If you wake up some mornings and your fingers look fatter than usual, then you may worry about what is going on. Your fingers look a little sausage-like to start with when you get up but they gradually go back to their normal size as the day goes on.
This kind of bloating happens for various reasons. In some cases, it is down to your diet. How could your diet be making your fingers swell overnight?
Too Much Salt
If your diet contains a lot of salt, then you can have problems with water retention. This sometimes makes parts of your body, such as your fingers, swell.
Basically salt attaches fluids to your body's cells and bloodstream. In order to deal with salt, your body tries to balance it out with fluid so it can be expelled through the kidneys. So, if you have a lot of salt in your system, then you may also have extra fluids.
Your body sometimes retains these fluids rather than allowing them to pass away. This causes swelling and bloating.
If you eat a lot of salt regularly, then you may notice this swelling a lot. Sometimes it simply happens the morning after a day when you've eaten a lot of salty foods or even just one salt-heavy meal.
Not Enough Water
You get rid of excess salt from your system when you pee. The water you drink helps your kidneys function regularly so that these salts leave your system. Sometimes, salts build up in your body because you aren't adding enough water to the mix.
If you've not been drinking enough water and your salt intake has been on the high side, then you can have some water retention problems. Your fingers may swell because you aren't hydrated enough. If you drink more water, any residual salts should flush out of your system.
A Lack of Protein
Your body needs a certain amount of protein to function normally. If you don't have enough protein in your diet, parts of your body, including your hands and fingers, can swell up.
Protein helps keep your tissues healthy. It prevents too much fluid from building up in them. If you lack protein, then this process doesn't work as well as it should and you could see some swelling.
If your fingers continue to swell in the mornings, then make an appointment to see your GP. While this problem might be connected to your diet, swollen fingers can also be a sign of other conditions and illnesses that need medical attention.
Share3 January 2020
Hey there. My name is Wade, and I have been a first aid volunteer for the past twenty years. Most weekends you will find me at football games, rodeos, agricultural shows or fun runs. I really love being able to help at these events and provide the necessary level of assistance. As a first responder, my medical role is very limited, but, many injured people do contact me to give thanks after they recover. This has further sparked my interest in health and medicine. I love watching medical shows and reading basic texts to gain a greater understanding of particular medical problems. I'm sure there are others like me who take an amateur interest in health and medical matters. I started this blog to share intriguing information I come across. I hope you find my topics fascinating and instructive. Thank you for dropping by.