Low blood pressure: values, symptoms and treatment
- Low blood pressure: what is it?
- Which blood pressure is normal?
- How does low blood pressure develop?
- What causes are there?
- What symptoms are there?
- Treat low blood pressure
What is low blood pressure?
Low blood pressure (hypotension) refers to blood pressure values below 100/110 to 60 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). Many people in Germany are affected, especially young, slim women. The phenomenon can cause discomfort, but it does not have to. Typical symptoms include fatigue, dizziness and headache. Unlike hypertension, low blood pressure is not considered a disease.
Which blood pressure is normal?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a blood pressure of 120 to 80 mmHg as normal. In addition to the low blood pressure as a deviation, there is also the high blood pressure. This type of so-called hypertension is referred to as lasting over 140 to 90 mmHg.
How does low blood pressure develop?
The blood pressure refers to the pressure inside the large arteries leading away from the heart. Whether it is high or low depends essentially on three factors:
- Elasticity and resistance of the vessel walls
- heart rate
- Impact of the heart
Normally, the body regulates the blood pressure itself: In the carotid arteries sit tiny pressure measuring bodies, which check the blood pressure and send appropriate signals to the brain. If the pressure is too low, the brain arranges a narrowing of the vessels to increase it again.
These causes of low blood pressure exist
The complaints have different causes, which go back to the respective form:
- Primary hypotension: This form usually occurs without apparent cause, but experts assume that the tendency can be inherited. Primary hypotension is the most common form.
- Secondary hypotension: This is where the low blood pressure due to illness occurs, for example, hypothyroidism, heart disease such as heart failure, salt deficiency and venous insufficiency. Lack of fluids or special medication can lower your blood pressure.
- Orthostatic Hypotension: It comes to low blood pressure, if you get up too fast? As a result, the blood in the legs collapses, which the body can not compensate quickly enough. Causes may be, for example, secondary hypotension or a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that is triggered by diabetes.
Symptoms: What causes low blood pressure?
Some sufferers feel no symptoms due to low blood pressure. Those who have complaints usually suffer from:
- dizziness
- a headache
- fatigue
- General fatigue
- meteorosensitivity
- difficulty in breathing
- Depressed moods
Treat Low Blood Pressure: What Helps?
Especially getting up in the morning sufferers often have to deal with complaints. These home remedies help against low blood pressure:
- Exercise, for example, endurance sports like swimming
- cold showers
- Coffee, but also black and green tea
- compression stockings
- Rather several small meals a day instead of three big ones
- Medications (are prescribed by the doctor, because of side effects, however, only in a few cases)
You do not know if your blood pressure is normal? Here we tell you how to measure your blood pressure.
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