If your blood pressure levels remain low, eating certain foods can elevate them and improve your heart and overall health. Consulting with an experienced healthcare provider is essential to ensure your blood pressure level is healthy and you get the best nutritional support for long-term wellness. Dr. Steven Reisman at the New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center will help you understand hypotension, explain what causes it, and when it is considered dangerous. He will also suggest the right foods to eat that will raise your low blood pressure effectively.
Also known as hypotension, low blood pressure affects people differently depending on their age, medical history, and overall condition. When the blood flows through blood vessels at lower-than-normal pressures, it results in low blood pressure. Normal blood pressure typically reads between 90/60 and 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Numbers outside this range are also usual, but a reading dropping to 70/40 can be dangerous.
Extraordinary low pressure can result in dizziness or fainting and weakness, along with other symptoms. It can also be life-threatening in severe cases if it is not managed timely and results in a heart attack, a stroke, or long-term damage to the heart and brain. If you experience a rapid pulse, shallow breathing, and cold or clammy skin, you must seek immediate medical attention.
Several factors are responsible for low blood pressure, including dehydration, side effects of certain medications, and health conditions like diabetes. Most people face low blood pressure during their advanced years, but it is not a cause for concern if monitored by a heart doctor. Eating habits also significantly impact overall well-being, particularly heart health, and keep the blood pressure to optimal levels.
Eating right to help raise low blood pressure
Knowing about the best foods that raise low blood pressure will improve your condition significantly without taking any medications and suffering from side effects.
Increase your fluid intake
When you are dehydrated, the blood volume is reduced, and it causes the blood pressure to drop. Doctors recommend drinking at least two liters or around eight glasses of water every day to keep adequate blood pressure levels.
Your fluid intake should be higher in hot weather or during a workout. You lose essential electrolytes, including potassium and sodium, through sweating necessary for optimal blood pressure.
Eat foods with high sodium content
Eating foods with higher sodium content can help to elevate low blood pressure. Good sources of salt include olives, cottage cheese, pickled items, nuts, and canned soup or tuna. You can also add table or sea salt to your meals to get adequate levels of sodium.
Drink more caffeine
Beverages like coffee and caffeinated tea increase the heart rate and raise the blood pressure temporarily. Sodas, energy drinks, and cocoa are also good sources of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant, and it can fix low blood pressure for a short time, but it is not a permanent solution. If you drink coffee or caffeinated drinks regularly, you may also develop a higher tolerance for its effects on the body.
Boost your vitamin B12 intake
Vitamin B12 is an essential mineral. Its deficiency in the body can result in anemia that causes low blood pressure, excessive bleeding in case of injury, along organ and nerve damage. Increasing Vitamin B12 consumption helps the body produce healthy red blood cells that prevent anemia and keep the blood pressure up.
Foods rich in vitamin B12 include eggs, chicken, fish like salmon and tuna, and low-fat dairy products such as milk and cheese. Foods fortified with vitamin B12, such as breakfast cereals and plant-based milk, are also a good source of this essential nutrient.
Eat more folate foods.
Also known as vitamin B9, folate is an essential vitamin that can prevent anemia. Folate is important in red blood cell formation. You can get the required amounts of folate by eating leafy green vegetables, broccoli, legumes, lentils, eggs, beef, beets, citrus fruits, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, and liver.
Avoid too many carbs
High carb foods, particularly processed carbs, get digested very quickly compared to fibrous and protein foods. It leads to a sudden dip in blood pressure after some time which is not good. Experts recommend avoiding too many carbs and switching to a low-carb diet as it helps to prevent hypotension, particularly in older people.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals
Eating smaller and more frequent meals can increase blood pressure. Postprandial hypotension is an excessive decrease in blood pressure after a meal accompanied by dizziness and lightheadedness. Digesting small meals is easy, especially for people who cannot eat well at once, and it also improves their blood flow.
Go easy on alcohol
Alcohol affects your health negatively in more than one way. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to dehydration that reduces the blood volume and results in low blood pressure levels. You must go easy on the alcohol and avoid it as much as possible if you suffer from low blood pressure levels. The best thing for keeping your blood pressure regular after alcohol intake is to drink a glass of water to avoid dehydration and reduce its effects.
Maintaining blood pressure is essential for a healthy heart and arteries. Keeping an eye on your blood pressure levels is necessary for preventing various health problems, especially heart trouble.
Risk factors associated with persistently low blood pressure
Persistent low blood pressure is not good, and it can cause some serious issues if you are not careful and take appropriate measures. Blood pressure that drops too low can cause:
- Blurry vision
- Headaches
- Heart palpitations
- Nausea
- Light-headedness
Blood pressure that continues to go down can be a medical emergency and requires urgent care. It can keep the vital organs from receiving oxygen and may lead to shock, which is life-threatening.
Hypotension is not a sign of good health. You must consult an expert and experienced physician to find out what may be causing it and how to improve low blood pressure levels the natural way by eating the right foods. If you frequently suffer from symptoms of low blood pressure, schedule an appointment with Dr. Steven Reisman, a nationally recognized cardiologist at the New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center, to get the best advice on maintaining normal blood pressure. He will come up with the best advice and treatment options regarding your condition to avoid any heart-related complications in the long run.
Dr. Steven Reisman is an internationally recognized cardiologist and heart specialist. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and a founding member of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.
Dr. Reisman has presented original research findings for the early detection of "high risk" heart disease and severe coronary artery disease at the annual meetings of both the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Dr. Reisman was part of a group of doctors with the Food and Drug Administration who evaluated the dipyridamole thallium testing technique before the FDA approved it.
Dr. Steven Reisman's academic appointments include Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California and Assistant Professor at SUNY. Hospital appointments include the Director of Nuclear Cardiology at the Long Island College Hospital.
