Low blood pressure symptoms are more common than one may think and people start noticing.
But as more and more people start suspecting that there is something wrong with their circulation, they hit a brick while convincing their doctor about their problems.
When doctors can’t see low blood pressure effects
Doctors don’t have time for minor nuisances. Their first and foremost job is to prevent a patient from dying due to health complications.
Poor circulation isn’t a life-threatening situation. Besides being non life-threatening in nature, low blood pressure may also be transient, the fact that may be confusing to a doctor as well as patient.
The non-urgency and high unpredictability of low blood pressure symptoms is exactly the reason why doctors have hard time correlating patients’ complaints with actual tests.
The common scenario is such: while a patient suffers from low blood pressure symptoms at home, doctor can’t detect low blood pressure in his office.
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What is low blood pressure?
Blood pressure numbers and symptoms not always go hand in hand. Strange as it may sound, but low blood pressure symptoms may not always accompany actual hypotension.
Because of this discrepancy your doctor may not always be convinced by your self-diagnosis. Lacking a sympathetic ear of a doctor may be frustrating, but before you pull all your hair out in desperation be aware that neither of you are wrong.
Medical standard dictate that blood pressure numbers must be below 90/60 before a diagnosis of hypotension may be given. Since blood pressure fluctuates all the time and no one carries blood pressure monitor around to “catch” hypotensive moments, convincing doctor at his office won’t be easy.
Patterns and symptoms of low blood pressure
Even though symptoms of low blood pressure may appear to be random, they seldom are. Even though, they somehow show up sporadically for “no reason”, there is always a hidden pattern. For example, they may be linked to a monthly cycle, exercise pattern, or show up at night.
The key to successful eradication of low blood pressure symptoms is not to keep on believing in their randomness, but to take steps to discover the underlying triggers.
Know your hypotension pattern and keep a log
Tracking your own heart pattern is vital. A well-kept log will prevent yours and your doctor’s confusion. It will clearly expose times when your numbers are low. Knowing your down-time will give you a clearer idea about the underlying causes of low blood pressure. Use the chart below to record your findings today.
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Low blood pressure while on meds
Keeping a thorough log is even more important if you are on prescription medication. Many drugs add another dimension of chaos and confuse the numbers even further. I have met many patients that were treated for high blood pressure only to discover that their heart medication were overprescribed and caused mental problem instead: low blood pressure symptoms in the brain.
Too many people blindly take heart drugs believing that that’s the best option for them. It seldom is. Heart medications do not improve heart health. They only reduce high blood pressure numbers for a very short time. So while high blood pressure is managed for the first few years or a decade, the latter heart phase comes with fluctuating blood pressure that leads to falls in the elderly.
Low blood pressure or broken monitor?
Before investigating your heart numbers get yourself an accurate and reliable blood pressure monitor first. Reliable equipment will make your job easier and greatly reduce confusion. If you find your numbers to be somehow erratic read the articles in the links below. They will explain the origin of fluctuating blood pressure numbers as well as help you decide what is normal and what requires a treatment.
- How common is fluctuating blood pressure
- Erratic heart 101
- Common causes of fluctuating blood pressure
- What hides behind erratic numbers
- Foods that combat fluctuations
Little-known low blood pressure effects
Low blood pressure symptoms aren’t limited to fatigue. They are diverse and surprisingly may extend beyond the heart. For example, poor circulation affects thinking and lowers productivity. It may cause headaches and limp hair.
But symptoms are not diseases. They are just indicators. Acknowledge them, but don’t treat them on their own. There’s no point for painkillers or designer’s shampoo if low blood pressure gets left untreated.
Here is a list of symptoms that may be caused by low blood pressure, but are likely to be diagnosed as separate problems. See if you have any:
- Feeling of spaciness, whooziness, lightheadedness that prevent you to be productive
- Slow thinking, difficulty in understanding reading material, dullness that may be perceived as confusion or lack of comprehension
- Difficulty learning, trouble with focusing and concentration; kids may have poor grades and dislike school
- Fatigue, dislike for exertion, apparent laziness, slow reactions that keep you from enjoying the more adventurous side of life
- Headaches that are non-throbbing, but dull, pressing that are bothersome, but not bad enough to seek medical attention
- Ear pressure and fullness, humming in ears that is annoying but seldom diagnosed as problematic
- Paleness and loss of musculature, frailness that is a sign of loss of vitality and very poor circulation
- Cold hands and feet, sensitivity to cold; fungal infections on toes because fungus thrives in areas with poor circulation
- Poor quality hair, hair loss, hair dullness that will frustrate you to no end.
Final words on low blood pressure symptoms
Hypotension, despite symptoms, is seldom diagnosed. Its symptoms are frequently mistaken as separate diseases and treated as such. The effects of the treatment is usually poor leading to management, instead of cure. It’s because the underlying cause has not been addressed.
You could leave hypotension untreated, hoping it won’t cause organ damage, but I wouldn’t suggest to leave it alone. Nobody wants to end up with dementia or kidney failure due to an oversight.
Low blood pressure is a treatable condition. The best part that many cases can do not require medical supervision and can resolve with a smart self-care. For instruction on how to reverse low blood pressure follow Revived!, and get your heart going!”>
