At times you may feel very thirsty, nauseated, overheated and irritated. You may feel like you are about to faint. It gets difficult to walk or even to get out of the chair. The brain sends the signal to the heart to slow down, send blood to arms and legs and lower the blood pressure. This is when you feel heaviness in your legs. There are two types of low blood pressure.
1. Orthostatic intolerance- the systolic pressure (top) drops less than 20 and the diastolic pressure (bottom) drops by 10.
2. Orthostatic hypotension-Systolic pressure drops more than 20 and diastolic pressure drops around 10.
Mostly middle-aged women are prone to orthostatic intolerance. Aged people who are above 60 are prone to orthostatic hypotension.
Ways to Fight Low Blood Pressure
· Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. It helps to maintain a normal pressure of the blood.
· Salt- People avoid salt to maintain a normal blood pressure. But people suffering with low blood pressure can be liberal with quantity of salt uses in their food. Eat as much salt as you can tolerate as it increases blood pressure.
· Avoid going to over crowded areas as you may feel heaviness or dizziness.
· Have a sweet tooth- start your day with something sweet or some extra sugar in your tea/coffee. Have as many sweet dishes as you like unless you have diabetes. Sweets give you extra energy and immediately normalize the blood pressure.
· At home sit at a low chair such that your knees are at a higher level than your chest. This sends the blood towards heart thus increasing the pressure of the blood.
· Keep your feet on an elevated platform as gravity pull decreases blood pressure.
· Do not stay in a standing position for long. Keep moving your legs or shake them a bit.
· Always carry a chocolate with you. Whenever you feel a drop in your blood pressure or feel low, unwrap the chocolate and eat it as soon as possible. You would feel better with every bite.
Important – If your blood pressure drops too low at time then keep your family, friends, relatives and colleagues informed about your problem. Always keep a glucose sachet in your pocket, car, and office and let everyone know where it is kept. Tell them that they need to act immediately if such a situation rises and make a thick paste of glucose in a little water (around 3 sips) such that there is more glucose and less water.
Insert this paste in mouth by using a spoon till the time one regains consciousness. Do not close your eyes. Stay awake as you may go in an unconscious state, which can be very risky. Relax and when you feel better, have something to eat to regain some energy. Once you feel better do visit a doctor as soon as possible. People suffering from low blood pressure often have morning sickness.
They find it difficult to get up from bed. After a bath they feel heaviness in their legs. It takes a lot of effort to do any kind of work. In such a situation eat something sweet the first thing in the morning, take more sugar in your morning tea or coffee. This gives you a boost in your energy and helps you to overcome morning sickness.
Chitra Atolia is an expert writer on health. For more details visit: http://www.youlookfit.com.
