Low Sodium in Blood Triggers Anxiety in Mice by Disrupting Their Brain Chemistry

I'd be curious to know how many people in the western world actually suffer from hyponatremia (low blood sodium) since it's so utterly pervasive in our diets to the point that most of us are probably close to hypernatremia on a daily basis. The American Heart Association recommends adults limit intake to no more than 2.3g (2300mg) of sodium per day. [1] A typical prepackaged meal, fast food, restaurant meal can often contain 1g or higher just in itself. Increased sodium intake for chronic peroids can lead to higher blood pressure [2] which may contribute to increased anxiety [3] [4]. While it's not necessarily always causative, we know some drugs that lower blood pressure also reduce anxiety (e.g.: propranolol [5]). But, there are cases where individuals can be consuming a lot of sodium from the diet and still losing it through sweat & other mechanisms and it could be contributing to anxiety. Stress can cause some people to pee more sodium out and others to retain more sodium! [6][7] Definitely another good reason to have regular blood work from a doctor.

[1] How much sodium should I eat per day? https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-s...

[2] Dietary salt and blood pressure: A complex connection https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/dietary-salt-and...

[3] Stress and high blood pressure: What's the connection? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pr...

[4] The Link Between Anxiety and High Blood Pressure https://www.verywellhealth.com/anxiety-high-blood-pressure-6...

[5] Beta-blockers for anxiety: What to know https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326397

[6] Can Stress Cause Low Sodium Levels? https://www.healthline.com/health/can-stress-cause-low-sodiu...

[7] The stress, salt excretion, and nighttime blood pressure (SABRE) study: Rationale and study design (2022)

"Exposure to an acute stressor (e.g., mental stress task) normally increases urinary sodium excretion. However, some individuals have sodium retention after stress provocation, revealing substantial between-person variability in the degree of stress-induced sodium excretion." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266660222...