Go with the Flow – the low down on low blood pressure

The systolic pressure or the top number of your blood pressure represents pressure of blood in the arteries which is forced through when the muscles of the heart contract. The diastolic blood pressure which is the bottom number represents pressure in the arteries when the muscle of the heart relaxes after contraction.

Slow Flow

If your blood pressure is below 90/60 mmHg then you're said to have low blood pressure, however this does not necessarily indicate an unhealthy blood pressure, as a low blood pressure is often seen to be desirable. esearch as found that people who have a low blood pressure tend to live longer than those whose blood pressure is on the high side. It's only when a person becomes ill or feels dizzy, that their blood pressure becomes a problem to them.

How can you tell when your blood pressure is too low?

Low blood pressure by itself does not necessarily cause symptoms. If you have low blood pressure but don't present with any symptoms such as dizziness or fainting, then you will not require any medical intervention. However on occasion for some people low blood pressure sometimes causes faintness or dizziness. If this applies to you, then you need to visit your doctor to rule out any underlying problems.

Symptoms of low blood pressure can include feeling faint or dizzy when changing posture suddenly such as standing from sitting. This is known as postural hypotension and is quite common in older people. A person with low blood pressure may also complain of lethargy or weakness, they may feel faint on occasion especially when standing.

Why does it happen?

There have been many thoughts on whether chronically low blood pressure may be linked to illnesses such as depression or anxiety which basically affect a person's quality of life; however these ideas are now usually discarded. It is known for definite though that low blood pressure can be a side effect of medications especially cardiac drugs such as betablockers

As we get older and slow down, our arteries tend to become stiffer with age; this can have an adverse effect on the blood pressure and cause it to drip when standing. There has also been shown to be a strong link between diabetes and low blood pressure probably caused by damage to nerves supplying the blood vessels.

Another major factor in the cause of low blood pressure is the issue of flawed nutrition. This causes tissues making up the walls of the blood vessels to become flabby and stretched. This in turn results in a smaller supply than that needed of essentials such as oxygen and nutrients to tissues in the body.

Obviously blood loss can be a major factor in the problem with low blood pressure, and if it is major blood loss then the blood pressure can fall to low which would ultimately have fatal consequences. Many of the organs in the body can develop slow bleeding which would not be noticeable at first but would result in a low blood pressure.

Taking control

Its simple to take control of problems such as low blood pressure. Wearing supports stockings has been found to help some people, and other measures can include sleeping with lots of pillows to keep your head raised, or even reducing the amount of medication you're taking if this is found to be the cause.

Drugs for low blood pressure are rarely given. It is usually advice on changing your lifestyle etc which is usually more effective.