Tuesday, March 26, 2024
HomeFactsHow Low Can Your Blood Pressure Go

How Low Can Your Blood Pressure Go

When To Call The Doctor

Lowering Blood Pressure in 5 Minutes

Low blood pressure can cause symptoms of lightheadedness or dizziness, weakness or feeling faint. If you have any of these symptoms associated with a low blood pressure, you should contact your doctor.

If you have a lower than normal blood pressure but you feel fine without symptoms you are probably okay, says Dr. Courson.

When Is Low Blood Pressure Too Low Hypotension And More

Some people naturally have low blood pressure, known as hypotension. However, when high blood pressure suddenly becomes low blood pressure, it could be cause for concern.

Shutterstock

Low blood pressure, or hypotension, may be a sign of good health and of a decreased risk of heart disease. But not always. At times, continually low blood pressure or a sudden drop in blood pressure can lead to worrisome symptoms and even serious health problems.

New Findings Focus On Diastolic Blood Pressurethe Second Number In Your Blood Pressure Reading

Image: mangostock/Thinkstock

Of the two numbers that make up your blood pressure reading, the first one typically gets more attention. That’s because as people age, their arteries lose their elasticity, and the inner walls are more likely to accumulate cholesterol-laden plaque. These factors tend to raise systolic blood pressure, a measure of the pressure inside the arteries when the heart contracts to pump blood throughout the body.

Current guidelines suggest that most people should aim for a systolic blood pressure reading of 140 millimeters of mercury or lower. But last year, a widely publicized clinical trial suggested that a target of 120 mm Hg could further reduce the dangers associated with high blood pressure .

Yet reaching that lower target required an average of three blood pressure medications, which resulted in more side effects. Now, two recent observational studies highlight some concerns about blood pressure that’s too low, particularly with regard to diastolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure represents the pressure between beats when the heart relaxes.

You May Like: Apple Watch 2 Blood Pressure

Treatment Of Orthostatic Hypotension

Orthostatic hypotension may occasionally require treatment with medicines. However, the following self-care measures can often help relieve symptoms.

  • Stand up slowly, especially if you have been sitting or lying down for a long time.
  • Move your legs around before changing positions.
  • Drink plenty of fluids to avoid becoming dehydrated.
  • Reduce your intake of alcohol.
  • Avoid very hot showers and baths.
  • If you get low blood pressure after eating, sit still or lie down after meals, and try eating smaller amounts more frequently.
  • If you have had a period of prolonged bed rest, slowly increase the amount of time you spend sitting up.

In addition, there are steps you can take to prevent symptoms occurring, for example, tilting the bed head upwards, taking salt supplements and wearing supportive stockings.

Q What Should You Eat When Experiencing Low Blood Pressure

How low can your blood pressure go?
  • Along with constantly monitoring your symptoms, and managing your blood pressure, here are some useful diet tips that will help you raise your blood pressure:
    • Drinking plenty of fluids- hydration is key, and dehydration can severely affect blood volume.
    • Drink plenty of water through the day, especially after a workout session.
    • Vitamin B12- lack of vitamin B12 can lead to anemia. So, you have to consume foods like eggs, cereals, and beef to avoid a dip in your blood pressure.
    • Folate- folate helps keep blood pressure levels at a steady level, and foods like asparagus, liver, and garbanzo beans are rich in folate.
    • Salt: Salty foods are known to increase blood pressure, and you can eat food like smoked fish, cottage cheese, canned soup, and olives.
    • Caffeine: Caffeinated tea and coffee can spike your blood pressure by stimulating the cardiovascular system and giving your rate a boost.

    Recommended Reading: High Blood Pressure And Shaking

    What Are 5 Physical Signs Of Impending Death

    5 Physical Signs That Indicate Someone is Close to Death Sleeping More. A few months before the end of life, the patient may begin to sleep more and spend less time staying awake. Reduced Appetite. As the body activities decrease, energy needs decline. Becoming Less Social. Increased Physical Pain. Labored Breathing.

    If You Notice A Sudden Decline In Blood Pressure

    A single lower-than-normal reading is not cause for alarm, unless you are experiencing any other symptoms or problems. If you experience any dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea or other symptoms, its a good idea to consult with your healthcare provider. To help with your diagnosis, keep a record of your symptoms and activities at the time they occurred.

