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Dec 19, 2022 · You may crave salt as a symptom of a medical condition that requires treatment. That’s why you should never ignore chronic cravings. Below are some conditions that may cause you to crave...
- Dehydration or Overhydration. Sodium is a vital mineral and electrolyte found in your body’s fluids that helps to control how much water goes in and out of cells (among many other things).
- Intense Exercise. Along the same lines, intense exercise with excessive sweating can cause you to crave salt because you have lost electrolytes through perspiration.
- Chronic Stress. Perhaps surprisingly, being chronically stressed can cause salt cravings. Although researchers aren’t entirely sure what causes this, some speculate that eating salt stimulates your hypothalamus to release dopamine, a “pleasure” neurotransmitter.
- Being Tired. Not getting enough sleep—especially night after night—is known to weaken your resolve to eat healthy. Studies show that people who undersleep are more likely to eat high-salt, high-fat, and high-sugar foods than those who are well-rested.
Dec 15, 2020 · See six reasons why people crave salt and how it affects your health. Plus, learn 10 ways to combat salty food cravings.
Dec 22, 2023 · It's normal to experience an occasional salt craving due to boredom, stress, or dehydration. Still, a routine craving for salty foods may indicate another underlying issue, like a medication side effect or another health condition.
- Cristina Mutchler
- Stress. Share on Pinterest. Salt cravings may be the result of stress. When stress levels rise, many people crave their favorite foods for comfort. Foods that people commonly crave are often high in fat, sugar, or salt — also known as sodium.
- Lack of sleep. People who do not get enough sleep may crave snacks with high “satisfaction levels” such as salty, crunchy foods. A study in the journal Sleep found that people who were sleep-deprived were less able to resist cravings for their favorite unhealthy foods.
- Boredom. Share on Pinterest. Eating salty food due to boredom is similar to stress eating. Eating due to boredom is an emotional eating behavior, similar to stress eating.
- Excessive sweating. Sweat contains salt, so when a person sweats, their sodium levels decrease. For most people, light sweating is nothing to worry about.
Dec 12, 2023 · Salt cravings can arise for many different reasons, from dehydration to stress and PMS. Click inside for the most common culprits behind salt cravings.
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Aug 8, 2022 · Salt craving is a compelling or extreme desire to consume salt or salty foods. Craving salt can occur for many reasons, including behavioral habits, noncancerous biological processes such as pregnancy, and clinical illnesses.