Low BP issues

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  • jacklis
    jacklis Posts: 280 Member
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    dehydration can also play a role in low bp, make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids.
    This is so true. I am like you OP at an average of 80/50 and resting heart rate of 40-44. I check it almost every morning because my hubby is on the higher end and on meds for his BP, so we play "compare our BP" game. I digress....
    I read up on the BP issue because it was such a struggle to get up in the morning and would often take me a half hour to just get moving. Now I start my day with a large glass of water, ensure I am well hydrated throughout the day and split my water with reduced calorie gatorade during work outs. When I say well hydrated, I mean double what I was doing before, and noticed that it helps quite a bit with the fatigue.
    We are having a crazy heat wave right now where I live, and I have tripled my normal goal of fluid intake to stay on track.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    It's been averaging out to about 1500 mg per day - before eating something salty that is.

    I was a long distance runner in high school (ran track and cross country for 4 years, plus ran for "fun" with friends on weekends/off seasons.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/health/panel-finds-no-benefit-in-sharply-restricting-sodium.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

    ^this. 1500 is on the low end of recommended intake unless you have a serious problem with high blood pressure.

    Make sure that when you replenish with fluids that you aren't causing an electrolyte imbalance.

    My guess is you are dealing with hyponatremia, which means your sodium levels are too low.
  • RockinTerri
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
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    I had some issues with slightly low blood pressure after I lost weight...I only noticed really because I was getting a headrush basically every time I stood up. I was eating between 1000 - 1500mg of sodium per day so I upped that to about 2500, sometimes more, and I have been feeling better. I haven't had a doctor's appointment yet to see if my BP has gone back to normal, but adding more sodium fixed the headrush problem.

    You don't need to go off your diet plan to get more sodium into your diet. Just add some nice sea salt to your meals, or find an electrolyte replacement that you can put in your water. :smile:

    I've been having some salt within my dinners, but my breakfast has been fruit with Greek yogurt and granola, and lunch has been a nice veggie salad with fat free dressing. Snacks have been granola bars or something carbohydrate filling. With all of that - my during the day sodium intake has been running at around 500-750.

    Thanks for the input! :smile:
  • k_lips
    k_lips Posts: 22
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    Try pedialyte! I have had very low blood pressure pretty much my whole life because I was a very serious runner and not a very big fan of salty things or even sports drinks. For awhile a few years ago I would pass out at least once a week because of it. When I went to see my doctor, he suggested pedialyte because it offers the electrolytes you need to keep your blood pressure up but is a lot lower in sugar and calories than sports drinks (I think it's ~25 calories in 8 oz) and they have those powder packs so you can add it to a bottle of water.
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
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    i have low BP too and have to watch the fainting issue especially when exercising. I modify the order/format of my gym routines to avoid going up and down from floor to standing.

    try beef jerky: it's basically protein + salt and is relatively low calorie

    my doctor advised that in order to have salt help, you also need to increase your water. it's both together that increases the pressure in your veins. the salt helps you retain fluid, but the water gives your body the fluid to retain. especially Important when you're sweating some liquid out during exercise.
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
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    beef jerky or a can of beans works great for me to up that sodium intake.
  • RockinTerri
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
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    Try pedialyte! I have had very low blood pressure pretty much my whole life because I was a very serious runner and not a very big fan of salty things or even sports drinks. For awhile a few years ago I would pass out at least once a week because of it. When I went to see my doctor, he suggested pedialyte because it offers the electrolytes you need to keep your blood pressure up but is a lot lower in sugar and calories than sports drinks (I think it's ~25 calories in 8 oz) and they have those powder packs so you can add it to a bottle of water.

    I may have to try that - especially with eating fruits more heavily lately. THANKS! :happy:
  • RockinTerri
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
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    Thanks for all the great suggestions! I love the support that this site brings! :happy: :happy: :happy:
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,632 Member
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    I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue, and if so, what have you done to alleviate it.

    The few days I've been fairly back on course with my eating, and due to that, my sodium has been greatly reduced. At 220 pounds, my BP was on the lower end of normal - I'm now at 210. Several years ago (not on a healthy diet plan, but exercising much more), I was at roughly 140-150 pounds, with a normal BP of 80/50. I don't have a home BP cuff, but have noticed when I eat something heavier in salt, I started to feel a bit better. Problem is - when I eat these types of foods, I feel bad because I'm not adhering to my diet then.

    Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

    80/50 is not a normal BP it is low, hence why when you eat salt it raises your BP and you feel better.

    120/70 is average BP, 80/50 is very low. How do you feel if you do cardio, does it make you feel out of sorts?
  • RockinTerri
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
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    I get a tad lightheaded after cardio despite drinking water.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    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
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
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    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
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
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    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__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,632 Member
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    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
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
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    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
    Coconut0406 Posts: 4
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    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
    dellaquilaa Posts: 230 Member
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    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
    shimmygirl411 Posts: 100 Member
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    Similar issues....bump
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
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    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__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,632 Member
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    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.

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