Low blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in the arteries. The arteries are vessels that carry blood from the heart around the body.
There needs to be a certain level of pressure in the arteries to move blood around the body. If your blood pressure is low, you may experience some symptoms.
Low blood pressure is when your blood pressure is less than 90/60mmHg. This is also known as hypotension.
Symptoms of low blood pressure
Most people with low blood pressure won’t have any symptoms, but some may experience:
- light-headedness or dizziness
- fainting
- blurred vision
- confusion
- feeling sick
- general weakness
You should speak to your healthcare professional if you have any of these symptoms.
Checking your blood pressure
To check your blood pressure you can:
- ask your pharmacist to do it
- ask your GP or practice nurse to do it
- measure it at home using a home blood pressure monitor
How to measure your blood pressure at home
Watch this video to learn how to measure your blood pressure at home.
What causes low blood pressure?
There are some things that can contribute to low blood pressure, including:
- the time of day – blood pressure falls overnight
- your age – low blood pressure is more likely as you get older
- feeling relaxed
- rest
- cold temperatures
- being fit and healthy
Low blood pressure can also be caused by:
- pregnancy
- some medical conditions, like diabetes
- some medications
- some heart conditions
- dehydration
Some people get symptoms of low blood pressure after a sudden movement like standing up. This is known as postural orthostatic hypotension.
Symptoms of low blood pressure can also happen after eating. This is known as postprandial hypotension.
Treatment for low blood pressure
If you’ve got symptoms of low blood pressure, your healthcare professional will try to find out why. This means they can help you to manage the cause of your low blood pressure.
They may:
- consider making changes to any medicines that may be contributing to your low blood pressure
- suggest making small lifestyle changes
- suggest making dietary changes, including looking at your salt intake
You could also try:
- standing up slowly, particularly first thing in the morning
- wearing support stockings to improve circulation and increase blood pressure
- eating small frequent meals, rather than large ones
- lying or sitting down after eating
- avoiding sitting or standing for long periods
- avoiding changing your posture suddenly
- stretching before standing up to increase your heart rate and blood flow
- drinking more water – check with your doctor how much fluid you can drink if you’re on a daily fluid restriction due to a heart condition