Really Low Blood Pressure?

[PinkTulip]

So my blood pressure at my last annual physical was 87/57. The nurse took it three times, because she was sure it couldn't be right. My doctor didn't seem concerned, and didn't even mention it.

 

I have had some times on occasion, maybe once every 10 days or so, when I feel dizzy and just not right, which could be related to low blood pressure.

 

Any ideas on how to raise blood pressure? I know that sounds like a silly question, as the mother of four elementary-aged boys! Short of raising my stress level, eating hamburgers and fries every day? All the searches I have run are for people with high blood pressure, and how to lower it.

[Liz CA]

 

I have had low blood pressure all my life. So does my mother and she is in her 70s.

Sometimes it is hereditary. If you feel it impacts normal life, docs can prescribe something to elevate it. One doc once told me to have a glass of champagne for breakfast :001_smile: which is impractical in my case because I'd be drunk for hours. I still get momentarily light headed when I step on a ladder and quickly descend or when I run up the stairs. I don't feel it's negatively impacting my daily life so I have never done anything about it.

[LisaKinVA]

Hereditary here... the only time my BP hits 100/60 is about one hour after I've eaten, or in my last trimester of pregnancy.

 

"normal" for me is about 85/50. Although I've had lower BP...with the question of "how can you be alive?" lol

 

Oh, and eating sugar, fatty, or processed foods has never budged my BP. Conversely, eating "healthy" foods doesn't seem to budge my cholesterol.

Edited May 14, 2010 by LisaK in VA
diet

[Wyndie]

 

I have had low blood pressure all my life. So does my mother and she is in her 70s.

Sometimes it is hereditary. If you feel it impacts normal life, docs can prescribe something to elevate it. One doc once told me to have a glass of champagne for breakfast :001_smile: which is impractical in my case because I'd be drunk for hours. I still get momentarily light headed when I step on a ladder and quickly descend or when I run up the stairs. I don't feel it's negatively impacting my daily life so I have never done anything about it.

 

 

 

This is my situation exactly... well except my doc didn't tell me to have a glass of champagne for breakfast. ;) I find it only impacts if I do the above mentioned activities. I just sit my butt down on the floor for a minute until it passes and then resume life.

[wapiti]

I wouldn't worry about it, mine is quite usually 90/60. That's my genetic predisposition, from my mom (my dad had high blood pressure).

 

Dizziness can be caused by a wide variety of things, but especially dehydration and low blood sugar. When I feel dizzy (such as when we regularly go to a higher altitude, or when I've been exercising without drinking enough), the quickest fix is a bottle or two of gatorade - I think it's the combination of electrolytes or salts or whatever with the water - it hydrates me more quickly than just water. I don't think it's the 80 cal. of sugar in the gatorade, since eating and drinking doesn't seem to fix the dizziness for me as quickly as gatorade. weird.

[Melissa in FL]

Add salt to your diet. I know it just sounds wrong. I have low blood pressure also and so does my mom. I prefer to cook without salt because dh will add salt to anything regardless of how much salt has already been added. His family tends to have higher blood pressure. I realized that I was not getting enough salt in my diet because I just don't like to add it. Now I buy chips or something that I will eat that has salt on it. Sometimes I'll have a glass of tomato juice with salt in it because that is something I like to taste salty.

 

Also, are you on any medications? I ask because my mom has had problems with her doctor forgetting how low her blood pressure is and trying to prescibe her drugs that lower blood pressure (for things that are not blood pressure related). I know she has advised me to be very careful in anything a doctor might give me because sometimes the doctor won't even realize that a drug will lower the blood pressure more and could cause serious problems.

 

Other than that I don't think there is anything you can do, I'm hoping others might have some suggestions.

HTH

Melissa

[Dandelion]

My normal blood pressure is also 90/60. I don't think it affects my functioning (although maybe I'm just not aware of how I could be feeling with higher blood pressure - that's possible).

 

I don't have any other recommendations to add... Hope you find a solution, since you said you feel it might be affecting you adversely!

