If your blood pressure consistently reads below 90/60 mm Hg and you’re experiencing symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, or lightheadedness, there are several practical strategies to bring it up. Some work within minutes, while others build your baseline over days and weeks. The right approach depends on whether you need immediate relief or long-term management.
Quick Physical Techniques That Work in Seconds
When you feel a sudden drop, like dizziness after standing up, physical counter-pressure maneuvers can raise your blood pressure almost immediately. The American Heart Association recommends several specific moves:
- Cross your legs and squeeze. While standing or lying down, cross your legs and tense your leg, abdominal, and buttock muscles simultaneously.
- Squat down. Lowering into a squat position pushes blood back toward your heart. Tense your lower body and abdominal muscles while squatting, then stand slowly once symptoms pass.
- Isometric hand grip. Grip your opposing hands, interlocking fingers, and pull your arms in opposite directions with maximum force. Alternatively, clench your fist as hard as you can around a small object.
These maneuvers compress blood vessels in your legs and core, forcing blood upward toward your brain. They’re especially useful when you feel that warning wave of lightheadedness after getting out of bed or standing up from a chair. A drop of just 20 mm Hg in your systolic pressure can be enough to cause dizziness or fainting, so acting quickly matters.
Increase Your Salt and Fluid Intake
Salt holds water in your bloodstream, which increases blood volume and raises pressure. For people with chronically low blood pressure, medical guidelines recommend significantly more sodium than the general population typically consumes. The American Society of Hypertension suggests 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium per day for people with orthostatic hypotension, while the Canadian Cardiovascular Society recommends around 4,000 mg daily. Some guidelines go even higher, up to 4,800 mg per day for conditions like POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).
For context, the average American consumes about 3,400 mg of sodium daily, so you may only need a modest increase. Practical ways to add sodium include salting your food more liberally, drinking broth or bouillon, eating pickles or olives, and snacking on salted nuts or pretzels. One study found that adding roughly 2,400 mg of supplemental sodium per day for two months improved both blood pressure regulation and blood flow to the brain in people who were previously under-consuming salt.
Pair the extra salt with plenty of water. Aim for at least 2 to 3 liters of fluid daily. Without adequate water, extra salt won’t expand your blood volume the way it needs to.
Eat Smaller, Lower-Carb Meals
Blood pressure commonly dips after eating because your body diverts blood to your digestive system. This is called postprandial hypotension, and it’s especially common in older adults. Large, carbohydrate-heavy meals cause the biggest drops.
The fix is straightforward: eat six smaller meals throughout the day instead of three large ones, and keep carbohydrates moderate at each meal. Choosing meals built around protein, healthy fats, and vegetables rather than pasta, bread, or rice reduces the post-meal blood pressure drop. If you know a particular meal will be carb-heavy, eating slowly and staying seated for 15 to 20 minutes afterward can help your body adjust.
Exercise Without Making It Worse
Regular exercise strengthens your cardiovascular system and improves your body’s ability to regulate blood pressure, but the wrong type of exercise can trigger symptoms. Standing upright during intense activity lets blood pool in your legs, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid.
Recumbent exercises are the safest starting point. These include riding a recumbent stationary bike, rowing, and using resistance bands while seated or lying down. Pool-based exercise is particularly effective because the water pressure around your body physically prevents blood from pooling in your lower extremities. Over time, consistent exercise builds the muscle tone in your legs and core that helps push blood back to your heart throughout the day.
Adjust How You Sleep
Sleeping with the head of your bed elevated by a few inches (roughly 10 to 15 degrees) can help your body retain more fluid overnight and reduce the dramatic blood pressure drop many people experience when they first stand up in the morning. You can achieve this by placing blocks or risers under the headboard legs rather than just propping up pillows, which only bends your neck. The goal is a gentle, whole-body incline so gravity keeps your kidneys from flushing out too much fluid while you sleep.
Medications for Persistent Low Blood Pressure
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, there are prescription options. The most commonly prescribed medication works by helping your body retain sodium and water, effectively increasing blood volume. It’s considered first-line therapy for orthostatic hypotension. A second option works by tightening blood vessels directly, which raises standing blood pressure and reduces symptoms. A third class improves the nervous system’s ability to signal blood vessels to constrict when you stand.
These medications are typically reserved for people whose low blood pressure is caused by nervous system dysfunction or another identifiable medical condition, not for someone who simply runs a little low. Your doctor can determine whether medication is appropriate based on what’s driving your symptoms.
Warning Signs That Need Immediate Attention
Low blood pressure that causes occasional mild dizziness is usually manageable with the strategies above. But certain symptoms indicate your blood pressure has dropped to a dangerous level. Watch for confusion (especially in older adults), cold or clammy skin, noticeably pale skin, rapid and shallow breathing, or a weak and rapid pulse. These are signs of shock, which is a medical emergency requiring a call to 911. A sudden, unexplained drop in blood pressure can result from severe dehydration, blood loss, serious infection, or an allergic reaction, all of which need immediate treatment.