What to eat for low blood pressure

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on September 09, 2024
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Dietary adjustments for low blood pressure are a major aspect. People with low blood pressure should consume high-nutrition, high-protein, and high-vitamin foods, especially drinking more fresh soups, including high-protein soups such as fish soup, shrimp soup, chicken soup, ginseng soup, and sea cucumber soup. These soups can enhance the body's immunity, provide high-quality protein, increase heart contractility, and quickly increase blood volume, thereby achieving a blood pressure-raising effect. Some traditional Chinese medicines can also be used, such as those that supplement Qi and blood, including Astragalus, Codonopsis, American ginseng, jujube, and goji berries, which have the effect of raising blood pressure.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Can people with low blood pressure drink tea?

People with low blood pressure can drink tea. Currently, there are many types of tea in daily life: green tea, oolong tea, black tea, Tieguanyin, as well as some medicinal teas such as ginseng tea, astragalus tea, and goji berry tea. Regular consumption of these teas is beneficial for health, as they provide essential nutrients. The active ingredients in tea can enhance mental alertness, promote blood circulation, and increase heart vitality. Additionally, some medicinal teas like astragalus tea and goji berry tea have the effects of replenishing qi, nourishing yin, and supporting kidney health. By nourishing yin and supporting kidneys, and adjusting the blood through replenishing qi, these teas can help raise blood pressure.

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Written by Xiao Chang Jiang
Cardiology
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symptoms of low blood pressure

Next, let us introduce some symptoms of low blood pressure. Actually, low blood pressure is divided into physiological and pathological low blood pressure. Generally speaking, physiological low blood pressure is asymptomatic, while pathological low blood pressure might have six major types of symptoms: The first type is fatigue and weakness, especially in the morning. Patients may feel listless and weak in their limbs which can improve after a nap or rest, but the fatigue may return in the afternoon or evening; The second type of symptoms includes headaches and dizziness. Among patients with low blood pressure, headaches are a common complaint, often occurring after intense mental activity or physical exertion. The nature and severity of headaches can vary, often manifesting as dull pain in the temporal or occipital region, but can also be intense pulsating pain or numb pain. Dizziness can vary in severity; mild cases involve blackout vision and vertigo, while severe cases can lead to fainting spells and even collapse, often occurring during sudden changes in body position, or when moving from a squatting to a standing position; The third type of symptoms involves chest pain or discomfort in the cardiac area, where patients with low blood pressure often experience such discomfort; The fourth type involves neurological dysfunctions, which can manifest as lethargy, reduced memory, sleep disturbances or insomnia, and severe cases may show signs of autonomic dysfunction. Symptoms might include pale skin, mild cyanosis, fluctuations between feeling cold and hot, sensations of ants crawling, or numbness in hands and feet; The fifth type of symptoms is reduced endocrine function, primarily shown as insufficient levels of substances like adrenaline and noradrenaline. Some patients may exhibit reduced blood sugar levels or decreased sexual function; The sixth type of symptoms includes poor appetite, abdominal discomfort, indigestion, or increased red blood cell count, decreased white blood cell count, reduced immunity, making infections more likely, etc.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Does low blood pressure cause dizziness?

The main clinical symptoms of low blood pressure include dizziness, which is caused by ischemia and hypoxia in the brain due to low blood pressure. The primary causes of low blood pressure are insufficient cardiac contractile force, changes in vascular elasticity, and inadequate blood volume, leading to insufficient perfusion in the body and vital organs, causing ischemia and hypoxia. Dizziness is a major symptom of cerebral ischemia. Not only can severe dizziness cause headaches, but it can also lead to unconsciousness. Severe low blood pressure can cause confusion, apathy, and other symptoms, requiring active treatment to raise blood pressure.

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Written by Zeng Wei Jie
Cardiology
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What causes low blood pressure?

There are many causes of low blood pressure. A significant portion of chronic hypotension is due to physical constitution, with some patients who are generally frail having consistently low blood pressure but no symptoms. This type is quite common. Secondly, postural hypotension is also fairly common, often seen in elderly people or those taking antihypertensive medications, such as receptor blockers. These patients may experience transient dizziness and transient low blood pressure when getting up, known as postural hypotension. Moreover, the more common type is acute, sustained low blood pressure, which includes various causes of shock, myocardial infarction, cardiac tamponade, or acute blood loss, which can be life-threatening conditions requiring urgent treatment.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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What are the symptoms of low blood pressure?

Long-term low blood pressure can lead to general weakness, loss of appetite, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and blackouts. Due to the excessively low blood pressure, the important organs suffer from ischemia and hypoxia, causing symptoms of ischemia and hypoxia in various organs, especially cerebral hypoxia, which can manifest as nausea, vomiting, headaches, blackouts, and even fainting. Therefore, low blood pressure should be actively treated and improved. Severe low blood pressure requires the use of medications, replenishment of blood volume, and appropriate application of certain vasopressor drugs to raise blood pressure and maintain adequate blood supply to important organs.