When you eat too much salt, these five surprising short-term symptoms can occur. The U.S. website for Prevention magazine recently summarized them.
Fingers getting puffy
If your weight hasn't changed, but your rings suddenly feel two sizes too tight, it's likely due to water retention. This can happen if you've consumed too much salt recently.
Mirhan Mossaki, director of the St. John's Health Center in Providence, Santa Monica, California, believes: The body is a complex machine that must maintain a balance of fluids and electrolytes. When you consume too much sodium, the brain triggers the release of a hormone that tells the body to retain as much water as possible to prevent physiological dysfunction.
Dry mouth
If it feels like you've eaten a cotton ball, it could be the fault of too much salt. After eating foods high in sodium, your body senses an imbalance of salt and water. To restore balance, you need to drink more water. As a result, the brain sends signals of thirst, prompting you to drink excessively.
Headaches
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that adults who consumed 3,500 mg of sodium per day were nearly one-third more likely to have headaches than those who consumed 1,500 mg per day.
Frequent urination
Drinking too much water isn't the only reason for frequent urination. Surprisingly, eating too much salt can have the same effect. When excess salt enters the body, the kidneys work overtime to flush it out, which leads to increased urination.
Slower reaction times
Eating too much salt can lead to dehydration, and dehydration can cause a sharp decline in your ability to think clearly.
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that compared to when they were well-hydrated, mildly dehydrated women performed worse in cognitive function tests measuring attention, memory, reasoning, and reaction time. Additionally, dehydration can also cause a significant drop in mood.