Add Salt to a Balanced Diet
“Most of us have been taught to limit or avoid salt, but low blood pressure is a different story,” says Ben Tzeel, RD, CDCES, the founder of Your Diabetes Insider.
“Salt helps you retain more fluid throughout your body, which boosts blood volume and, eventually, raises blood pressure,” says Tzeel. “For people with low blood pressure, this is a good thing. It’s also temporary, which means you need to consume salty foods regularly. Eating a salty soup once a week isn’t going to be enough.”
Tzeel stresses that the quality of your higher sodium choices matters.
“Heavily processed products or canned foods might help your blood pressure but not the rest of your health,” he says.
The ideal remedy is to choose more whole foods that have added salt. Strive to balance salt and salty processed foods with nutrient-rich choices like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains to support your overall health.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration also plays a significant role in blood pressure management.
“Your body depends on adequate water intake for so many critical functions. Blood pressure is certainly one of them,” says Tzeel. When you aren’t consuming enough water, blood volume throughout your body decreases, causing blood pressure to drop.
Eat Small, Frequent Meals
The frequency and size of your meals matter, too.
Smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day help stabilize blood flow and digestion, reducing your risk of low blood pressure.
Adjust Your Exercise Routine
Tzeel recommends the following exercises for people with hypotension:
- Walking or light jogging
- Swimming or water aerobics
- Seated strength training with light weights
- Gentle yoga or tai chi for improved circulation and balance
Tzeel also suggests that people with low blood pressure should:
- Warm up and cool down thoroughly before exercising.
- Rise slowly after floor-based movements to avoid head rushes.
- Avoid exercises that require significant or rapid changes from standing and seated positions.
- Stay hydrated before, during, and after workouts.
Switch Sleeping Positions
Elevating the head of your bed slightly can reduce the risk of blood pooling and improve blood pressure upon waking. Consider using a wedge pillow or placing risers under the legs at the head of your bed to achieve this incline easily.
Wear Compression Stockings
Waist-high compression stockings can also help reduce blood pooling in the legs and promote blood flow to the upper body, helping to maintain steady blood pressure levels.
“Compression stockings are one of those items that are easy to dismiss at first,” says Szoke. “They just look like socks, right? They can help more than you might expect.”
Manage Stress
“Don’t underestimate the impact of stress,” says Szoke. “Just like high blood pressure, low blood pressure can be related to that constant ‘go-go-go’ stress.”
If your mental health challenges are affecting your physical health, it may be time to seek professional support. Stress reduction techniques you can try at home, such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga, could also help keep your blood pressure steady in a safer range.
“If you can’t change the cause of your stress, it comes down to resetting how you go through your day,” says Szoke. “We can easily get used to living in that high-stress mode, but it wears on you. Is your body trying to tell you something? Don’t ignore it.”
Medication Options
When lifestyle modifications aren’t enough to maintain a healthy blood pressure consistently, healthcare providers may recommend the complementary use of medications. Treatments vary significantly based on an individual’s health status and the underlying cause of hypotension.
- Dopamine increases blood pressure by stimulating heart rate and vascular constriction.
- Droxidopa helps constrict blood vessels and treat neurogenic orthostatic hypotension.
- Epinephrine is a powerful vasoconstrictor used for emergencies like anaphylaxis or severe hypotension.
- Fludrocortisone is a corticosteroid that helps the body retain sodium, thereby increasing blood volume and blood pressure.
- Midodrine raises blood pressure by constricting blood vessels. It’s commonly used for orthostatic hypotension.
- Norepinephrine tightens blood vessels and is often used in critical care settings for severe hypotension or shock.
- Phenylephrine is a vasoconstrictor used to raise blood pressure in cases of shock or severe hypotension.
“Medications can make a big difference, but they come with side effects, too,” says Szoke. “Everyone reacts differently to medications. It might help your blood pressure, but it might also make you feel a little drowsy. That [side effect] will bother some people more than others.”
Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new medication regimen.
