How does blood pressure low occur and how can it be prevented

What's considered low blood pressure for you may be normal for someone else. Most doctors consider blood pressure too low only if it causes symptoms. Some experts define low blood pressure as readings lower than 90 mm Hg systolic or 60 mm Hg diastolic. If either number is below that, your pressure is lower than normal

Symptoms.

For some people, low blood pressure signals an underlying problem, especially when it drops suddenly or is accompanied by signs and symptoms such as:

• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fainting
• Blurred or fading vision
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Lack of concentration

Causes

Blood pressure is a measurement of the pressure in your arteries during the active and resting phases of each heartbeat.

• Systolic pressure. The top number in a blood pressure reading is the amount of pressure your heart produces when pumping blood through your arteries to the rest of your body.
• Diastolic pressure. The bottom number in a blood pressure reading refers to the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart is at rest between beats.

• Current guidelines identify normal blood pressure as lower than 120/80 mm Hg.

  Blood pressure varies throughout the day, depending on:

  • Body position
  • Breathing rhythm
  • Stress level
  • Physical condition
  • Medications you take
  • What you eat and drink
  • Time of day

  Blood pressure is usually lowest at night and rises sharply on waking.

Normal blood pressure for adults is generally in the range of 90/50 to 120/90 mm Hg . Hypotension is an abnormally low blood pressure, usually below 90/50 mm Hg. In severe or prolonged cases, it can be a serious medical condition.

Depending on the cause of your symptoms, your doctor may tell you to increase your blood pressure by making these simple changes:

1. Eat a diet higher in salt.
2. Drink lots of nonalcoholic fluids.
3. Limit alcoholic beverages.
4. Drink more fluids during hot weather and while sick with a viral illness, such as a cold or the flu.

The previous guidelines set the threshold at 140/90 mm Hg for people younger than age 65 and 150/80 mm Hg for those ages 65 and older. This means 70% to 79% of men ages 55 and older are now classified as having hypertension. That includes many men whose blood pressure had previously been considered healthy.

Drink more fluids: Drink at least 2 to 3 litres of water every day. Besides this, include drinks like coconut water, bael ka sharbat and aam panna in your low blood pressure diet. These will give you the necessary electrolytes required to maintain the fluids in your body

A woman's blood pressure may be lower in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. This is probably caused by the circulatory system, as blood vessels expand to let blood flow to the uterus. Other temporary causes also exist, such as standing up too quickly or lying in a hot bath for too long.

If you do experience symptoms of low blood pressure, such as dizziness, you might want to try the following:

1. Avoid getting up quickly when you're seated or lying down.
2. Don't stand for long periods of time.
3. Eat small meals throughout the day.
4. Don't take very hot baths or showers.
5. Drink more water.
6. Wear loose clothing.