. Sodium and potassium are very important and should be kept in balance checking the levels by means of a blood test.

Do you tend to have low sodium? Low potassium? Do you know why?

Are you craving for salt? Did you, before taking Nadolol?

Do you have a high or a low blood pressure?

Commercially available electrolyte replacement drinks such as Gatorade are designed for people who have normal adrenal and excessive loss of potassium during exercise. These drinks are designed to be high in potassium and low in sodium. They can be taken in as fluid replacement if adrenal fatigue is very mild.

Have you checked your blood pressure when your heart rate increases?

Hope you are feeling better.

Love,

Tessa

[Tessa]

By the way, I forgot answering your question: "Does sodium influence heart rate?"

Of course, it does.

Sodium is an electrolyte. Chemically, electrolytes are substances that become ions in solution and acquire the capacity to conduct electricity. Electrolytes are present in the human body, and the balance of the electrolytes in our bodies is essential for normal function of our cells and our organs.

Common electrolytes that are measured by doctors with blood testing include sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate.

Excess sodium (such as that obtained from dietary sources) is excreted in the urine.

Sodium regulates the total amount of water in the body and the transmission of sodium into and out of individual cells also plays a role in critical body functions.

Many processes in the body, especially in the brain, nervous system, and muscles, require electrical signals for communication.

The movement of sodium is critical in generation of these electrical signals. Too much or too little sodium therefore can cause cells to malfunction, and extremes in the blood sodium levels (too much or too little) can be fatal.

* Increased sodium (hypernatremia) in the blood occurs whenever there is excess sodium in relation to water. There are numerous causes of hypernatremia; these may include kidney disease, too little water intake, and loss of water due to diarrhea and/or vomiting.

* A decreased concentration of sodium (hyponatremia) occurs whenever there is a relative increase in the amount of body water relative to sodium. This happens with some diseases of the liver and kidney, in patients with congestive heart failure, in burn victims, and in numerous other conditions.

Electrolytes are inbalanced when you have Adrenal problems...

Maybe worth to investigate about it.

take care,

love,

Tessa