You obviously slept soundly and ate a lot, and you still don’t forget to take a vitamin every day. Why do you still feel so tired, dizzy and yawning in the afternoon?
If you can’t figure out what’s making you so tired, try taking your blood pressure! Because studies have found that blood pressure that is too low may be the culprit behind your lack of energy and energy.
Wouldn’t it be better to have lower blood pressure? We all know that high blood pressure is not a good thing and can cause heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and even death.
But in fact, hypotension can also be uncomfortable and harmful to health.
A study by Johns Hopkins University in the United States pointed out that people whose blood pressure is lower than normal for a long time are more prone to fatigue, drowsiness and boredom.
They conducted a 10-year study of 876 young men and women, including regular blood pressure measurements and questionnaires, in which they were asked whether they were easily tired. When the researchers compared the subjects’ blood pressure records and questionnaire answers, they found that women with an average systolic blood pressure below 100 mmHg were five times more likely to be tired and less mentally than those with a higher systolic blood pressure.
In addition, studies have pointed out that hypotension is related to “chronic fatigue syndrome” (CFS). People with this problem often experience a sudden drop in blood pressure if they stand for a long time, stay in a hot environment, or exercise more intensely. . The researchers also found that if these people’s blood pressure remained normal and not low, their symptoms of chronic fatigue would be reduced or even disappeared.
Medically ideal blood pressure values are systolic blood pressure 120mmHg, diastolic blood pressure below 80mmHg, and if it is slightly lower than this standard, there will generally not be obvious symptoms of discomfort, but when blood pressure is below 90mmHg, 60mmHg Insufficient blood flow to the brain can lead to dizziness, general weakness, and even unconsciousness and fainting.
Older people with low blood pressure and high risk of dementia
In addition to being prone to dizziness and fatigue, low blood pressure may impair cognitive function in the elderly and increase the risk of dementia in the future.
A study on aging at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York found that for every 10 mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure in people over the age of 75, the risk of developing dementia increases by about 20%. Too low diastolic blood pressure is particularly associated with Alzheimer’s disease; If you have persistent low blood pressure for 2 years, you have the highest chance of developing dementia in the future.
Why is low blood pressure?
Low blood pressure runs in families like high blood pressure, so if someone in your family has low blood pressure, chances are your blood pressure is low too.
In addition, young women’s blood pressure is generally lower than that of men of the same age, especially thin girls, most blood pressure is lower than normal.
But after middle age, when women enter menopause, the proportion of high blood pressure is higher than that of men.
Other possible causes of low blood pressure include:
- Excessive blood loss or dehydration
When there is a lot of blood in the blood vessels, the pressure will be relatively high. For example, we say that eating salt will increase blood pressure, because the sodium in the salt will keep water in the blood vessels and increase the total fluid volume in the blood vessels, so the blood pressure will rise. . Conversely, if you bleed heavily from trauma or other reasons, or if you are severely dehydrated, the amount of blood in your blood vessels plummets and your blood pressure plummets.
A small number of girls who lose a lot of blood during menstruation will have lower blood pressure and anemia.
- Heart dysfunction or cardiovascular disease
For example, the heart does not contract properly and cannot send enough blood. People with low blood pressure usually have a faster heartbeat and are prone to palpitations because the heart needs to work more to send more blood.
- take medicine
Long-term use of antihypertensive drugs, tranquilizers, etc., will generally lower blood pressure. In addition, patients with hypertrophy of the prostate may take alpha blockers, which can also lower blood pressure. If an inappropriate dose is taken, blood pressure may drop too low, causing “postural hypotension” — when a sudden change in posture, such as getting up too quickly, or from lying down to sitting or standing, causes blood to flow downward and concentrate to the lower extremities, causing a sudden drop in blood pressure.
Normally, when the posture changes, the body tightens the blood vessels and increases the amount of blood flowing from the heart to adjust the blood pressure, so we don’t notice it. However, some people, especially the elderly, have poor regulation function (nerve conduction and autonomic nervous system response slow down). Dizziness and may even pass out.
- Deterioration of venous return
Medically speaking, the lower limbs are the second heart of the human body. Through the contraction force of the muscles of the lower limbs, the blood of the veins is allowed to return, so long-term bed rest, lack of exercise, and poor circulation of the lower limbs, when the blood is stagnant, the amount of blood returning to the heart will change. If the blood is too small, the blood output by the heart will also decrease, and the blood pressure will not rise.
There are ways to reduce high blood pressure
High blood pressure needs to be actively treated and controlled to avoid serious complications. Does low blood pressure need medical treatment?
In Germany and Australia, about 17-20% of people have low blood pressure and it is treated as a disease. However, most doctors in the United States believe that “chronic hypotension” (blood pressure that has been maintained below normal) does not require active treatment as long as there is no immediate danger, or particularly obvious symptoms (such as unconsciousness, fainting). However, if your blood pressure suddenly becomes abnormal and falls much lower than usual, you need to seek medical attention to find out the cause of the sudden drop in blood pressure.
There are some methods in daily life that can help to raise blood pressure, and people with low blood pressure can try it.
- Gain weight
Weight and blood pressure are closely related. Usually, blood pressure rises when weight increases, so people who are overweight are prone to high blood pressure. Conversely, people with low blood pressure who are too thin (eg, a BMI of less than 18.5) can eat a little fat to reach their ideal weight to raise their blood pressure.
- Eat something salty
Not everyone needs to limit salt, and people with low blood pressure can eat a little salty. In addition, after exercising and sweating a lot, people with low blood pressure can drink sports drinks to replace the lost sodium.
- Avoid low sodium salts
The commercially available “low sodium salt” replaces part of the sodium with potassium, and potassium has the effect of lowering blood pressure slightly. Therefore, people with low blood pressure are of course not suitable for seasoning with this salt.
As for people with normal blood pressure or high blood pressure, doctors do not recommend the use of “low sodium salt”, especially for kidney patients and people with urinary dysfunction, it is more dangerous to eat this kind of salt. Because potassium is not easily excreted from the body, Accumulation in the body causes hyperkalemia, which may lead to arrhythmia and heart failure.
- Drink plenty of water
Especially in summer, sweating is easy to lose water. In addition, the weather is hot and the blood vessels are dilated, and the blood pressure will be lower. If the water in the body is not enough, the blood pressure will drop even lower. Therefore, it is necessary to take sufficient water at ordinary times to avoid dehydration.
- Moderate intake of caffeine
Caffeine can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure, so doctors will remind hypertensive patients to limit their intake of caffeine. On the contrary, people with low blood pressure can raise their blood pressure a little by drinking tea and coffee.
- Do more lower body exercises
When exercising the lower extremities, muscle contractions can assist in the return of venous blood, increase the blood output from the heart, and increase blood pressure. Therefore, people with low blood pressure should exercise regularly, especially lower extremities, such as walking, sitting or standing. Legs, promote blood circulation, and do not stand still for a long time.
- Pay attention to the dosage of antihypertensive drugs and measure blood pressure regularly
Hypertensive patients should take the medicine according to the dosage prescribed by the doctor. Do not adjust the dosage arbitrarily. If you feel any discomfort after taking the medicine, or if you find that the blood pressure changes greatly (such as a very low drop), you should immediately tell the doctor. , to see if the dose needs to be adjusted or switched to another drug.
Recommended reading:
Low blood pressure is more prone to heatstroke! Hydration, eating salty, muscle gain is important
Enhance protection from nutrition, U.S. research: “this nutrient” is critical
