Potassium Deficiency, causes symptoms

Importance of potassium in diet:

Chemical symbol for potassium: K⁺

The first thing to understand is that the 98 percent of potassium found in our body is inside cells, not in the blood so a blood test cannot probably detect potassium deficiency, there are other sophisticated tests to check it but not commonly available, so we always have to go for the symptoms to find out potassium deficiency.

Link with sugar levels, cravings for sugar, and Insulin:

·         Potassium plays its role in regulating, and lowering glucose levels, in this way it is linked with insulin release and sugar levels in the blood, as insulin also controls the glucose level by storing excess glucose as glycogen in the liver. When there is a lower level of potassium in your body, the body has to have more Insulin release or sugar patients have to struggle with more fluctuations in blood sugar levels. It is highly recommended for particularly sugar patients to have proper potassium in their diet.

·         Secondly same is applied in a situation when we take in too much sugar, the potassium levels go down because of sugar and the patient may feel strong palpitations because of that. Potassium affects muscle contraction and the heart pumps the blood with muscle contraction, and the heartbeat is affected. 

Why is it important for non-diabetics?

·         All of it applies to non-diabetics as well as their body mechanism is also the same except that the sugar patients use medicine or insulin injection to regulate sugar while normal people naturally release insulin to meet the demand of sugar regulation?  Another thing to know is that the high blood sugar level is actually the high blood glucose level, high sugar term, strictly speaking, is incorrect.

·         Potassium help avoid sugar cravings as well because of the same relationship of blood sugar levels and potassium.

Now you must be able to relate the symptoms of potassium deficiency which are

·         Cravings for sugar

·         Blood sugar levels rise.

·         Feeling strong palpitation after eating sugar.

Effect on blood pressure

 

As an electrolyte potassium help to maintain blood pressure.

Lower potassium may lead to high blood pressure because potassium is a relaxer, relaxing or softening the blood vessels walls, lesser potassium leads to stiffness of walls of vessels and nerves resulting in high blood pressure as well as muscle cramps.

When you're low potassium, the blood pressure will increase.

Muscle weakness:

As an electrolyte, potassium helps the muscle to contract. So in case of potassium deficiency person may experience muscle cramps, the heart is a muscle as well experience arrhythmic movements and the person feels irregular heartbeat and palpitation.  

In warmer regions during summer, a lot of sweating causes potassium loss, as a result, he, may feel muscle stiffness and difficulty in movement and we mistakenly relate it with vitamin D and Calcium deficiency.

Sleeping problems

A person may not sleep well with lower potassium levels as potassium is something to calm him down.

Causes of deficiency.

·         Well, if you are sick and you vomit or, let's say, you're a bulimic, that can cause that.

·         Or maybe you're just not eating enough in your diet.

·         Drinking too much water. Too much water makes your body remove more potassium through urine and cause deficiency.

·         Stress causes high cortisol levels and they lead to this deficiency.

 

Sources of potassium:

As everyone knows bananas contain a good amount but they only contain up to 300 mg, actual requirement of potassium is 4700 mg per day, you may have to have up to 12 bananas to meet this requirement. So better include salads in your diet to avoid increasing sugar levels.