Sodium / Low Blood Pressure

misspenny762
misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
I have extremely low blood pressure - I black out frequently and on two occasions have fully passed out as a result of my BP. My health professor told me that I could eat a lot of sodium as a result. So, I don't really monitor my sodium intake, although I also don't go to extremes. Does this sound accurate? Is there something else I should be doing? I know that sodium can cause water retention; is this going to have a significant negative impact on my weight loss goals? And what are the other negative effects of eating a lot of sodium? Thank you!

Replies

  • sjd2010
    sjd2010 Posts: 106
    You need to see a medical doctor. Eating more sodium is unhealthy for you. Please see a medical doctor as soon as possible as low blood pressure can be as bad as high.:flowerforyou:
  • utes09
    utes09 Posts: 561 Member
    I've had issues with low blood pressure as well. I've blacked out twice and once gave myself a concussion. Both times were right after waking though.

    My Dr said that in my case where I was having issues after just getting up that if I need to get up in the night or whatever to sit up first for a minute or so to let my body normalize before getting out of bed or from laying.

    He said that there is meds that can raise BP but that's not something they want to put people on. I would definitely go see your Dr to see what he says.

    If you don't mind me asking, what is your BP? You can message me if you'd like.
  • akaDumbo
    akaDumbo Posts: 187
    There are numerous conditions which can cause low blood pressure some of which can be life threatening. Everyone with symptoms possibly due to low blood pressure should be evaluated by a doctor before the correct treatment can be decided
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    My doc told me not to watch the sodium intake, but if I were eatting mostly fresh foods to add a bit of salt. He also wanted me to drink 6oz of a sports drink a day if I was drinking more than a gallon of water per day to keep the other electrolytes in balance. After a sweaty work out I usually drink a bottle of low cal sports drink to replace the stuff I just sweated out.

    Check with your doctor or nutritionist on the best way to handle your BP problem. It can affect more than just you. A friend of mine had a bad car accident after we worked out because she got dizzy behind the wheel.
  • misspenny762
    misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
    I've seen my doctor about this issue several times, and my doctor hasn't said much about sodium but did tell me to increase my electrolyte intake so I've been drinking a lot of SmartWater and it seems to help a lot. She didn't suggest that I take medicine for my BP though.

    I don't remember what my blood pressure is actually :/
  • KarieLee
    KarieLee Posts: 10
    I have very low BP too. I used to black out almost every day during my work-outs, but I've never passed out. My doc said the same thing, more sodium, sports drinks, stand up slowly. The only thing that seems to have had a definite impact is eating before I work-out. I don't worry much about sodium/BP, it was the black-outs that concerned me, and they usually left me with a nasty headache. Low BP runs in my family. I definitely wouldn't go crazy with salt. Sounds like you are keeping things balanced, I wouldn't worry too much. The only natural way to raise your BP is drinking fluids, and an RN once told me caffeine helps too.

    My BP runs around 90/60.
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