| schema:text
| - Last Updated on January 25, 2024 by Shabnam Sengupta
Quick Take
According to an Instagram post, salt consumption reduces anxiety. We checked the claim. According to our findings, the claim is False.
The Claim
An Instagram post with the caption “Did you know?” claims that putting salt on the tongue can help distract from anxiety and ground one by engaging their senses.
Fact Check
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a person’s overall reaction to a threat or danger. Each anxiety experience includes a perception of danger, thoughts about harm, and a physiological alarm and activation process. The most common of these disorders are panic disorders, phobias, generalized anxiety disorders, and OCDS. These conditions typically affect one’s mood, thought process, behaviour, and physiological activities. The main symptoms include restlessness, feeling tense, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or going blank, muscle tension, and irritability.
Is it possible to get rid of anxiety disorders by taking common salt?
No. There is no substantial evidence. It should be noted that cardiovascular disease is closely linked to a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. These conditions include PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders. It should also be noted that excessive salt consumption is widely recognized as a dietary risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This is because salt has been linked to a notable increase in anxiety. Therefore, these anxiety-salt interactions are thought to play a role in the close relationship between neuropsychiatric diseases and cardiovascular disease.
Anxiety disorders and depression, on the other hand, are associated with electrolyte inadequacies. Furthermore, some foods are thought to play an important role in anxiety reduction. Thus, we discovered in our analysis that dietary magnesium intake is slightly negatively correlated with anxiety. Clinical evidence suggests that magnesium supplementation may have a relaxing effect. This is because magnesium inhibits NMDA receptors. As a result, this blockage may help reduce nervous stimulation. However, this correlation requires more evidence. Furthermore, salt contains a lot of sodium, which is necessary for fluid balance, nerve health, nutrient absorption, and muscle function, but too much salt consumption may not reduce anxiety.
We asked Psychologist Dr Manisha Gaur if salt consumption could help relieve anxiety. She cautioned that “Anxiety disorders could cause people to overindulge in salty, fatty foods.” She explained that this could be more detrimental than beneficial because the recurrent pattern of overeating could lead to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and even cardiac ailments. Thus, in order to manage anxiety, one should seek psychiatric advice.
How anxiety disorders are managed?
The two primary treatments for anxiety disorders are psychotherapy and medication. A combination of the two may be most effective for anxiety relief. Please keep in mind that management varies from person to person. Psychotherapy, also known as psychological counselling, implies working with a therapist to reduce its symptoms. It has the potential to be an effective treatment for anxiety. The most beneficial type of psychotherapy is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Additionally, depending on the type of anxiety disorder, the psychiatrist may prescribe various medications to relieve symptoms.
THIP MEDIA TAKE: Salt is high in sodium. Sodium is an essential nutrient that the body requires for a variety of vital functions. However, most health organizations recommend that healthy adults limit their intake of sodium. Furthermore, sodium may trigger anxiety rather than alleviate it. Further, it can cause hypertension. As a result, we conclude that salt consumption does not reduce anxiety. Hence, the assertion is false.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)