    Is low blood pressure related to low heart rate? Find out.

    Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff.

    Last Reviewed: Oct 31, 2016

    Recommended Reading: Maxte Fitness And Activity Tracker Watch

    When To Worry About Low Blood Pressure

    We all know that high blood pressure can be dangerous. But what about low blood pressure

    Also called hypotension, low blood pressure is not a problem if youre healthy and show no signs or symptoms of the condition. However, abnormally low blood pressure can cause problems such as dizziness and fainting and can be a sign that other serious conditions, such as heart disease, are present.

    Diet And Nutrition For Low Blood Pressure

    Can your MIND make your Blood Pressure go DOWN?

    A balanced meal with complex carbohydrates, fish, lean meat, fruits and cooked vegetables goes a long way in preventing hypotension. Changing meal patterns to make them more frequent and less heavy prevent as well as address postprandial fatigue and hypotension.

    On diagnosis of a dip in BP, a low blood pressure diet that supplies adequate sodium, and potassium while maintaining blood sugar levels is generally recommended for patients.Increased consumption of non-alcoholic beverages helps maintain adequate hydration and is recommended. Increasing salt quantities or addition of soy sauce in everyday cooking is a simple change that combats effects of low blood pressure and may be suggested by your doctor.

    Read Also: Can Claritin D Cause High Blood Pressure

    Is It Normal For Blood Pressure To Fluctuate

    It’s normal for blood pressure to vary somewhat throughout the day. Stress, exercise, and sleep can all make a difference. But if your blood pressure often changes significantly from one healthcare visit to another, there may a problem.

    Studies have found that visit-to-visit changes in blood pressure are sometimes linked to a higher risk of heart disease and early death.

    This article explains why your blood pressure numbers may be high sometimes and normal other times. It also offers advice about when to see a healthcare provider.

    Verywell / Cindy Chung

    Can You Feel When Blood Pressure Is High

    Most people who have high blood pressure do not have symptoms. In some cases, people with high blood pressure may have a pounding feeling in their head or chest, a feeling of lightheadedness or dizziness, or other signs.

    Also Check: Heart Attack With Low Blood Pressure

    What Should I Do If My Blood Pressure Is 160 Over 100

    Your doctor If your blood pressure is higher than 160 / 100 mmHg, then three visits are enough. If your blood pressure is higher than 140/90 mmHg, then five visits are needed before a diagnosis can be made. If either your systolic or diastolic blood pressure stays high, then the diagnosis of hypertension can be made.

    Sudden Spike In Blood Pressure Can Be Serious

    Does Fasting Lower Blood Pressure?

    Blood pressure is a measurement of the force that blood applies to your arterial walls as it pumps from your heart throughout your body. It also represents how hard your heart is working to push the blood. When blood pressure is higher, it means the heart must work harder to push blood through your system. In turn, the risk of heart disease or heart attack increases.

    According to 2014 data, high blood pressure accounts for roughly 1,100 deaths every day in the United States, and only about half of all people with high blood pressure have it under control.

    Disturbingly, most people may not even be aware that they have the condition, or are at least on the verge of becoming hypertensive. Some risk factors for high blood pressure include:

    • Prehypertension
    • Eating a high sodium/low potassium diet
    • Not getting enough exercise/physical activity
    • Overactive thyroid
    • Overactive adrenal glands

    A normal blood pressure is in the range of 120 mmHg/80 mmHg . The higher number represents systolic blood pressure and the lower represents diastolic. Prehypertension arises when systolic and diastolic pressures exceed these numbers, and hypertensionor high blood pressurearises when blood pressure reaches 140 mmHg/90mmHg.

    Sometimes, however, something causes blood pressure to spike unexpectedlyand the higher your resting blood pressure is, the greater your risk of suffering a severe cardiac event becomes. Therefore, knowing how to lower blood pressure fast is very important.

    Recommended Reading: Treating Low Blood Pressure

    How Is Low Blood Pressure Treated

    If there is an underlying cause for your low blood pressure, and it is giving you problems, you may need treatment for that underlying cause. But if it isnt causing you problems, treatment wont be needed.

