Home› General Training Discussions

Increasing sodium, increasing urination

matthewbwardmatthewbward
in General Training Discussions

Hey guys,

I've started upping my sodium on long IM workouts to ward off any cramping issues.  But I'm wondering if I'm overdoing it.  I'm about 133# and have been taking in 600-700 mg sodium/hour primarily through Perform and Salt Stick Capsules. I wonder if this is too much as I'm urinating 5-6 times over a 100 mile ride.  I've varied my my fluid consumption from 28 oz/hr to 40 oz/hr but the urination is basically the same.  It seems as though the increased urination is due to the increased sodium resulting in more blood volume.

I've got one more RR and am thinking about cutting out the salt sticks.  Do you guys think this would help?  Any ideas on finding the optimal amount of sodium to consume?  I've read the wiki articles but the range they describe (500-1000 mg/hr) seems pretty broad.

Thanks.

Comments

  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    Hi Matt,

    I don't think the increased sodium would lead to increases in urination. Usually the salt makes your body hold on to the water - hence why it is used. The range is large. When I work with someone, I decide how much sodium they need based on how much salt they sweat out during their workouts. Lots of salt - white rings, lots of grit = more salt. Not gritty or white on clothes = less salt. How salty of a sweater are you?

    Hope that helps.
  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    If you are gritty and/or have white rings on your clothes when you finish workouts/races, then you need more sodium than someone who does not. If someone is not gritty and does not have white rings, I usually go about 500 mg sodium, if they are gritty but no rings then about 750, if white rings I'll go up to 1000+. These amounts are NOT per hour but are based on the sweat rate. There is a protocol for running a sweat trial to determine sweat rate in the Wiki.

    Does that help?
  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    If you are gritty and/or have white rings on your clothes when you finish workouts/races, then you need more sodium than someone who does not. If someone is not gritty and does not have white rings, I usually go about 500 mg sodium, if they are gritty but no rings then about 750, if white rings I'll go up to 1000+. These amounts are NOT per hour but are based on the sweat rate. There is a protocol for running a sweat trial to determine sweat rate in the Wiki.

    Does that help?
  • matthewbwardmatthewbward
    Penny, what do you think of this article: http://www.livestrong.com/article/385529-sodium-imbalance-with-excessive-urination/

    That's where I got the idea that sodium could lead to increased urination:
    Increased dietary sodium intake leads to increases in blood sodium. When blood sodium is increased, there is a redistribution of water from the cells to the blood, thereby, increasing the blood volume. When blood volume is increased, there is increased urine production. Increase blood volume also results in an increase in blood pressure, which is also a stimulus for the kidney to lose some water.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/385529-sodium-imbalance-with-excessive-urination/#ixzz22CNWf1fF
  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson

     Hi Matthew: My reading of that article is for sedentary or those who are not engaging in endurance and ultra endurance sports who lose, sometimes a lot of, sodium through sweat. Sodium also moves into the cells and pulls water along with it (water follows salt). Hence, if I have a salty meal, I'll gain weight and my fingers will swell. Sodium is critical for the sodium/potassium pumps in the muscle cells to contract. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na+/K+-ATPase) So, sodium doesn't just increase blood volume. In people who have kidney and other medical issues have to watch sodium intake because if their cells aren't going to take it up, it causes increased blood volume and can stress the heart, kidneys, etc.

    If you want to see if the sodium is increasing your urine output, try something with minimal sodium but with the same amount of carbs and see if you have less urination.

    The increased urination could also be for using your glycogen stores. For every gram of glycogen stored insurer muscles,you also store 3 grams of water. When your body uses the glycogen for energy your muscles relese the water. Some of the water is used in metaboic processes, some used to carry waste out of the muscles and some just processed through the kidneys.

    Does that help?

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    @Penny, great answer. Thank you!
Sign In or Register to comment.