In the summer, I sweat profusely and my skin gets crusty with salt. I don't want to get high blood pressure. Many athletes have a confused relationship with salt. They love the taste of salty foods, but hate salt for its reputation of causing high blood pressure. They crave salt after sweaty exercise, but question if they should eat salty foods to replace it.
Blood pressure is the force of blood against artery walls.
Eating salt does not directly cause blood pressure to rise nor does restricting salt automatically lower it. Sodium requirements vary and depend upon how much sodium you lose in sweat. For non-athletes, the National Academy of Sciences recommends at least 500 milligrams of sodium per day for baseline health requirements. The amount of sodium you lose in sweat depends upon how much salt you eat. Your body has an amazing ability to maintain a stable sodium balance by eliminating any excess in either sweat or urine.