What is the significance of blood sodium? Does my blood sodium level result give me an indication that my plasma is hyposmotic (hypotonic?), osmotic (isotonic?), or hyperosmotic (hypertonic?)? Am I correct in my understanding that our bodily fluids, including blood, has a salinity of 0.9%? Doesn’t blood plasma always stay constant at around 0.9%, regardless of whether my body’s sodium content is low, normal, or high?
If I am low in sodium, would the results of my blood sodium test give me any indication?
I'm doubtful though, as this is my reasoning: as the body will always adjust the blood volume by adding or subtracting water from my body’s supply of blood, in order to maintain an isotonic blood plasma concentration, I won't normally be able to tell if my body's sodium is low. That is, unless I came from running a marathon and have been drinking tons of plain water that would lead to hyponatremia. This being the case, wouldn’t the blood sodium test be pretty much useless for me?
From Salt, energy, metabolic rate, and longevity, “One important function of carbon dioxide is to regulate the movement of positively charged alkali metal ions, such as sodium and calcium. When too much calcium enters a cell it activates many enzymes, prevents muscle and nerve cells from relaxing, and ultimately kills the cell. The constant formation of acidic carbon dioxide in the cell allows the cell to remove calcium, along with the small amount of sodium which is constantly entering the cell.
When there is adequate sodium in the extracellular fluid, the continuous inward movement of sodium ions into the resting cell activates an enzyme, sodium-potassium ATPase, causing ATP to break down into ADP and phosphate, which stimulates the consumption of fuel and oxygen to maintain an adequate level of ATP. Increasing the concentration of sodium increases the energy consumption and carbon dioxide production of the cell. The sodium, by increasing carbon dioxide production, protects against the excitatory, toxic effects of the intracellular calcium.”
The point of my asking is how do I know I have adequate sodium in my body? How do I relate the blood sodium test result to determining if I have “adequate sodium in the extracellular fluid?”
For example, my blood sodium reading is 142 mmol/liter. Given that a molar weight of NaCl is 58.44g, this translates to 142 mmol NaCl/1 ltr water * 58.44g/1000 mmol NaCl * 1 lt/1000g water * 100 = .83 % salinity
Does my 0.83% salinity show that my sodium is low? In short, how do you use the sodium reading on the test and relate it to having "adequate sodium in the body's extracellular fluids?"
Out of curiosity, may I ask you to share your blood sodium results? I'm interested in knowing if anyone could possibly get results that indicate his blood is isotonic (at 154 mmol/ltr) or even higher (hypertonic)? Thanks.
If I am low in sodium, would the results of my blood sodium test give me any indication?
I'm doubtful though, as this is my reasoning: as the body will always adjust the blood volume by adding or subtracting water from my body’s supply of blood, in order to maintain an isotonic blood plasma concentration, I won't normally be able to tell if my body's sodium is low. That is, unless I came from running a marathon and have been drinking tons of plain water that would lead to hyponatremia. This being the case, wouldn’t the blood sodium test be pretty much useless for me?
From Salt, energy, metabolic rate, and longevity, “One important function of carbon dioxide is to regulate the movement of positively charged alkali metal ions, such as sodium and calcium. When too much calcium enters a cell it activates many enzymes, prevents muscle and nerve cells from relaxing, and ultimately kills the cell. The constant formation of acidic carbon dioxide in the cell allows the cell to remove calcium, along with the small amount of sodium which is constantly entering the cell.
When there is adequate sodium in the extracellular fluid, the continuous inward movement of sodium ions into the resting cell activates an enzyme, sodium-potassium ATPase, causing ATP to break down into ADP and phosphate, which stimulates the consumption of fuel and oxygen to maintain an adequate level of ATP. Increasing the concentration of sodium increases the energy consumption and carbon dioxide production of the cell. The sodium, by increasing carbon dioxide production, protects against the excitatory, toxic effects of the intracellular calcium.”
The point of my asking is how do I know I have adequate sodium in my body? How do I relate the blood sodium test result to determining if I have “adequate sodium in the extracellular fluid?”
For example, my blood sodium reading is 142 mmol/liter. Given that a molar weight of NaCl is 58.44g, this translates to 142 mmol NaCl/1 ltr water * 58.44g/1000 mmol NaCl * 1 lt/1000g water * 100 = .83 % salinity
Does my 0.83% salinity show that my sodium is low? In short, how do you use the sodium reading on the test and relate it to having "adequate sodium in the body's extracellular fluids?"
Out of curiosity, may I ask you to share your blood sodium results? I'm interested in knowing if anyone could possibly get results that indicate his blood is isotonic (at 154 mmol/ltr) or even higher (hypertonic)? Thanks.
Last edited:
