How To Raise Low Blood Pressure
If youre dealing with hypotension, the first step is making an appointment with your doctor. After discussing your medical history, lifestyle, and other factors, your doctor may change your medication or suggest certain lifestyle changes to get to the root of the issue.
Its important not to stop taking any medications or change dosages without talking to a healthcare professional first. The same is true of dietary or other changes.
Low Blood Pressure Diet: What To Eat To Help Raise Low Blood Pressure
If your blood pressure is low, it can lead to health problems like feeling weak or dizzy, feeling confused and fainting. But there are changes you can make to your diet to help raise your blood pressure to a healthy level.
A low blood pressure diet isnt too difficult to follow and can help raise low blood pressure just by eating certain foods.
Low blood pressure is a reading of less than 90/60mmHg on a sphygmomanometer . Having low blood pressure can impact your every day life as it can cause people to feel weak, confused, and unlike themselves. This is often accompanied with feelings of sickness and even fainting. So it can be detrimental to daily life. Thankfully though, theres some simple ways to help raise your blood pressure, including some changes to your diet.
We spoke to registered nutritionist Jo Travers, founder of The London Nutritionist and author of The Low-Fad Diet, about what causes low blood pressure and what you can do to help.
Can Lack Of Food Cause Low Blood Pressure
Sometimes yes, lack of food can cause low blood pressure. But its not the number one cause of low blood pressure.
Jo explains, a lack of nutrients can be a problem such as in the case of anaemia, where the body isnt getting enough iron or B-12 to make red blood cells. This leads to a lower blood volume and therefore low blood pressure.
She adds that: skipping the odd meal isnt going to cause it. However skipping meals can cause dizziness because of low blood sugar which is also a symptom of low blood pressure.
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Causes Of Diastolic Hypotension By Itself
There are three known causes of isolated diastolic hypotension:
Medications
- Alpha-blocker medications. These blood pressure medications work by causing your blood vessels to open up . Because they lower diastolic pressure more than systolic pressure, they may cause isolated diastolic hypotension. Common brand names include Minipress and Cardura.
Lifestyle
- Aging. As we age, we lose the elasticity of our arteries. For some older adults, arteries may become too stiff to spring back between heartbeats, causing diastolic blood pressure to be low.
- Too much salt in your diet. Dietary salt can decrease elasticity of your blood vessels. If you take in too much salt, you may increase your risk of low diastolic blood pressure.
Foods As A Treatment For Low Blood Pressure
Lack of nutrition plays a large role in cases of low blood pressure.
Not getting enough iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 can prevent your body from making the right amount of blood cells. This can cause anemia and low blood pressure.
Water
Dehydration is one of the main causes of low blood pressure. Insufficient water levels actually reduce your blood volume. This reduction then lowers your blood pressure levels.
Doctors recommend people with low blood pressure should drink around 8 cups, about a half-gallon, of water per day. They should also limit their consumption of alcohol.
Coffee
The caffeine in coffee is a stimulant. This means that it can raise your heart rate and blood pressure levels. Drinking coffee can be helpful in the short-term fix, but it isnt a permanent solution. Most people develop a tolerance to caffeine over time.
Beef liver
Beef liver is one of the best sources of vitamin B12. A 100 gram serving of liver contains an incredibly high amount of B12.
Low levels of vitamin B12 can cause anemia and low blood pressure.
Eggs
A single egg contains high amounts of folic acid and B12.
Like vitamin B12, folic acid is an important aid for raising low blood pressure levels.
Red meat
Red meat is one of the most widely available sources of iron, which is needed for raising blood pressure levels.
Beef has one of the highest iron contents that you will find in food.
- Beef
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What To Do When Your Blood Pressure Drops Too Low & How To Raise It
Maintaining ideal blood pressure can be a difficult task for some. As very high as well as low blood pressure levels can be dangerous, it is necessary to maintain the normal range. So, while a healthy routine and medications are important for high blood pressure, it is also essential to know about the symptoms of very low blood pressure. Let us understand what to do when your blood pressure drops too low and how to raise it.