[Susu]

I always had a low blood pressure (90/60) and I never noticed any ill effects.

 

If you want to raise it, get sedentary and gain weight. :tongue_smilie:

I tried that method and it works! lol Now I am losing weight and moving again and it is coming back down.

 

I wouldn't worry about it unless you have other problems.

 

Susu

[alpidarkomama]

My husband has very low blood pressure. For decades, he thought it was normal to feel dizzy when you got out of bed! Per his doctor, he takes just enough salt tablets to keep his blood pressure in the low normal range (instead of the "how can you possibly still be standing" range!). He feels better with that bit of a boost.

[simka2]

Hereditary here too! I allow myself all the salt I want. Since I get light headed when I'm already standing...not just standing up. They figured out I have a condition know as nerocardiogenic syncope. I always thought it was just the low blood pressure, it's nice to know there was something else going on as well :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have low blood pressure too. Lately with my adrenal problems I'm finding that they are often related. The Dr. has run tests which show that I have very low sodium levels and high calcium levels. One of the things I've been advised to do is to mix 1/2 tsp. sea salt in 8 oz. of water and drink it in the morning.

[TravelingChris]

My dd has low blood pressure and she has been advised to add more salt to her diet, particularly on days she is doing sports. She ends up feeling faint and all the color drains from her face.

[ElizabethB]

:iagree:

 

More salt. Mine runs low, I would up my salt intake as needed to control dizzy spells. With my current food allergies, salt is one of the few spices I can use so my blood pressure is closer to normal, but still low.

[Caraway]

My low blood pressure is related to hypothyroidism.

[jazzyfizzle]

I am also in the very low blood pressure camp and am on doc's orders to greatly increase salt intake.

 

 

 

Hey Simka, orthostatic hypotension here.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Yes! I have low blood pressure. I also have a low body temp. My norm is 97.6. If I hit 98.6 I have a low grade fever.

[OhM]

Yes! I have low blood pressure. I also have a low body temp. My norm is 97.6. If I hit 98.6 I have a low grade fever.

 

Same here! (97.1 for me.) And, like some others, I have hereditary low blood pressure - it's usually 80/60. (I was also asked - when giving blood once - how I was able to be up and walking around since I had the blood pressure of "a dead person":glare:)

 

The only time it gives me trouble is when I stand too quickly from a lying position. I just try to remember to take an intermediate "sitting up" step before standing.

 

And with the low temp, it's hard to convince nurses that I am running a fever at 98.6. They don't buy it until they page back through my chart.

[Ravin]

My blood pressure has always been low, though it's not as low now as it was when I was vegetarian. I suppose it could be related to my hypothyroid (though even with the thyroid levels well controlled I'm on the low side for BP). It used to be very similar to yours, or even lower diastolic. Now it's usually around 105/60.

 

I always thought the dizziness thing was mostly blood sugar related, though (I'm also chronically hypoglycemic). I guess it might make sense that it's BP related, esp. since it gets worse for me with certain medications (such as the sudafed I've been taking). I know staying hydrated helps.

[Peela]

Mine has been as low as 60/40 and my doctors dont know how I am walking around. It is hereditary- mum has low blood pressure, dad's is normal. Dh's was low until recently- now its normal (he is 56 though and a little overweight). So my kids will have it too most likely- dd15 already has problems with dizziness on standing.

 

It has affected my life tremendously and along with a difficulty in absorbing iron, makes me quite tired. But..it suppsedly has no harmful affects. I don't know about that. The one thing I cant do is stand for long periods- in queues especially, or when I do my yoga and chi gung exercises. Standing exercises cant last more than a couple of minutes or I feel terrible and start getting whoozy and dizzy.

 

What I did do was stop restricting my salt intake. I used to always be skimpy on the salt and then I realised that for me, salt is ok, even good. However, I only use sea salt which has all the micro-minerals in it.

Other than that, regular walking seems to make me feel better. Exercise normalises blood pressure, so its goo either way.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Peela