New Health Guide
With each beat of your heart, blood is being pushed against your arteries. The amount of pressure created by this process is known as your blood pressure. Hypotension, or low blood pressure, is often regarded as a healthy outcome. However, hypotension can also indicate underlying conditions that need treatment. If your low blood pressure is causing you to feel dizzy or tired, it is time to speak with your doctor.
There are two phases of blood pumping against your arteries that are measured when checking your blood pressure. They are the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure. When you see them written out, you will see a two numbers written like a fraction. The number on top is the systolic pressure, and the number on the bottom is the diastolic pressure.
A healthy blood pressure reading will have a systolic pressure between 110 and 140, although this pressure is not considered low until it drops below 90. The healthy range for diastolic pressure is between 60 and 90.
When determining if your blood pressure is low, both the systolic and diastolic pressures do not need to be below the normal threshold. Only one of these pressures falling below normal qualifies as hypotension.
Your blood pressure will naturally vary, and variances in the measurements don’t necessarily indicate a problem. Depending on things like the position of your body, the rhythm of your breathing, you level of stress, the physical condition you are in, any medications you might be taking and the food and beverages you are consuming all influence the pressure placed on your arteries. Your blood pressure is naturally lowest at night when your body is at rest, and will rise substantially when you wake. With this in mind, even the time of day can have an effect on the outcome of your blood pressure measurements.
Several conditions can cause low blood pressure, like:
Due to the rapid expansion of the circulatory system during pregnancy, a woman’s blood pressure typically drops during this time. This is a normal response to pregnancy, and will likely return to normal after giving birth.
Since blood pressure is directly related to the pumping of the heart, conditions like a very low heart rate, problems with the heart valves, heart attack and heart failure can all cause the blood pressure to be lowered.
Certain reactions can cause a dangerous reaction known as anaphylaxis. Food, some medications, venom from insects and latex can all trigger anaphylaxis. Common symptoms include problems breathing, swollen throat, itching and hives.
Many every day influences can cause a drop in your blood pressure.Your blood pressure will naturally increase with age, but movement and eating will have a more substantial effect and cause it to drop.
Symptoms of low blood pressure include:
Note: Most of the time, low blood pressure isn’t serious. However, if you notice any of the symptoms above you should consult your doctor, because constant low readings could imply some more serious problems. And when symptoms occur, keep a record of them and the time they appeared as well as the things you were doing.
Most of the time, low blood pressure requires no treatment. If the condition is severe, you may need to receive blood delivered through an IV, medication to improve the heart and the pressure or antibiotics if there is an infection. If you experience a drop in blood pressure caused by standing too quickly, your doctor will likely look at causes like medications you are taking or not drinking enough fluids. Your doctor might also suggest wearing compression stockings to prevent blood from collecting in your lower body.