Effective Home Remedies For Low Blood Pressure
- NDTV Food
While you may have heard of hypertension or high blood pressure, suffering from low blood pressure can be as dangerous as well. An optimal blood pressure reading is less than 120mm Hg and above 80 mm Hg. The first number indicates the systolic pressure or the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats and fills with them with blood. The second number represents the diastolic pressure which is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. Low blood pressure or hypotension may cause inadequate blood flow to the heart, brain, and other vital organs. A sudden drop in blood pressure often occurs when someone suddenly rises from a lying down or sitting position. This is called postural hypo-tension and may cause light-headedness and dizziness. There are some home remedies for low blood pressure that you can employ in order to deal with the symptoms of erratic blood pressure. But if youve been feeling the following symptoms for a while, consult your doctor and get your blood pressure measured
- Fatigue
- Loss of consciousness
- Blurry vision
Once your doctor confirms that your blood pressure is low, follow his advice and take medication if required. A healthy low blood pressure diet is important for low blood pressure treatment. Along with that, heres more homely help. Your diet plays a crucial role in maintaining your blood pressure.
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What To Eat And Not Eat To Prevent High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, affects about a third of all adults in the United States. Another third have prehypertension, where their blood pressure is high but not quite high enough to be diagnosed as hypertension. Often, high blood pressure has no symptoms, so the only way to know if you have it is to have your doctor measure it during your annual medical checkup.
High blood pressure is easy to get under control, but if left unchecked, it can lead to life-threatening conditions such as stroke, heart attack, and other serious heart issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 50% of those with high blood pressure have it under control.
In addition to exercising and losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, following a healthy eating plan is one of the best ways to prevent or manage high blood pressure.
The Salty Six: 6 Foods Most Closely Linked To High Blood Pressure
“The Salty Six are mostly processed foods,” says Derocha. “When life gets in the way, we reach for convenience foods.” And that can get us in trouble.
Avoiding those salty foods will help reduce high blood pressure, if you have it, she says. But you can do more by replacing them with foods that contain compounds clinically proven to drive down blood pressure and improve the health of your blood vessels.
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Foods And Drinks Containing Caffeine
Foods and beverages containing caffeine may cause a rise in blood pressure. However, studies into the effects of caffeine on blood pressure are inconclusive. suggests that coffee temporarily raises blood pressure only in people who do not drink it regularly.
Other foods and drinks that contain caffeine include chocolate, tea, cocoa, and some sodas and energy drinks.
Salmon And Other Fatty Fish
Some evidence suggests that consuming salmon and other fatty fish may help reduce blood pressure in certain populations.
Scientists believe the omega-3 fatty acids in fishparticularly docosahexaenoic acid cause this change, though its unclear how this happens.
Its best to stick with fish like salmon, sardines, Atlantic mackerel, and lake trout, because theres mixed evidence that fish-oil supplements provide the same benefit.
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Dietary Recommendations Include Prioritizing Unprocessed Foods
Dietary recommendations from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute called the Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension, or the DASH diet for short promote eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean such as fish and poultry, beans, nuts and vegetable oils, while also limiting saturated fats, refined grains, processed foods, and added sodium.
The advantage of getting these nutrients through whole foods, rather than through supplements, is that our body is able to use them better. A number of times when we have just separated out the one nutrient that we think is good, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, or vitamin E, and given it as a concentrated pill, it has been shown to be either not as effective or completely ineffective when compared to the natural foods, Dr. Higgins says.
Treatment For Low Or High Blood Pressure
Your reading may indicate a blood pressure problem even if only one number is high. No matter what category of blood pressure you have, its important to monitor it regularly. Talk with a doctor about how often you should check your blood pressure at home.
Write the results in a blood pressure journal and share them with the doctor. Its a good idea to take your blood pressure more than once at one sitting,
The doctor will likely address that health condition or concern first.
If its unclear why your blood pressure is low, treatment options may include:
- eating more salt
- wearing compression stockings to help prevent blood from pooling in your legs
- taking a corticosteroid like fludrocortisone to help increase blood volume
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Prevention And Management Of Low Diastolic Blood Pressure
There are some things you can do to help prevent and manage low diastolic pressure:
- Try to keep your salt intake to between 1.5 and 4 grams per day. An ideal number is about 3.5 grams. Read food labels to avoid added salt in your diet.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet. This diet includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. For protein, stick to lean meats and fish. Avoid fatty foods.
- Drink enough fluids and avoid alcohol, which can increase your risk of dehydration.
- Stay physically active and start an exercise program. Ask your doctor what type and amount of exercise is safe for you.
- Maintain a moderate weight. If youre overweight, your doctor can help you create a safe weight loss plan.
- If you smoke, quit. Quitting can be difficult, so consider reaching out for support.
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.
