Sodium

Symptoms of Not Enough

Symptoms of Too Much

Hyponatremia

Hypernatremia

Nausea and vomiting

Dizziness
Headache
Confusion
Tiredness, fatigue, or loss of energy
Restlessness and irritability
Muscle weakness, spasms, twitching, or
cramps
Seizures
Decreased consciousness, which can lead
to coma and death

Magnesiu
m

Hypomagnesemia
Behavioral disturbances
Irritability and anxiety
Lethargy
Confusion
Impaired memory and cognitive function
Anorexia or loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Seizures
Muscle Weakness
Muscle spasms (tetany)
Tics
Muscle cramps (leg and foot especially)
Hyperactive reflexes
Impaired muscle coordination (ataxia)
Tremors
Involuntary eye movements and vertigo
Difficulty swallowing

Almost always coexists with Hypokalemia and

Hypocalcemia

Potassiu
m

Hypokalemia
Dizziness
Hypotension (Low blood pressure)
Heart Arrhythmias
Cardiac arrest
Nausea and vomiting
Muscle weakness
Fatigue
Leg cramps (calf muscle)
Constipation and distension
Usually suggests hypomagnesemia because magnesium
affects the utilization of potassium

Tests to help confirm

imbalance
Pitting Edema

See Detailed Image at PageBottom, which illustrates the dynamic

of Water and Sodium

Reflex Test

http://www.ancientminerals.com/magnesiumdeficiency/symptoms-signs/
http://www.ancientminerals.com/magnesiumdeficiency/need-more/

Blood Pressure: (Often

available free at
pharmacies)

http://www.wikihow.com/Recogni
ze-Symptoms-of-Low-Potassium

Primary symptom is Thirst

Agitation, restlessness
Fever
Decreased level of
consciousness
Hypertension
Pitting Edema
Excessive water weight gain
Thirst
Thickening of spit
Rough tongue
Respiratory arrest and death
Hypermagnesemia

Additional Resources

Diminished reflexes
Muscle weakness to paralysis
Respiratory distress
Hypotension

Likelihood: Rare, except in the presence of

renal failure.

Hyperkalemia
Cardiac arrest - worst
symptom ever
Nausea
Diarrhea
Muscle weakness and paralysis

Calcium

Hypocalcemia

Chloride

Anxiety
Irritability
Twitching around the mouth
Laryngospasms
Seizures
Enhanced neuromuscular excitability
Hypotension
Arrhythmia

Hypochloremia
Muscle tetany (muscular twitching)
Shallow, depressed breathing
Usually associated with Hyponatremia

Water
(Not an
Electrolyt
e, but
relevant)

Dehydration
Dry, sticky mouth
Sleepiness or tiredness children are
likely to be less active than usual
Thirst
Decreased urine output
Few or no tears when crying
Dry skin
Headache
Constipation
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Severe dehydration symptoms:
Extreme thirst
Irritability and confusion
Very dry mouth, skin and mucous
membranes
Little or no urination any urine that is
produced will be darker than normal
Sunken eyes
Shriveled and dry skin that lacks
elasticity and doesn't "bounce back" when
pinched into a fold
Low blood pressure
Rapid heartbeat
Rapid breathing
No tears when crying
Fever
In the most serious cases, delirium or
unconsciousness

Hypercalcemia

Chvostek and Trousseau

signs (hypo)

Drowsiness
Lethargy
Headaches
Irritability
Confusion
Depression
Apathy
Bone pain and fracture
Anorexia
Nausea and vomiting
Constipation
Kidney Stones
Hypertension
Hyperchloremia

Deep, rapid breathing

Weakness
Diminished cognitive ability,
possibly leading to coma
Overhydration
Often, no symptoms occur, but
people may become confused or have
seizures
Overhydration itself may not be an issue, but
can lead to Hyponatremia due to loss of
sodium through urine:
See Hyponatremia symptoms
Note: To exceed the body's ability to excrete
water, a young adult with normal kidney
function would have to drink more than 6
gallons of water a day on a regular basis.

Skin Turgor Pinch Test

Make as tight a fist as you
can and hold it for 5-15
seconds. If you feel weak,
youre dehydrated.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/disea
sesconditions/dehydration/basics/symptom
s/con-20030056
http://www.merckmanuals.com/
home/hormonal_and_metabolic_disorde
rs/water_balance/overhydration.html
http://www.healthline.com/healt
h/overhydration#Symptoms4

Glucose
(Not an
Electrolyt
e, but
relevant)

Hypoglycemia

Hyperglycemia

Most people feel symptoms of hypoglycemia when their blood

sugar is 70 mg/dL or lower:
Confusion, abnormal behavior or both, such as
the inability to complete routine tasks
Visual disturbances, such as double vision and
blurred vision
Seizures, though uncommon
Loss of consciousness, though uncommon
Sudden Mood Changes
Unexplained fatigue
Sudden nervousness
Shaking, or feeling shaky
Difficulty sleeping
Trouble thinking clearly
Dizziness
Hunger
Headaches
Irritability
Pounding heart; racing pulse/Rapid Heartbeat
Pale skin
Sweating
Trembling
Weakness
Anxiety
Without treatment, more severe hypoglycemia symptoms may
develop, including:
Headache
Feeling irritable
Poor coordination
Poor concentration
Numbness in mouth and tongue
Passing out
Nightmares or bad dreams
3 Coma

Temporary hyperglycemia is often benign and

asymptomatic. Blood glucose levels can rise well
above normal for significant periods without
producing any permanent effects or symptoms.
However, chronic hyperglycemia at levels more than
slightly above normal can produce a very wide
variety of serious complications over a period of
years, including kidney damage, neurological
damage, cardiovascular damage, damage to the
retina or damage to feet and legs.
Polyphagia - frequent hunger,
especially pronounced hunger
Polydipsia - frequent thirst,
especially excessive thirst
Polyuria - increased volume of
urination (not an increased frequency for
urination)
Blurred vision
Fatigue (sleepiness)
Weight loss
Poor wound healing (cuts, scrapes,
etc.)
Dry mouth
Dry or itchy skin
Tingling in feet or heels
Erectile dysfunction
Recurrent infections, external ear
infections (swimmer's ear)
Cardiac arrhythmia
Stupor
Coma
Seizures

Sources:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/63240160/Electrolyte-imbalances
http://www.healthline.com/health/electrolyte-disorders#Types2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keto
tic_hypoglycemia
Note: symptoms that may seem to be a
potential match for hypoglycemia, though
recent bloodwork shows fasting glucose to be
fine. It may be that carb restriction in addition
to the early stages of adaptation leaves the
brain with insufficient fuel (ketones or
glucose). If one is not fully keto-adapted, it
may require consuming more fat than calorietargets would suggest - particularly because
those resorting to ketosis are often doing so
for fat loss, and may be incorporating caloric
deficits. In this case, the brain is not getting
enough glucose OR ketones due to lack of
carbs and inefficiency of processing fat; in this
case it may be reasonable to conclude that
one must consume more than their target fat,
until adapted, to compensate for this
inefficiency.