Dealing with low blood pressure

Low blood pressure can occur because of a variety of reasons like a lack of certain nutrients, dehydration, hormonal issues and more. Find all the most common reasons here. It can lead to symptoms like low energy, weakness and fatigue, lack of concentration, poor blood circulation that culminates in different ways such as cold hands and feet, dizziness and fainting. You can find the symptoms of low blood pressure here.

If you suspect that you have low blood pressure, you need to consult your medical practitioner immediately. Although low blood pressure is usually not life threatening and only becomes a medical concern when it negatively impacts your health, your medical practitioner will be able to determine whether your blood pressure is too low (and how much of an issue it really is), identify the causes of your lowered blood pressure and suggest the best possible treatment that is tailored to your condition. This site does not replace the advice or necessity of a medical practitioner in any way. I am simply sharing a few tips and tricks that have helped me out personally.

Treating low blood pressure by identifying the cause

If you can identify why your blood pressure is lower than normal, you would be able to solve the cause and then return blood pressure to its normal state - while resolving any other symptoms you might be having because of the initial cause. For example, if you have low blood pressure because you are not eating enough, understanding that lower food intake is the cause and solving that by eating more would improve your blood pressure as well as increase other symptoms like low metabolism - which would give you more energy. Metabolism (the rate at which your body turns food into energy) is closely related to food intake.

Low blood pressure and low food intake

Since we've used the connection of food intake and blood pressure as an example, the connection between the two will be our first possible cause of low blood pressure. In my personal experience, I've found a correlation between low blood pressure and food intake: I have personally found that people who don't eat enough often have low blood pressure, while people who eat too much (more than what their bodies require) often have high blood pressure. This observation is purely anecdotal and just a correlation I have found. I could not find any evidence or studies to support this. 

Low intake of certain nutrients

Healthline does not say that a greater food intake will help with low blood pressure, but that certain nutrients will. Besides increasing fluid intake, they recommend getting more B12 vitamins (found in almost all animal products, while fortified cereals are an option for vegetarians), folate (leafy greens, legumes and fruits) and salt (sodium consumption directly increases blood pressure). It looks like eating more meat, fish, diary and veggies gives your body the nutrients that it needs to increase blood volume. Some people with low blood pressure feel drops when they eat big meals because more blood is directed to the digestive process. Simply eat smaller meals more often to counteract this.

Body mass index (BMI)

Your body mass index, or BMI, calculates your obesity level by looking at the proportion of your weight compared to your height. You can calculate your own BMI levels here by putting in your height and your weight. Higher BMI's indicate a greater chance of obesity, while a BMI lower than 18.5 will indicate that you are underweight for your specific height. This study found that BMI was the biggest factor in differences between high or low blood pressure - when studying the connection between blood pressure and nutrition. I would assume that this is because greater body mass increases the amount of nutrients available for blood volume; or that the more you eat, the more likely you are to eat foods that encourage blood formation. You can increase your BMI by eating more food and by increasing muscle mass through exercise.

Exercise and activity level

Blood Pressure UK explains that exercise temporarily increases blood pressure, while it drops back to normal shortly after exercise - depending on how long the body takes to rest and return to normal. One of the benefits of exercise is that it regulates blood pressure. Since low blood pressure can result in weakness or fatigue, people with lower-than-normal blood pressures might gravitate towards activities that require less physical activity. Exercise, however, will increase natural energy production and reduce the effects of fatigue over time. It will also teach the body to respond to its own needs much faster. Blood pressure is closely tied to heart health. Heart rate should increase when blood pressure is too low. Exercise will improve heart health and therefore improve the body's natural response to blood pressure drops.

Hot or cold whether

Mayo Clinic says that blood pressure is usually lower in warmer climates, while higher in colder climates. They explain that this happens because colder temperatures have a constricting effect on blood vessels. When your body is cold, blood is brought to your core to keep your internal organs warm so that they can perform their important functions. The body responds to hotter temperatures by spreading blood out to the skin and extremities so that it can cool down. Ironically, feeling cold (in the hands and feet or being more susceptible to colder temperatures) is one of the symptoms of low blood pressure. Personally, I have had relief from a sudden dramatic drop in blood pressure when a compressed my body to something cold. By keeping yourself warm or cool enough, you can minimize the negative effects of the weather or temperature on your blood pressure.

Stimulants like nicotine and caffeine

Stimulants like nicotine (found in tobacco) and caffeine (found in coffee and tea) heighten blood pressure by increasing the heart rate and constricting blood vessels. Does your blood pressure drop after a long period of time without one of these stimulants? If so, decreasing the consumption of these chemicals will decrease the withdrawal effect, and therefore, drop in blood pressure when you don't have them.

Medical

Some drugs can lower blood pressure, such as diuretics, beta blockers, Parkinson's disease medication, narcotics, antidepressants, sexual enhancements and alcohol; according to Heart.org. There are medical conditions that lead to low blood pressure, such as pregnancy and conditions affecting the heart, hormones, diabetes, severe infection, and allergic reactions. In all these cases, the best way to identify and deal with the underlying cause is to contact your medical practitioner.

My personal story: Why you need to find the underlying cause

I have always had low blood pressure, which negatively affected my energy levels. As a child, I was advised to eat a bag of salt and vinegar chips when my blood pressure went through a dip to pick it up quickly. I always drank a lot of water, which washed away a lot of the salts that my body needed to hold onto its water volume. I added salt to my water, which increased my blood pressure in the short term - but my blood pressure would start to fall within a few days, even though I continued adding salt to my water. The salt provided a short-term benefit, but my blood pressure would return to lower levels after some time because lack of salt was not what was causing my low blood pressure. It took a while for me to realize that low activity levels were causing my low blood pressure. By increasing my daily physical and mental workload, my blood pressure slowly rose on its own to normal levels. 

In my case, I needed extra stimulus to increase my blood pressure. I also noticed that it needed to be in physical (exercise) AND mental workload form. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when we stress. This hormone does a variety of positive things if it is produced and used in the right quantities. One of the things that it does is increase blood pressure and energy production.

I would recommend consulting your medical practitioner first if you suspect a problem with your blood pressure. For me, trial and error helped me to find what the initial cause was of my low blood pressure. Stay Strong!

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