Low blood pressure can turn into a dangerous condition because it can cause damage to the vital organs of the body. It therefore become imperative to raise low blood pressure to the normal levels. The following article will take you through some of the ways by which this can be accomplished.
Low blood pressure (hypotension) is caused when there is inadequate flow of blood to the varied organs of the body, especially the heart and brain. Blood is responsible for supplying the body with oxygen and other essential nutrients, thus when the pressure of the blood flow drops, it causes a lot of adverse effects that include, in its severe form, a damage to your vital organs. Low blood pressure will lead to symptoms of nausea, dizziness and fainting, among others. Though this condition is not usually considered dangerous, if there is a sudden drop in the pressure and it leads to fainting or dizziness, it can lead to complications (like heart failure). This is especially true in the case of old people.
Causes and Symptoms
Low blood pressure can come about due to many reasons that range from heart problems like bradycardia, dehydration, diabetes, anemia, kidney disorders, allergic reactions, bacterial infections, as well as loss of blood due to an internal injury or an external one. Pregnancy also increases the chances of developing symptoms of low blood pressure to a great extent. The symptoms that will be noticed will include all or some of the following – dizziness, nausea, fainting spells, darkness before the eyes, tinnitus (ringing sensation in the ears), hands and feet getting extremely clammy and cold, light and noise sensitivity, fatigue, feeling heavy/light headed, blurring of vision and heart palpitations.
Raising Blood Pressure
Immediate Steps
The first signs of lowered blood pressure is a bout of dizziness and nausea that can cause a person to lose consciousness. In such a situation, it becomes important to take up steps to raise their blood pressure quickly. The following are certain ways by which you can do that.
☛ Make them drink water. If possible, give them a sports drink. Sports drinks have several nutrients and minerals packed in them which replenish the lost nutrients and increase the lowered blood pressure.
☛ Give them a snack that has a high content of salt in it. Salt is known to increase the volume of blood and thereby increase the blood pressure quickly.
☛ Ask them to stand up and move around with the help of someone (if they’re still feeling dizzy). Lying down for a long time or sitting in one position for a prolonged periods is known to lower blood pressure levels. Moving around will increase the blood circulation and thereby the blood pressure.
☛ If you can procure compression stockings, make the patient wear these. These help to improve the circulation in the body and stop the pooling of blood in one area. Once the blood starts flowing freely, the blood pressure will increase automatically.
☛ Feeding the patient herbs like rosemary, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng and hawthorn, as well as Vitamin B and E supplements is known to increase the blood pressure quickly.
☛ Alternating between hot and cold showers is known to help improve the blood circulation in the body.
Changes in Lifestyle
If a person is prone to suffer from low blood pressure, then there have to be steps taken to bring about a change in their lifestyle such that the problem is tackled at the root. The following are some of the steps that can be taken to bring about a positive change.
☛ Increase the intake of water in the diet and aim to consume at least 12 glasses of water everyday. This will help clear out the toxins in the body and improve the quality of the blood stream, thus automatically increasing the levels of blood pressure.
☛ A general increase of sodium in the diet will help increase blood pressure. But while it is advised that one increase the levels of salt in their food, it is very important to consult a doctor to make sure that it will not cause any health complications (especially in the case of older patients). There are certain heart health issues that are associated with an increase of salt levels in the body.
☛ It is very important to include some form of exercise in one’s daily routine. Concentrating on cardiovascular exercises is one of the best ways in which one can increase their lowered blood pressure. Include a variety of exercises like walking, swimming, cycling and more.
☛ There are several foods that help to raise diastolic blood pressure quickly and act as an effective treatment for low blood pressure. For this to work, there have to be certain changes made in their diet. Other than the herbs and supplements mentioned above, also include salads, fruits and whole grain in the diet.
☛ Check to see if the patient is consuming medicines that have a tendency to lower blood pressure as a side effect. Ask him to speak to his doctor to check if that is the case and ask for a change in medication.
☛ Instead of eating 3 big meals a day, consume 5-6 small meals. This will help keep the blood sugar in check and thereby the blood pressure level.
☛ Make sure that one does not have a bath with extremely hot water. This thins the blood and causes the blood pressure to drop.
Even though this condition is usually not considered potentially dangerous, yet, care has to be taken that the patient does not neglect this condition and takes the appropriate steps required to normalize his blood pressure and prevent further complications.
