For the majority of people, a normal blood pressure reading is around 120/80mm Hg. Anything below 90/60mm Hg is considered low, and may be a concern. Low blood pressure is typically anticipated amongst patients after surgery. Blood pressure can drop during or after surgery for a variety of factors, and in most cases, it’s a temporary issue that won’t cause any problems. Nevertheless, it needs very close tracking, since extended or really low blood pressure can cause lower oxygen supply which can result in heart and brain problems.
How Do You Know Your Blood Pressure Is Low?
For some people, low blood pressure signals an underlying problem, particularly when it drops all of a sudden or is accompanied by signs and symptoms such as:
1. Dizziness/Lightheadedness and Nausea
Chronic low blood pressure without any symptoms is nearly never major. But health issue can happen when blood pressure drops all of a sudden and the brain is deprived of a sufficient blood supply. This can cause dizziness or lightheadedness. Sudden drops in blood pressure most commonly occur in someone who’s rising from a lying down or sitting position to standing.
After extended standing, the individual’s heart rate and blood pressure drop, causing dizziness, nausea, and often fainting. In these people, the free nerve system incorrectly responds to extended standing by directing the heart to decrease and the veins to dilate therefore removing blood from flowing in the arteries.
2. Fainting (syncope)
If there is a hidden health condition, it will have to be dealt with. Treatment will assist prevent future fainting episodes. Frequently, no additional treatment is needed. To prevent additional episodes, the individual needs to prevent triggers, such as long periods standing still, dehydration, and remaining in hot and stuffy locations.
3. Blurred Vision and Diabetes
Blurred vision can make you feel like someone has put a filter over your eyes, and life is not in focus. People with diabetes can likewise experience blurred vision if their blood sugar levels vary considerably.
4. Fatigue and Lack of Concentration
If you blood pressure has actually recently decreased all of a sudden– seek instant medical attention. Chronically low blood pressure more likely would result lightheadedness or dizziness or the experience of nearly fainting. That being stated, some medicine that lowers blood pressure can cause fatigue. These consist of beta blockers such as atenolol or metoprolol. Regardless, low blood pressure is an issue.
There are lots of sensible descriptions for a lack of concentration: stress, hectic schedules, lack of sleep. However if you have chronic low blood pressure as well as problem focusing, it may be because blood is not being relocated to the brain at an appropriate rate, triggering the cells to be without nourishment. Here’s how you can treat low blood pressure at home.
5. Shock
Severe hypotension can result in this dangerous condition. Symptoms and signs consist of:
- Confusion, especially in older people.
- Cold, clammy, pale skin.
- Rapid, shallow breathing.
- Weak and fast pulse.
Shock is a lethal medical condition of low blood perfusion to tissues leading to cellular injury and inadequate tissue function. The typical signs of shock are low blood pressure, fast heart rate, signs of bad end-organ perfusion (e.g., low urine output, confusion, or loss of consciousness), and weak pulses.
The shock index (SI), defined as heart rate divided by systolic blood pressure, is a precise diagnostic procedure that is more useful than hypotension and tachycardia in isolation. Under normal conditions, a number in between 0.5 and 0.8 is generally seen. Need to that number increase, so does suspicion of an underlying state of shock. Blood pressure alone might not be a trusted sign for shock, as there are times when an individual is in circulatory shock but has a stable blood pressure.
What You Can Do with Low Blood Pressure?
Low blood pressure that either doesn’t cause signs or symptoms or causes just mild symptoms seldom needs treatment.
If you have symptoms, treatment depends upon the underlying cause. For example, when low blood pressure is triggered by medications, treatment typically involves altering or stopping the medication or lowering the dosage.
If it’s unclear what’s causing low blood pressure or no treatment exists, the goal is to raise your blood pressure and reduce symptoms and signs. Depending upon your age, health and the type of low blood pressure you have, you can do this in a number of ways:
Use more salt. Specialists usually suggest limiting salt in your diet because salt can raise blood pressure, often significantly. For people with low blood pressure, that can be a good thing.
But due to the fact that excess sodium can result in heart failure, particularly in older adults, it’s important to talk to your doctor before increasing the salt in your diet.
- Drink more water. Fluids increase blood volume and assistance prevent dehydration, both which are important in dealing with hypotension.
Wear compression stockings. The elastic stockings commonly used to alleviate the pain and swelling of varicose veins can help reduce the pooling of blood in your legs. - Medications. Numerous medications can be used to treat low blood pressure that takes place when you stand up (orthostatic hypotension). For example, the drug fludrocortisone, which boosts your blood volume, is often used to treat this type of low blood pressure.
Physicians often use the drug midodrine (Orvaten) to raise standing blood pressure levels in people with chronic orthostatic hypotension. It works by restricting the ability of your blood vessels to broaden, which raises blood pressure.
