There are a number of reasons why you may feel a salt craving. We’ll take a look at adrenal insufficiency and Addison’s disease, as well as dehydration and stress. These factors can all cause heightened salt cravings.
Addison’s disease
Addison’s disease, also known as primary adrenal insufficiency, is a medical condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough cortisol and aldosterone. Symptoms of this condition include abdominal pain, dizziness, fatigue, and rapid weight loss. If left untreated, this condition can lead to adrenal crisis and a sudden drop in cortisol levels.
Symptoms of Addison’s disease vary from person to person, but common features include a deteriorating appetite and a loss of sexual drive. Other signs of the disease include muscle weakness and painful muscle spasms. Patients may also experience unintentional weight loss and dehydration.
Treatments for Addison’s disease are targeted at the symptoms of each individual patient and may involve a team of specialists. The medications prescribed usually involve replacement of depleted steroid hormones. These include hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone. These medications may need to be adjusted periodically, depending on the severity of the symptoms. Fortunately, Addison’s disease is treatable and a healthy lifestyle can be maintained.
Dehydration
When you dehydrate, you create an electrolyte imbalance in your body, and sodium is one of the main electrolytes that are affected. Your body needs electrolytes for vital functions such as muscle contraction and nervous system function. There are many reasons that your body changes its levels of these minerals, including pregnancy and menstruation. This can increase your salt cravings.
A chronic medical condition that affects the body’s ability to regulate sodium can also cause sodium cravings. This condition affects the kidneys, which control the sodium levels in the body. When kidneys are damaged, sodium levels in the urine increase. As a result, you’ll experience dehydration and high salt cravings.
If you work out in hot conditions or sweat a lot, your body may not absorb the sodium from food properly. If you’re dehydrated, you’ll feel thirsty more often. Drinking plenty of water during your workout will keep you well hydrated, which is necessary to keep your muscles working properly. You should also eat electrolyte-packed meals if you’re undergoing vigorous exercise.
Adrenal fatigue
Adrenal fatigue can lead to cravings for fats and salt. Fat is important for the body as it provides sustained energy, but it is also high in calories. It also contains essential fatty acids, which the body cannot produce on its own. This includes omega 6’s and omega 3’s, which come from cold water fish, nuts, and vegetable sources.
The adrenal glands, which are located on the kidneys, produce hormones to adapt to stress. However, when you’re under chronic stress, these glands are forced to produce more hormones than they can handle. This is called adrenal fatigue, and salt cravings are one of the signs of adrenal gland problems.
Other symptoms of adrenal fatigue include insufficient sleep. Insufficient sleep can increase your cortisol levels, which can contribute to fatigue. The condition can also make you more prone to PMS and peri-menopause.
Stress
When under a lot of stress, people tend to crave foods high in sodium. This is because the adrenal glands produce cortisol and adrenaline, two hormones that regulate blood pressure and our body’s response to stress. The increased sodium intake will reduce these levels, making them more easily tolerated. In addition to stress, the increased salt intake will also deplete the body’s water-soluble micronutrients.
Lack of sleep is another common cause of salt cravings. Insufficient sleep puts a high demand on your body, leading to elevated levels of cortisol. This makes it harder for your body to control food intake. Stress also increases your levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. In order to control the level of ghrelin, you should get enough sleep every night.
High levels of stress can make you crave comfort foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Consuming these foods can lead to obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. High levels of ghrelin are also linked with increased salt cravings.