    Your doctor may advise you to take precautions to prevent episodes of low blood pressure, such as avoiding dehydration, hot showers or standing up too quickly.

    Q What Can I Do To Prevent Low Blood Pressure

  • Consciousness towards diet and lifestyle can go a long way towards prevention. Mindfulness towards bodily movement would help reduce instances of giddiness due to postural hypotension as well. If hypotension is suspected due to medication, it is best to get a recommendation from your doctor regarding substitutes to prevent effects of low blood pressure such as weakness and fatigue.
  • Also Check: What Can U Take For High Blood Pressure

    Symptoms And Causes Of Low Blood Pressure

    Many different conditions and situations can cause low blood pressure, from standing up too fast to being pregnant. Sometimes, low blood pressure is linked to an underlying problem. Thats why its important to see your doctor right away if you experience the signs of low blood pressure.

    Symptoms of low blood pressure can include:

    • Dizziness
    • Fatigue
    • Depression

    Low blood pressure can be a sign of serious heart, endocrine or neurological conditions. If left untreated, the brain and other vital organs do not get the oxygen and nutrients they need. In extreme cases, this can cause shock, a life-threatening condition.

    If you show signs of low blood pressure, your doctor will conduct an exam and may perform tests to determine whats causing the condition. Low blood pressure can occur with many other conditions.

    Some causes of low blood pressure are:

    How Do I Lower My Blood Pressure

    How To Lower Your High Blood Pressure

    Once youve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, the first thing your healthcare team will do is test you for different conditions that cause secondary hypertension. If they identify a problem, they will work with you to treat the underlying condition, he says.

    In all instances of hypertension, however, there are some basic measures that can be taken that can help lower your blood pressure as well as promote overall heart health, Dr. Singh says. These include:

    • Reducing salt, red meat, saturated fat, and alcohol intake
    • Getting regular cardiovascular exercise, such as brisk walking or running 30 minutes per day
    • Maintaining a healthy weight
    • Taking time to minimize stress daily
    • Avoiding all tobacco products like cigarettes and vapes

    If your blood pressure remains high despite making lifestyle modifications, there are several different medications available that can work on their own or in combination with others to treat hypertension, Dr. Singh says. Your healthcare team will work with you to determine which medication regimen is best for your personal situation.

    The bottom line: Since high blood pressure is asymptomatic, make sure youre going to your regular doctors visits. The sooner you get a diagnosis, the sooner you can make healthy changes.

    Read Also: Apple Smartwatch Blood Pressure

    Drink Plenty Of Water

    Dehydration can sometimes lead to low blood pressure. Some people may have hypotension even with mild dehydration.

    You can also get dehydrated by losing water too quickly. This can happen through vomiting, severe diarrhea, fever, strenuous exercise, and excess sweating.

    Medications such as diuretics may also cause dehydration. Drink more water by using a portable water bottle. Use an alarm or timer to remind you to take a sip.

    Medication Used To Treat Low Blood Pressure

    In cases of more severe or recurrent symptoms of low blood pressure, doctors may prescribe drugs to stabilize the system. These may include:

    Fludrocortisone: It is a steroid that is prescribed when the body is unable to produce enough by itself, and is often prescribed in conjunction with other steroids such as hydrocortisone. It reduces inflammation in the body and causes the body to retain more sodium. It may cause some water retention, but this is not a cause for concern since it is necessary to build blood pressure. To maintain the sodium-potassium balance, a doctor might recommend consumption of potassium-rich foods such as apricot, bananas, spinach and broccoli while on this prescription. Once the effects of low blood pressure are no longer witnessed, you may be asked to discontinue the steroid, while maintaining lifestyle and diet changes.

    Midodrine: A counter to blood vessel dilation, midodrine is a what is called a vasopressor and constricts small blood vessels to increase blood pressure. It is usually prescribed in cases of postural hypotension and the dosage is gradually increased over time to prevent side effects.

