Low blood pressure, popularly known as hypotension, occurs when there is a drop in the normal body pressure of the human body. The blood is passed to each part of the body through arteries by a pumping action of the heart. When the pressure power of the heart to pump the blood is slow, the person is said to be having low blood pressure. This problem is faced by people having a weak cardiovascular system. The normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm, and if it goes below 90/60 mm, it is believed to be low. People who suffer from low blood pressure often find themselves suffering from dizziness, neurological disorders, weakness, etc. This is turn leads to the weakening of the immune system and hence reduces the immunity of the patient to fight diseases. Here is a description of some lifestyle changes, following which a person with a low blood pressure can live a healthy life.
Maintain a healthy diet
Replace all your unhealthy eating habits with the healthy ones. Increase the intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your daily diet. Your diet should provide you with adequate amount of protein of good quality, which can be done by taking dairy products that have low fat. Take healthy supplements that are good for your heart and provide you the vitamins D, C, and B. Take omega 3 fish oil capsules as they do wonders for the low blood pressure patients. Keep short gap in between your meals as intake of large amount of food in a single go results in passing of huge amount of blood in the digestive system, thereby leaving very little blood for other organs. By following a strict diet regime as mentioned, you can relieve yourself from the ill effects of low blood pressure.
Exercise daily
Lowering blood pressure naturally is advised by most of the doctors. Try to be as physically active as possible as it facilitates the pressure of your heart to increase. Half an hour of daily exercise will be sufficient for you to reduce the chances of any heart problems or diseases. Though people suffering from low blood pressure often feel dizzy right after the exercise, this problem goes away with time. Walking, jogging, or swimming can all help in improving the circulation of the body and aid in bringing back the blood pressure to normal. Overweight people are often victims of low blood pressure and therefore it is essential to reduce your weight. Hydrate your body and ensure that you are drinking enough water every day in order to keep your body hydrated. For people who sweat a lot while exercising should take special care to drink more water. The ideal amount will be at least eight glasses of water everyday, but if you sweat a lot then balance the water in your body by consuming more water. Hydrate the body to facilitate restoring the electrolytes in your body. It is also recommended that fresh juices and coconut water be consumed often. Eat fruits like watermelon, which have high water content in them, to keep your body well hydrated. Consumption of one glass of beetroot juice daily is beneficial for treatment of low blood pressure.
Rise up slowly
It is often seen in case of old people or people infected with an infection that when they get up quickly, they tend to feel dizzy or experience fatigue. Therefore, in order to avoid this, it is better if you use a support to get up slowly. When you wake up in the morning, at first try opening your eyes slowly and only when you do not feel drowsy, try to get up slowly. Keep a support next to your bed. Avoid sleeping in a chair or a couch and always lie down and sleep in a horizontal position. It is also necessary to sleep in a healthy posture. Sleeping in the wrong posture can lower your blood pressure further.
Iron intake should be increased
People who suffer from low blood pressure must enhance their iron intake when they are having their menstruation or when they are pregnant. As women suffer loss of huge amounts of iron while menstruation due to the blood loss, they should increase the quantity of food which contains iron to maintain a sufficient quantity of iron required by the body. You should increase the intake of roughage in your diet and include foodstuffs like wholewheat grain breads. Pregnant women require a higher amount of iron to ensure healthy development of their baby.
Supervise side effects from medications
It is essential to consult a doctor if the medications are ineffective and increase your problems. People who have orthostatic hypotension due to intake of medicines should monitor the effects of such medicines, as sometimes there is a requirement to change the drug that is being consumed. There may also be cases when some medications may not suit you and then it becomes necessary to meet a good doctor who would then change the type of your medications so that you do not suffer from any side effects. Therefore, it is advisable to keep a check on your medications. Moreover, you should go for regular check ups with the doctor to monitor your vital statistics and notice the changes due to the prescribed drugs.
Govern diabetes
If you witness symptoms of low blood pressure and at the same time, you are suffering from diabetes, you should consult a physician immediately as this could be an indication that your condition is deteriorating and you require urgent medical treatment. Your doctor can recommend essential precautionary measures and give you effective medications. Precautions taken for the betterment of diabetes will in turn directly relieve you from the problems of low blood pressure and prevent further diseases from occurring.
Take adequate rest and relax
No matter what the situation is, a low blood pressure patient must always take proper rest and adequate sleep. It is important to energize your body by giving it proper rest so that your body has enough power to fight the disease. For people suffering from neurally mediated hypotension, triggers like standing for a long time should be averted. You should take frequent naps instead of sleeping for a longer duration. This helps to keep your blood pressure in check.
Quit smoking
Smokers who have low blood pressure should quit smoking. Smoking is not only a major cause of low blood pressure and heart disease, but is also a primary reason for injuries in blood vessels and hardening of the arteries. The nicotine content in cigarettes raises your blood pressure in harmful ways and effects the smooth functioning of the flow of blood by damaging your arteries. It should also be noted that people who quit smoking reduce the risk of low blood pressure in just one year. In the worst scenario when someone finds it difficult to quit smoking, he should go to a rehabilitation center and get proper treatment.
Enhance your salt consumption
Whatever may be the cause for low blood pressure, you should increase the amount of salt in your diet. It is even better if you always carry some salted snacks with you and consume them the moment you feel dizzy or weak. It is a scientific fact that human body requires around 2300 mg of salt daily. The sodium content present in the salt assists in raising the blood pressure. Before increasing your salt consumption, it is advisable that you consult a doctor as the amount of salt intake required varies for different people. Occasionally before going to bed, Epson salt bath is also recommended, but proper preventive measures should be taken and you should not stay in water for more than 20 minutes as then you might catch cold.
Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
Although occasional alcohol consumption is not harmful, but for people who are addicts or indulge in heavy drinking, alcohol could be a devil in disguise. Red wine might be beneficial to raise the pressure to normal but again if consumed in high quantity it might give negative effects. Large amount of alcohol consumption also tends to nullify the efficiency of the medications. Not only does it have an adverse effect on your kidneys, but also affects your metabolism, thereby reducing your blood pressure further, which can be extremely dangerous.
Meditation
Making meditation a part of your lifestyle is not only beneficial for low blood pressure patients but is fruitful for every individual whether suffering from any disease or not. Meditation facilitates in strengthening your mind and controlling the body so that it can effectively manage all body functions. It also helps in increasing the blood flow to cells in a smooth manner. Meditation also helps you to manage anxiety and reduces undue stress, which affects your body functions in a negative way.