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Boost Your B12 Intake
Vitamin B12 performs a critical role in helping the body produce healthy red blood cells. Lack of this important vitamin can result in anemia, which lowers blood pressure and can result in excessive bleeding as well as organ and nerve damage. Foods that are rich in vitamin B12 include eggs, chicken, fish like salmon and tuna, and low-fat dairy products.
Risk Of Injury From Falls
If your blood pressure is low enough, the drop can cause symptoms such as fainting or dizziness.This causes a significant risk of falling since youre not conscious to stop the fall. Additionally, youre not aware of how badly youve injured yourself during a fainting spell. This can lead to serious injuries, such as head trauma from hitting your head.
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What To Eat When Blood Pressure Is Low
Low blood pressure or hypotension refers to the reduction in the level of blood pressure below the norm. Low blood pressure can be further divided into varying degrees according to the level of blood pressure. This condition is equally harmful as hypertension or high blood pressure. The changes in the blood pressure above or below the normal range could cause disturbances to the bodys function.
What are the symptoms of low blood pressure?
The low blood pressure is presented with symptoms of dizziness, difficult to concentrate, fainting, blurry vision, nausea, and general weakness. The intensity of these symptoms varies with the degree of hypotension.
What are the causes of low blood pressure?
There are various causes of low blood pressure. Some of the most common causes are prolonged period of bed rest, during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, dehydration, heart diseases, under active thyroid gland, low level of blood glucose level, Vitamin B12 deficiency and Folic acid deficiency.
Every person who is diagnosed with this condition is advised to follow a dietary regime to keep up the level of blood pressure to the normal range. The major changes that need to made to the diet are
Alcohol consumption should be completely avoided. This can complicate the low blood pressure.
The addition of dairy products to the diet can be beneficial in increasing the blood pressure. Most of the dairy products contain naturally present sodium and this can increase the blood pressure.
Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is considered a silent condition because there are usually no symptoms until some body organs are affected.
The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is by checking your blood pressure reading.
A sustained systolic blood pressure of at least 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of at least 80 mm Hg indicates high blood pressure.
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Do Limit Your Salt Intake
Its the sodium within table salt that affects your blood pressure. One level teaspoon of salt contains 2300 milligrams of sodium. Its recommended that you limit your daily sodium intake to 1500 mg when your blood pressure is high. If youre salt sensitive, even a small reduction in sodium intake can reduce your blood pressure by 5-6 points.
Leave The Deli Meats Soups And Overly Processed Foods At The Store
While canned soups, frozen meals, and sandwich meats are often convenient, they contain an overabundance of sodium. One serving of canned soup, for instance, can contain 900 mg of sodium. Thats more than half of the 1500 mg you should consume in a day if you have high blood pressure. Packaged foods, such as baked goods and frozen meals, may contain trans fat, which is terribly unhealthy for your heart and blood pressure.
It may take a little more time, but creating soups from fresh ingredients, slicing your sandwich meat from a home-roasted chicken, and cooking your own freeze-ahead meals can keep your sodium intake within normal range and your blood pressure where it should be.
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Q What Can I Do To Prevent Low Blood Pressure
Foods That Lower Blood Pressure
1. Pomegranate Juice
While most traditional fruit juices are laden with processed sugar and practically devoid of useful nutrients, 100 percent pomegranate juice is actually one of the healthiest juices on the planet.
One of the most desirable benefits of pomegranate juice includes the ability it has to lower blood pressure naturally. The science is in: Pomegranate juice has major blood pressure-lowering ability, both in short- and long-term studies.
It has also been tested for its ability to reduce blood pressure in patients with diabetes, patients undergoing kidney dialysis and those with carotid artery disease, all with the same successful results.
2. Spinach
Weve all known for a long time that spinach is a crazy healthy food and helps seriously reduce disease-causing inflammation. The awesome antioxidants it contains land it on this list of foods that lower blood pressure.
3. Coriander
A subject of relatively new research, coriander has been used traditionally for years to treat a number of conditions.
In 2009, a revolutionary study began attempting to define what exactly coriander can do. Researchers found that it exhibited several positive benefits, including a hypotensive effect.
4. Pistachios
Theyre not just a snack anymore pistachio nutrition is no small thing when it comes to heart health.
5. Beetroot Juice
In overweight and obese subjects past middle age, the effects are not as noticeable, at least in the short term.
6. Olive Oil
7. Dark Chocolate
8. Flax Seed
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