    Also Check: Does Claritin Cause High Blood Pressure

    What Can You Do If Your Blood Pressure Is Too Low

    Treatment

  • Use more salt. Experts usually recommend limiting salt in your diet because sodium can raise blood pressure, sometimes dramatically.
  • Drink more water. Fluids increase blood volume and help prevent dehydration, both of which are important in treating hypotension.
  • Wear compression stockings.
  • Medications.
  • Improving Health With Current Research

    13 Ways to lower your blood pressure naturally

    Learn about the following ways the NHLBI continues to translate current research into improved health for people with abnormally low blood pressure. Research on this topic is part of the NHLBIs broader commitment to advancing heart and vascular disease scientific discovery.

    • Testing Treatments for Cardiac Arrest and Trauma. The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium clinical trial network tested treatments to address high morbidity and mortality rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and severe traumatic injury. ROC investigators compared different strategies for supplemental fluids in trauma patients who have low blood pressure. Other ROC studies found a link between low blood pressure readings and the need for emergency procedures.
    • Understanding How Low Blood Pressure Affects Diverse Populations. NHLBI-supported researchers are studying low blood pressure in different populations. Investigators in the NHLBIs Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study found that people who have low blood pressure when standing up, known as orthostatic hypotension, are at higher risk for stroke. In a follow-up study of NHLBIs Honolulu Heart Program, researchers found older Japanese men who had orthostatic hypotension were nearly twice as likely to die within the next four years as those who did not have orthostatic hypotension. NHLBIs Cardiovascular Health Study found that orthostatic hypotension was common in older adults, increases with age, and is linked to cardiovascular diseases.

    Don’t Miss: Is High Blood Pressure A Symptom Of A Heart Attack

    Research For Your Health

    The NHLBI is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health the Nations biomedical research agency that makes important scientific discovery to improve health and save lives. We are committed to advancing science and translating discoveries into clinical practice to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, including problems associated with low blood pressure. Learn about current and future NHLBI efforts to improve health through research and scientific discovery.

    Is It A Heart Attack Or Anxiety

    People who suffer from panic attacks often say their acute anxiety feels like a heart attack, as many of the symptoms can seem the same. Both conditions can be accompanied by shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, sweating, a pounding heartbeat, dizziness, and even physical weakness or temporary paralysis.

    Don’t Miss: Claratin Blood Pressure

    Postural Or Orthostatic Hypotension

    Postural or orthostatic hypotension occurs when your blood pressure falls after a sudden movement. For example, you may feel dizzy or faint after changing posture, such as sitting up from a lying position, or standing up from a sitting position. This may cause you to lose your balance and fall over. You may also feel light-headed, have blurred vision, or lose consciousness.

    The symptoms of postural or orthostatic hypotension should only last a few minutes as your blood pressure adjusts to your new position. This type of low blood pressure tends to affect people more as they get older when it can lead to more frequent falls. Similar symptoms may also occur after exercise.

    How Does Your Body Regulate Blood Pressure

    How to lower blood pressure in MINUTES

    Your body has complex feedback mechanisms to regulate blood pressure, including dedicated nerves and hormones that are part of the sympathetic nervous system, which is involved in the fight-or-flight reflex. Special nerve receptors in major blood vessels signal a drop in blood pressure and alert your sympathetic nervous system to boost its activity, increasing heart rate and constricting blood vessels. If anything impairs these mechanisms, your blood pressure can drop.

    Don’t Miss: Does Spicy Food Raise Blood Pressure

    Recent Findings Raise Concerns About Lowering Diastolic Blood Pressure The Second Number In Your Blood Pressure Reading Too Far

    More of us than ever before are taking medications to lower our blood pressure. Longstanding guidelines suggest that most people should aim for a systolic blood pressure no higher than 140 millimeters of mercury . But in 2015, the results of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial suggested that reaching a target of 120 mm Hg could further reduce the risks associated with high blood pressure, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death.

    Yet reaching that lower target often requires three blood pressure medications, which can increase the likelihood of side effects. Two observational studies and one clinical trial have raised concerns about lowering blood pressure particularly diastolic pressure too far. Diastolic blood pressure represents the pressure between beats when the heart relaxes. “When your systolic blood pressure gets too low, it can manifest as lightheadedness, fainting, and weakness. But low diastolic pressure by itself doesn’t have any symptoms,” says Dr. Paul Conlin, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of medicine at the VA Boston Healthcare System.

    RELATED ARTICLES

    Popular Articles