Sodium is necessary for athletes because it helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body, like water. Sodium also helps transmit nerve impulses, too much or too little sodium in your body and those nerve impulses could be off and it also helps contract and relax the muscles.
Your kidneys regulate the amount of sodium in your body. When sodium levels are low, your kidneys will conserve that level of sodium. When sodium levels are high, your body excrete the excess amount in urine. If your kidneys can't eliminate enough of the excess sodium, the sodium starts accumulating in your blood.
To replenish sodium lost through sweating, eat normally after the competition/event. Eating salt tablets are not recommended. Sweating naturally increases the concentration of salt in the body, while salt tablets take water away from cells, causing weak muscles.
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