11 symptoms of low blood pressure and advice from a doctor

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by MSc Nguyen Minh Son - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine, Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
According to recommendations from cardiologists, any increase or decrease in blood pressure above the normal level is a warning sign of danger and has not received much attention. Meanwhile, the number of people with low blood pressure is increasing, mainly the elderly and women. So let's find out 11 symptoms of low blood pressure and tips from your doctor to recognize and prevent low blood pressure.

1. What is low blood pressure?

The blood pressure value usually includes 2 parameters: systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (shown on the electronic sphygmomanometer as the upper number - systolic blood pressure and the bottom number - diastolic blood pressure). For normal people, blood pressure fluctuates around 120/80 mmHg (120 mmHg - systolic pressure; 80 mmHg diastolic). It is considered low blood pressure when the systolic blood pressure is less than 90 mmHg and/or the diastolic blood pressure is less than 60 mmHg measured when the body is at rest. A blood pressure reading below 90/60 mmHg is considered low blood pressure.
A normal healthy person low blood pressure measurement usually has no symptoms and does not need treatment because it is not a disease. However, if the patient has been diagnosed with low blood pressure by a specialist, or when the blood pressure suddenly drops below 90/60 mmHg, the patient should be monitored and treated. For the elderly, people with chronic diseases, if the blood pressure is low, it should be taken care of and treated, because this can be dangerous due to insufficient blood flow to the brain and other organs in the body.
There are many causes of low blood pressure, if it is physiologically low blood pressure, it may be due to family factors, due to living in high mountains. If low blood pressure is due to a medical condition, it may be due to a decline in the function of important organs such as the heart and kidneys, a decrease in the functioning of the thyroid gland or because the body's autonomic nervous system does not regulate itself. lead to orthostatic hypotension.
In addition, stressful life, polluted environment, tendency to abuse toxic substances, obesity, malnutrition... can also cause low blood pressure. Or due to a decrease in the activity of the thyroid gland, causing the body to have a deficiency of thyroid hormone, which also causes low blood pressure.

2. 11 common low blood pressure symptoms

1. Feeling dizzy or lightheaded This symptom of low blood pressure often occurs when you change positions suddenly such as getting up from sitting for too long, sitting up when lying down, or when standing for a long time. hourly. Then you will feel that all objects are spinning around and out of control. If you encounter this situation too often, you need to be very careful.

2. Severe headache or delirium When suffering from low blood pressure, the patient's biggest trouble is the headache. The headache gets worse with each time the brain is stressed or doing heavy physical activity. Each person has a different degree and nature of headache, often more severe pain in the top of the head. Sometimes the pain is more severe, both painful and numb.
3. Syncope With severe hypotension the patient may experience symptoms of syncope (sudden loss of consciousness). Failure to prevent sudden fainting spells can lead to broken bones and other bodily injuries. Just imagine how dangerous it would be if you were driving or walking and fell on the side of the road.
4. Decreased concentration Poor concentration can also be affected by your blood pressure. Because when the body lowers blood pressure, the blood supply will not be enough to the brain as usual, thereby causing brain cells not to receive enough oxygen and nutrients to function properly. This is the main reason that hinders the ability to concentrate in people with low blood pressure.
5. Blurred vision People with severe low blood pressure will show signs of hearing loss, vision loss, blurred vision. Sudden blurred vision can be dangerous if you're on the road. In this case, your best bet is to find a place to sit down and rest, until your blood pressure and vision return to normal.
6. Nausea Feeling sick and nauseous are signs of low blood pressure. An effective remedy is that you should sip some lemon juice as this will reduce the feeling of nausea.
7. Cold, moist or pale skin When blood pressure is low, your limbs often feel numb and cold inside. This is because your body is unable to maintain blood flow and oxygen delivery to the skin, causing hypothermia. In this case, the solution is to immediately drink some hot drinks to create heat for the body.
8. Fast heart rate, fast, shallow breathing When blood pressure drops too low, your body is severely deprived of oxygen, which causes the heart and lungs to work harder to make up for the deficiency that causes the condition. rapid heart rate and rapid breathing, shortness of breath.
9. Fatigue This sign usually appears in the morning, the patient often feels mentally tired, the limbs are numb, sad, and has no vitality. If you can rest or take a short nap, the situation will be better. But in the afternoon or evening, the body appears tired again, although not just overworked.
This fatigue may be related to nervous system dysfunction due to excessive contraction of the muscles. In this case, eating fresh fruit will help boost your body's energy, helping to reduce feelings of fatigue.
10. Depression Patients with low blood pressure are often lethargic, sad and prone to depression.
11. Feeling of thirst When blood pressure drops, the body receives a signal from the brain to drink more water, adding more water will help raise blood pressure.

3. How to prevent low blood pressure

Low blood pressure can be life-threatening without proper care. Therefore, the most effective way to protect health from low blood pressure is to prevent the disease. You can prevent low blood pressure by the following ways:
Diet Eat more salt than the average person. People with low blood pressure should eat 10-15g of salt per day. Eating a lot of nutrients, having enough meals, especially breakfast is very important. To prevent a sudden drop in blood pressure after a meal, you should divide your meals into several times a day and try to limit starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, porridge, pasta and bread.. In the daily diet, it is necessary to add foods that contain ingredients such as protein, vitamin C and all vitamins of group B which are very beneficial. Some foods and drinks have the effect of increasing blood pressure such as: coffee, condensed tea, ginseng juice, tam ventricular powder, celery, lotus seeds, longan, jujube, berries, raisins, almonds, Licorice tea, ginger is very good for controlling low blood pressure. Do not use diuretic foods such as: vegetables, corn silk, watermelon, pumpkin... Drinking lots of water can help increase blood volume, reducing one of the potential causes of blood pressure. short. Drinking water also helps to avoid dehydration. Avoid the use of alcoholic beverages. About activities Moderate activity, get enough sleep (7-8 hours/day). People with low blood pressure often experience dizziness and lightheadedness when changing positions, so when you sit up, you need to be careful. Sleeping should be pillowed low, legs high. It is recommended to take a hot bath to increase blood circulation, but do not bathe for too long. Keeping an optimistic, happy spirit, avoiding too strong emotions such as fear, anxiety, depression can further lower blood pressure. Gentle exercise (10-15 minutes/day) such as walking, badminton, table tennis Should avoid sports that cause dizziness such as acrobatics, jumping, athletics. However, do not operate outdoors when the temperature is high.

4. Advice from a doctor

To prevent low blood pressure, the patient should not stay up late, keep the body warm while sleeping, do not go out in the hot sun, if you want to change your posture, you need to move step by step, do not climb high, maintain light exercise Moderately like walking, when sleeping need a low pillow. Especially elderly people aged 50 and over need to monitor their blood pressure regularly because they are at high risk of turning from low blood pressure to high blood pressure (and vice versa).

In short, low blood pressure will be life-threatening if not prevented and treated promptly. Therefore, each person needs to pay attention to the abnormal manifestations of the body, have regular health check-ups and supplement knowledge to promptly detect low blood pressure to avoid unfortunate consequences. out. Hope this article 11 low blood pressure symptoms and advice from your doctor has provided you with all the necessary information.
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