Having a sweet tooth is common, but if you are constantly hankering for salty fast-food items like potato chips, popcorn, crunchy fries and pizza, it’s time to address the underlying health condition.

While salt being one of the essential minerals required by our body, too little of it can be dangerous as it is vital for regulating electrolyte balance and stimulate neural activity. While, on the other hand, excess salt can also cause high blood pressure or hypertension, dehydration and bloating. Several kinds of research strongly advocate that yearning for a slice of pizza or a late-night snack might be an underlying health condition that requires quick treatment.

Below are some of the most common miscreants of salt craving:

1.    Electrolyte Imbalance:

Electrolytes dissolved in the body fluids are vital for many bodily functions. Lack of these minerals or imbalance in the level of sodium, in the body, can exhibit several symptoms like fatigue, nausea, irritability and headache.

2.    Stress and Sleep Deprivation:

Several scientific studies show that lack of getting a good night's sleep in many cases increases the stress and causes the individual to make poor food choices and leads them to binge on comfort foods high in calories, sugar and salt. The elevated levels of cortisol hormone tire an individual put stress on the body which in turn leads to higher levels of the ghrelin – the hunger hormone, making you eat unhealthy foods.

3.    Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS):

In the days leading up to the menstrual cycle, a woman may come across a variety of physical and emotional changes known as the Premenstrual Syndrome. The hormonal imbalances during this time can cause mood swings, loss of sleep and even unusual yet intense craving for salty food.

4.    Addison’s Disease:

Though minor salt craving is a harmless habit, sometimes the cause of it can be due to an insufficient quantity of hormones produced by the adrenal gland leading to a disorder known as Addison’s disease. They may be marked by some symptoms like loss of appetite, sudden weight loss, hypotension, mouth sores, diarrhea, fatigue, etc.

5.    Bartter Syndrome:

A genetic condition exhibited since birth, people with this malady cannot reabsorb sodium in their kidneys which causes them to flush out the essential electrolytes like sodium, potassium and calcium through urine. Individuals with this syndrome may also experience conditions like kidney stones, constipation, weight gain, low blood pressure or hypotension, muscle cramp, etc.