Try rehydration drinks with electrolytes, especially after intense exercise or if you’ve been sweating a lot in the hot sun—but choose wisely! A drink that’s low in sugar and calories and has around 6-7% carbohydrates per serving is best for your overall health. [2] X Research source

Typically, you’ll get most of your chloride from table salt (sodium chloride). Adding salt to foods can also increase the chloride levels in your blood.

Caffeine and alcohol can also interfere with medications. Talk to your doctor about the medications you’re on before you consume food or drink containing caffeine or alcohol.

If you’re taking a nutritional or herbal supplement that’s lowering your chloride levels or causing you to be dehydrated, it might be better not to take it at all. Talk to your doctor about whether you truly need that supplement or what you might be able to take instead that would treat the same issue.

Drink plenty of fluids if you need to take a diuretic or laxative. You might also have an electrolyte drink or a salty snack to offset the effects of the drug on your chloride levels.

The lowest levels of chloride are most frequently caused by protracted vomiting, such as from drunkenness, or self-induced vomiting as a result of an eating disorder. [7] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source After a saline drip, your doctor may request regular follow-up testing to make sure that your levels don’t drop again. Chronically low chloride levels might be a symptom of another medical condition.

If you have more than 4 episodes of diarrhea or vomiting in a 24-hour period, contact your doctor as soon as possible. You might also notice muscle twitching or cramps, increased thirst, irritability, or a craving for salt. [9] X Research source

A chloride blood test is part of an electrolyte panel, which is a routine blood test. The test might also show other electrolyte deficiencies that need to be treated. Because urine also contains chloride, your doctor might order a urine test in addition to a blood test to get more information about the chloride levels in your body.

If a systematic dysfunction is found, treating that dysfunction normally will correct your problem with low chloride levels.