Low BP issues

conniemaxwell5

I just saw my doctor about this problem yesterday. I experience black outs when I stand up and my BP is running around 95/50 most of the time.

She recommended that I either drink Gatorade 2-3 times a day to get more electrolytes or get a product called Lyte Salt and add it to my drinking water as well as take in some form of sugar at the same time I was drinking the water (either eat some fruit or add 1/4 t of sugar to my water). She said these things would help my body hold on to more of the water I was drinking, which should in turn help my blood pressure.

RockinTerri

I just saw my doctor about this problem yesterday. I experience black outs when I stand up and my BP is running around 95/50 most of the time.

She recommended that I either drink Gatorade 2-3 times a day to get more electrolytes or get a product called Lyte Salt and add it to my drinking water as well as take in some form of sugar at the same time I was drinking the water (either eat some fruit or add 1/4 t of sugar to my water). She said these things would help my body hold on to more of the water I was drinking, which should in turn help my blood pressure.

Thank you! And good luck to you too!

TheBitSlinger

Yeah, I've had low BP issue lately. Sometimes my diastolic gets down to 50. Salt is a cheap and easy way to get it. I use Thermotabs (Amazon) when I'm feeling dizzy and lightheaded from low BP.

__Di__

I get a tad lightheaded after cardio despite drinking water.

That's because you are sweating salt out. You are in the position whereby you do not have to worry about eating sodium half as much as many other people have to.

Drink too much water and that dilutes the salt further. Don't stop drinking the water, but do not try to omit salt on your food.

I hope it all gets sorted for you.

RockinTerri

I get a tad lightheaded after cardio despite drinking water.

That's because you are sweating salt out. You are in the position whereby you do not have to worry about eating sodium half as much as many other people have to.

Drink too much water and that dilutes the salt further. Don't stop drinking the water, but do not try to omit salt on your food.

I hope it all gets sorted for you.

I've just never been a huge fan of adding salt to the foods I make - though I did used to enjoy fast food which I've cut way down on. I'll try to add some sea salt to some of my entrees and see if that helps.

And maybe switching to G2 (or one of the other suggested beverages on this thread) while working out will help too. Thanks again everyone for your input!

Coconut0406

I totally know what you mean! My BP is also around 80/50 but have no other health issues. I love salty stuff ( beef jerky, salted nuts, u name it) and I've always been told how bad that is for your health. But I rarely feel light headed when I workout even when I'm doing something intense like Insanity. So maybe it's all the salt I'm consuming?

I do seem to retain a lot of water so considered reducing my sodium intake but I'm also worried my BP is gonna drop even lower if I do that lol

dellaquilaa

Drink some G2. low in calories and has some sodium.

Don't drink G2 lol Have a goddamn glass of regular water. If your pee isn't the color of very diluted lemonade, and your BP is that low, you're more likely dehydrated than sodium deficient.

shimmygirl411

Similar issues....bump

BarbieAS

I have low-ish BP, even overweight. Low enough that if I duck under my desk to grab my purse and then stand up too quickly, many times I have to wait for the flashes in my vision to pass before I can start walking. I count myself lucky that I'm not on the other end, especially given my diet/weight over the past 7 or 8 years. Neither I nor my doctor consider it a health concern in need of correction until/unless lightheadedness, etc impacts my daily life in a detrimental way (more than having to pause for a few seconds once in awhile).

As others have mentioned, you don't have to eat "unhealthily" to add a bit of sodium to your diet. You can sprinkle a bit of salt on damn near anything and it will taste good. Nearly any meat, any veggies, even melon or something...just a teaspoon of table salt has more than 2000mg of sodium in it.

__Di__

Drink some G2. low in calories and has some sodium.

Don't drink G2 lol Have a goddamn glass of regular water. If your pee isn't the color of very diluted lemonade, and your BP is that low, you're more likely dehydrated than sodium deficient.

It is not a question of whether the person is sodium deficient, the concern is how to raise the BP believe it or not and salt will do that.

Drink too much water btw and you dilute the sodium in the body even further which is definitely what those with very low BP do not want to do.

RockinTerri

Drinking Gatorade yesterday most certainly helped - even before having something salty for dinner. Thanks for the great advice all!

__Di__

Drinking Gatorade yesterday most certainly helped - even before having something salty for dinner. Thanks for the great advice all!

What does Gatorade taste like OP, is it a nice taste or a bit yukky? I might try that myself, they appear to be selling it in the UK now.

Coquette6

Not the OP, but I hate Gatorade; all flavours of it. I can drink the G2 though, which is the low calorie version of Gatorade. Preferably the grape or fruit punch flavours. It's a bit like watered down Kool-Aid (is there a UK equivalent to Kool-Aid?). If you've ever had fake grape juice or fake fruit punch, it's like that. Not the nicest tasting thing in the world, but if I know I'm going to be sweating a lot, I'll go for G2 to keep my BP in check - it used to be my go-to during horse shows in the summer.

__Di__

Not the OP, but I hate Gatorade; all flavours of it. I can drink the G2 though, which is the low calorie version of Gatorade. Preferably the grape or fruit punch flavours. It's a bit like watered down Kool-Aid (is there a UK equivalent to Kool-Aid?). If you've ever had fake grape juice or fake fruit punch, it's like that. Not the nicest tasting thing in the world, but if I know I'm going to be sweating a lot, I'll go for G2 to keep my BP in check - it used to be my go-to during horse shows in the summer.

