1. Low blood pressure, properly called hypotension, is when your systolic pressure is 90 mm/Hg or below and your diastolic pressure is 60mm/Hg or below. Unlike high blood pressure, it’s not a warning sign that you could develop potentially deadly conditions like heart attacks and strokes, but it can still impact your life.
2. To find out if your blood pressure is low, you need to have it properly measured. That’s because it doesn’t always show symptoms, and when it does, those symptoms could be caused by a range of conditions. You can’t tell without checking. Visit a doctor or nurse, or buy a machine to use at home.
3. When low blood pressure does show symptoms, they can include dizziness, lightheadedness, blurred vision, nausea, confusion, a general feeling of weakness, and in the worst cases, fainting. If you experience any of these regularly, you may need to talk to your doctor.
4. Orthostatic or postural hypotension is when these symptoms are specifically caused by you sitting or standing up too abruptly. It’s more common when in the elderly, but it can occur through dehydration.
5. You rarely control low blood pressure with medication, unless the hypotension is caused by medication that needs adjusting. Some people wear support stockings to improve their circulation.
6. Lifestyle changes to control low blood pressure include drinking lots of water, eating smaller meals more frequently, being extra careful when standing, and possibly even propping up the head of your bed. More salt in your diet can help, but it must be monitored because it can cause other problems.
7. There are also things to avoid, such as alcohol and caffeine, especially when it’s late in the evening. Try not to stay in one position for too long or move too quickly.
8. Causes of low blood pressure can vary. It can change depending on age, pregnancy or even time of day. Physically fit people who exercise regularly often have lower blood pressure, and that’s natural and healthy.
9. It can also come about as a side effect of something else, such as other medications or diabetes. Identifying the cause can help determine the best type of management.
10. Often, it doesn’t actually need management. Unless there are symptoms that are interfering with your life, most of the time, hypotension isn’t something you need to worry about.
