Q&A What can I do for my low blood pressure?

In my experience, I have had clients with low blood pressure and they have asked me if their low blood pressure would improve with training. The answer is YES.

Anybody with a reading if 90/60 mmHg or lower is regarded as having hypotension (low blood pressure). People with low blood pressure have some protection from factors which raise blood pressure to undesirable levels. However, low blood pressure may be a sign of an underlying problem, and can cause unpleasant symptoms.

Below are the most common symptoms of hypotension:

Blurred vision
Cold, clammy, pale skin
Depression
Dizziness
Fainting
Fatigue
General feeling of weakness
Nausea
Palpitations
Rapid, shallow breathing
Thirst

Two of the main causes that I see more often in clients are:

Dehydration

When your body loses more water than it takes in you eventually become dehydrated. Hydration levels (levels of water in the body) do not have to drop much before you start feeling dizzy and weak – dehydration-induced weight loss of just 1% can lower blood pressure enough to cause symptoms. Dehydration can be caused by severe diarrhea, vomiting, heat, overusing diuretics, and over-exercising. If water or blood levels drop dramatically the patient can go into hypovolemic shock – the severe water/blood drop in volume means the heart cannot pump the blood properly, resulting in life-threatening hypotension.

Endocrine problems (not including diabetes)

The endocrine system is a system of glands involved in the release of hormones – examples include the thyroid gland, and the adrenal gland. The thyroid gland makes and stores hormones that help in the control of the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate at which food is broken down and converted into energy (part of metabolism). Low blood pressure can be caused by hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). If the adrenal glands do not work properly (adrenal insufficiency) there is also a risk of hypotension – the adrenal glands are located just above each kidney and are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response.

There are 2 critical things to normalize low blood pressure based on the above potential causes:

1. Drink More Water. The average person that exercises for 30 minutes in a neutral climate with no health issues, needs around 3 liters of pure water a day. Start sipping on water throughout the day until you reach 3 liters and any other fluids on top of that is bonus (Alcohol and Coffee is excluded).

2. Use slow, safe exercise progressions to build muscle. Muscle building exercise raises your T3 (active thyroid) raising your core temperature. Muscle building also reduces overall stress in the body, because in order to build muscle, you must attain an anabolic state. An anabolic state can only be achieved by a healthy strong metabolism.

A health strong metabolism, means that your good hormones and enzymes are being built up at a optimal rate.