While it was once thought that chronic low blood pressure may be linked to illnesses such as depression or anxiety, the truth is that more commonly it's a side effect of medications, especially cardiac drugs such as betablockers. But medications aren't the only culprits. Here are a few others:
- As you get older and slow down, your arteries tend to lose their elasticity. This can cause your pressure to dip when you're standing.
- Damage to the nerves supplying your blood vessels, caused by diabetes, can bring down your blood pressure.
- Poor nutrition, which causes the tissues making up the walls of the blood vessels to become flabby and stretched and robs the body of oxygen and nutrients, can contribute to this condition.
- Blood loss can be a major factor. In fact, if it's a situation where there's major blood loss then your blood pressure can fall to such a low level that the consequences can be fatal.
- Many of the organs in the body can develop slow bleeding which would not be noticeable at first but could result in danger to your equilibrium, your heart, even your brain.
How Do You Know If Yours Is Too Low?
90/60 mmHg is considered low blood pressure. The top number of your blood pressure reading, or the systolic pressure, represents the pressure of the blood forced through your arteries when the heart muscles contract. The diastolic pressure, which is the bottom number, represents the pressure in the arteries when the muscle of the heart relaxes after contraction.
What Are The Symptoms?
By itself, low blood pressure does not necessarily cause symptoms. However, some people may experience faintness or dizziness. Other possible symptoms can include feeling faint or dizzy when suddenly standing up (this is known as postural hypotension and is quite common in older people), or feeling lethargy or weakness. Obviously, if either of these apply to you, then you'll want to visit your doctor to rule out any potential underlying problems.
What Do You Do If You Have It?
Drugs for this situation are rarely given. More commonly, your doctor will suggest some changes in your lifestyle. There are some other things you can do as well. Wearing support stockings has been found to help some people. Other measures can include sleeping with extra pillows to keep your head raised, or even reducing the amount of medication you're taking. As always, consult with your doctor.
The Good News
Low blood pressure does not necessarily indicate poor health. In fact, it's often seen to be desirable. Research has found that people who have a low blood pressure tend to live longer than those who experience hypertension. It's only when a person becomes ill or feels dizzy, that a drop in pressure becomes a problem.
When my mother had a massive stroke, I remember arriving in the emergency room and being asked a dozen questions about her medical history. My father was out of it, in shock, I think, and although my mother had been taken to the hospital she gone to for almost 40 years, they were still asking the standard questions. What medications is she on? What are their names, dosages and frequencies? How long has she been taking this medication? What surgeries and illnesses has she had in the past and when? What types of medical conditions does she have? And I was clueless.
Like many adult children, I had enquired after my aging parents' health in vague ways. And like so many parents of adult children, my parents always said, "Oh, we're fine. Don't worry about us, honey." If either of them had a medical procedure or illness, me and my siblings would hear about it after the fact. They didn't want to worry us. That strategy of keeping us in ignorant bliss didn't pay off. I know that my parents intended good and there were equal parts of me that thought "Well, they're my parents so they know best what to tell me and what to do" and "I don't know what I'd do if they said they were sick anyway and if I did, how would I convince them of what to do if they didn't want to do it?"
The truth behind what truly prevented my parents and others out there like them from sharing this information with their children is two-fold. One, they just didn't want to deal with the fact that they were aging and didn't want to have to confront their own mortality. Two, they also didn't want to admit that they might not be able to handle situations on their own as they occurred. Loss of independence is a common fear for people as they get older. Unfortunately, these fears and their desire to not have me worry ended up hurting them and me in the long run. I wonder if I had known more about my mother's condition prior to the stroke whether or not it could have been prevented.
I have come to believe that no matter how old or young you are, no matter if you are single or married, with children or without, perfectly healthy or managing an illness or injury---somebody other than you better know important information about you and where to access it in an emergency.
Now, you're either on one side of this equation or perhaps you're even both ends of this situation. Your first task is to fully ensure your own well-being as much as possible. Make the appointment for that full medical exam, write that will, buy the insurance with long-term care options. Sit down with your significant others (don't just tell one person-what if they are in the same car accident you are?) and let them know where the information is and what your wishes are. You never know when the emergency will happen and when it does, you won't be able to tell anyone anything.
The next thing you should do is check in with your parents and/or your adult children and go through the same stuff. If they don't want to include you in their plans, make sure that they share this information with someone they trust. Underline that their desire to decrease your concern is really just like burying one's head in the sand. It's the not knowing that is truly damaging in the end because you can't do anything if it's too late and if you don't have the right information. A lot of people put off doing things like this because they think fear the information. The reality is that information is power and keeping yourself ignorant only removes choices and your ability to respond.
Both David Silva & Vivian Banta are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
David Silva has sinced written about articles on various topics from Acid Reflux, Recreation and Sports and Sleep Apnea. David Silva is the webmaster for a website dedicated to helping you understand. David Silva's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.
Vivian Banta has sinced written about articles on various topics from Blood Pressure, Self Improvement and Motivation and Family. Vivian Banta (MBA/Coach U CTP Grad) is a life and transition coach who works with people who want to fully engage in their lives or who are experiencing changes such as relocation, career shifts, and personal relationship changes. To find out more, visit. Vivian Banta's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.