You suspect you may have low blood pressure symptoms. When you checked your blood pressure, the monitor read 90/60 mmHg.
What does this mean? Is this number low or is it still normal? How low do the numbers have to go before you should to talk to your doctor or at least take a closer look at your heart?
Before you arrive at any conclusions, please ensure that your monitor’s batteries are working, and that your monitor gives you accurate readings. Once you’ve done that you may want to compare your readings to the numbers on the chart below. Download it, print it, and stick it onto your fridge for a convenient reference.
.
Is fluctuating blood pressure normal?
What does this mean if your blood pressure is normal one minute and low the other? Do you have low blood pressure or not?
You may be relieved to know that blood pressure goes up and down constantly. It fluctuates throughout the day and depending when you test it, it may read high, low or normal. But that does not mean your heart is in trouble. Some fluctuations are completely normal. You just have to know when that is. You likely also want to know what fluctuations indicate poor health.
Low blood pressure symptoms vs numbers
Surprisingly, you may have 120/80 and feel like you have low blood pressure symptoms. Someone else may have 85/55 and still feel fine. Blood pressure numbers aren’t perfectly tied to symptoms, and symptoms don’t have to follow blood pressure numbers.
Thus if your monitor shows 115/75 mmHg or 112/72 mmHg and you feel fine, then you ARE fine! Although these numbers are lower than the gold standard 120/80, your body won’t be harmed. Some individuals can tolerate numbers as low as 105/65 their entire life without showing any low blood pressure symptoms.
What does low blood pressure mean to your doctor?
The difference between the symptoms and numbers can be confusing. It also can make it more difficult to find a solution. For example, you may want your doctor to treat low blood pressure symptoms, while he insists you don’t have any low blood pressure.
Just don’t get frustrated. Your doctor does not go by how you feel, but by the numbers he can see. Unless he sees numbers below 90/60 mmHg, he won’t be suggesting anything. He can’t treat a disease that does not exist and he can NOT diagnose hypotension when numbers are above 90/60.
Even though you may be frustrated with symptoms, your doctor’s hands are tied. He can’t prescribe unless he confirms the problem first. You may drag your feet all day long, but unless your numbers dip below 90/60 (at the doctor’s office), don’t expect any treatment.
Make sure to keep a log, your doctor is not a psychic!
Despite all odds there is a way to find a sympathetic ear from your doctor. All you need to do is to keep a blood pressure log.
.
Present this log to him at your next appointment time. It may be your best proof that your numbers are in fact low. With the log he may take you more seriously. But don’t be frustrated to see higher numbers when he tests you in his office. Excitement increases the heart rate and BP follows naturally. Just remind him about that.
What does low blood pressure mean for your health?
Hypotension is NOT something you want to cultivate. It does not make your body healthy. Low blood pressure means low oxygen for the body and that has undesirable consequences. Lower oxygen can slow down liver detoxification and make you feel groggy. It can lower your gym performance, fog up your brain and lower exam scores, slow down reaction time (bad when driving), or even cause plain confusion, which won’t give you a promotion at work.
The immediate effects of low blood pressure may be uncomfortable, but the long term effects are even more worrisome. The problem is that doctors pay very little attention to it.
Elderly are affected the most as health care practitioners aggressively prescribe heart medications in this group in order to prevent strokes. Unfortunately, long-term hypotension (due to overprescription of heart medication or otherwise) may have much worse outcome than hypertension. Here are some of its effects:
- higher risk for dementia,
- hearing loss,
- depression,
- anxiety,
- kidney damage,
- poor eyesight
Low blood pressure has many causes
Hypotension does not have to be an isolated condition. It actually seldom is. It usually shows up as a result of another conditions. For example, hypotension can be one of the signs of hypoglycemia, low blood sugar. Watch out for coldness accompanied by hunger or weakness accompanied by foggy thinking.
Hypotension may also be an sign of adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue, besides producing chronic low blood pressure, may also lead to feeling of exhaustion, skin discoloration, and hair loss.
There are many other reasons for low blood pressure. Those have to be treated successfully before BP can return back to the normal range. To learn about the underlying causes and solutions, you should read Revived! Proven Natural Solutions for Low Blood Pressure. Knowing what to do when numbers go low, can make huge difference to your health.
No Responses