I think I might look into some of these sports drinks. Do they all replace electrolytes do you know?

RockinTerri

Not the OP, but I hate Gatorade; all flavours of it. I can drink the G2 though, which is the low calorie version of Gatorade. Preferably the grape or fruit punch flavours. It's a bit like watered down Kool-Aid (is there a UK equivalent to Kool-Aid?). If you've ever had fake grape juice or fake fruit punch, it's like that. Not the nicest tasting thing in the world, but if I know I'm going to be sweating a lot, I'll go for G2 to keep my BP in check - it used to be my go-to during horse shows in the summer.

I think I might look into some of these sports drinks. Do they all replace electrolytes do you know?

I'm not sure about all of them replacing electrolytes, but I do know that Gatorade, G2, and PowerAde all do.

As for the taste, I prefer the orange flavor most - it's got a similar taste to Kool-Aid, just not as sweet.

__Di__

Not the OP, but I hate Gatorade; all flavours of it. I can drink the G2 though, which is the low calorie version of Gatorade. Preferably the grape or fruit punch flavours. It's a bit like watered down Kool-Aid (is there a UK equivalent to Kool-Aid?). If you've ever had fake grape juice or fake fruit punch, it's like that. Not the nicest tasting thing in the world, but if I know I'm going to be sweating a lot, I'll go for G2 to keep my BP in check - it used to be my go-to during horse shows in the summer.

I think I might look into some of these sports drinks. Do they all replace electrolytes do you know?

I'm not sure about all of them replacing electrolytes, but I do know that Gatorade, G2, and PowerAde all do.

As for the taste, I prefer the orange flavor most - it's got a similar taste to Kool-Aid, just not as sweet.

Excellent, much appreciated! :flowerforyou:

Kadje

I have the same issue and have been diagnosed with dysautonomia, in fact. One doctor who treats dysautonomia said that if you can taste your food you haven't added enough salt! I just add enough to make my food taste good and try to drink enough fluids. And be careful not to get up too quickly, as others have said. I injured my knees by fainting right on them on a hardwood floor.

vasumodi

I have just run into the same problem. I usually run a 90/60 - and it's never caused dizziness or fainting spells. My heart rate has also tended to hover in the 80s and 90s. A year ago, the BP started showing 70/55 - again no fainting or dizziness but yes I did feel fatigue and depression (and didn't know until I just looked at up that this can happen if your brain isn't getting enough blood supply).

The two doctors I visited last year didn't seem unduly alarmed and just told me to eat more salt. Which I actually didn't do, because it made me feel nauseous.

Cut to last week - shortly after joining MFP and starting to exercise (which I hardly ever did before, at least not enough to sweat) - my BP reading showed 70/48 and that kind of scared me. Went to the best cardio in town and he just told me to eat more salt. Here's how our exchange went:

"Doctor, does this explain the depression of the past year?" He answers (without looking at me) "No". '"Ok, then, is this why I've been feeling lethargic and unable to concentrate?" He answers, scribbling, "No". "Right, so doctor, why is this happening, why the drop?". He answers "It's not a huge drop so it doesn't matter, just eat salt".

I am quite frustrated. I ate a buch of salt yesterday and all it did was make me feel pukey and even after all that salt, I am not back to 90/60. And I drink plenty of water - 4 litres a day, since I also sweat a lot while exercising.

I am inclined to maybe just let it be - maybe if they're not worried about it, it's actually not a big deal. But I cannot follow the salt prescription as it makes me nauseous. And it makes me retain water and thus gain weight!!!

I wish I knew what the right thing to do is but at least in my experience with doctors here (in India) - if you've always run low, the drop does not alarm them. I do want more medical opinions though, as well as non-salt solutions.

MelissaH0910

Kadje wrote: »

I have the same issue and have been diagnosed with dysautonomia, in fact. One doctor who treats dysautonomia said that if you can taste your food you haven't added enough salt! I just add enough to make my food taste good and try to drink enough fluids. And be careful not to get up too quickly, as others have said. I injured my knees by fainting right on them on a hardwood floor.

I've also been diagnosed with dysautonomia, and I've learned that staying well hydrated, increasing my sodium intake and getting regular exercise are key to managing it. I've had seizures and gone into shock on three separate occasions from my bp dropping so low, and many more days when I can't even get out of bed--at one point I couldn't stand up long enough to shower or dry my hair without passing out, so I work hard to keep it controlled. It can be tricky to find the right levels of sodium & fluid intake, but it's definitely do-able.

I know others have said this, but if your symptoms persist, you really should see a doctor.

dubird

I have constant low blood pressure. 120/70 is actually high for me. My norm is around 100/60. And the thing is, I crave salt. Like, how some people crave chocolate? That's how I crave salt. I end up adding salt to food and my sodium levels are ALWAYS over for the day. I talked to my doctor about and she didn't seem concerned since my blood pressure is so low. So I would recommend talking to your doctor. Your body may just need the extra sodium, and if that's the case, don't worry about it. But I would mention it to your doctor next time you see them, just in case.