Blood test results, please help

[BurstBalloon123]

Sorry this might be a daft question but i wasn’t sure and hoped someone might have more knowledge than me.

I recently had a blood test which, IIRC, showed low sodium, low potassium and other low electrolytes. Nothing was dangerously low and it was only a bit lower than normal and I didn’t need to go to hospital- I just had to take a prescription for it which thankfully fixed it.

I’ve never had any low electrolytes before, so I was a bit confused about what could have caused it. On the day before, and on the day of the blood test, I had drunk more water than usual although not a huge amount (4 litres ish) and didn’t feel unwell or have any ill effects from it. I only drank more than usual as I wanted to see if it decreased my appetite and stopped me snacking on rubbish all day it was stupid of me to do it before the blood test though, I just completely forgot.

It wasn’t a huge amount of water so would it have been enough to have caused the low electrolytes or would it likely be caused by something else? It also wasn’t a regular thing- I only did it the day before and the day of the blood test so it wouldn’t have built up for days or weeks.

The levels are fine now and it’s all sorted, I’m just curious as it’s not something I know much about at all! just wasn’t sure if I needed to fix my diet to stop it happening again, or if the excess water was the culprit.

I believe that low electrolytes and low sodium are related.

You need to tall to your gp really, because all we can do is make stabs in the dark as far as guessing goes.

If you didn't drink excessive amounts of water beforehand then I don't think it would have affected your results.

Your either not getting enough of the right salts in your diet or your not absorbing them. This can be complicated in some people so you need to speak with your doctor.

A normal, balanced diet shouldn't leave you deficient.

There will be plenty of people on these boards who are at risk of low electrolyte levels but because they have serious digestive diseases so any advice they can give will be skewed. You really need to discuss with your gp.

Yeah I’ll ask my GP next time, I just thought I’d ask on here because I was curious and wasn’t sure if it was the water or or that’s unrelated and it was dietary

Overhydration causes low electrolytes. The recommended fluid intake is about

4 litres in 24 hours is excessive and potentially impact on electrolyte balance.

Sorry pressed too soon
Recommend fluid intake is 2L

Overhydration is also dangerous. A friend of mine overhydrated

Too much water can lower electrolytes. Not sure to what extent though.

I would say 4 litres is definitely excessive

It's highly likely it's the water but would also depend on the rest of your health and why you had the blood test.

I've had problems with my electrolytes (one in particular) and had everything from fizzy drinks to being on a drip as treatment. They do fluctuate naturally and usually they will do a follow up test to make sure it is just a fluctuation then treat accordingly.

I normally eat a varied diet (mostly healthy!) although I do sometimes eat quite a lot of salty food. I tried to stop snacking between meals out of boredom so that’s why I was drinking extra water, i usually drink about 2 litres a day. I just wasn’t sure if that was the reason for the low sodium and electrolytes or just a badly timed coincidence! I didn’t feel sick or have a headache or anything like that.