If your blood pressure is dropping too low, you can raise it through a combination of dietary changes, increased fluid intake, physical techniques, and in some cases medication. Low blood pressure is generally defined as a reading below 90/60 mmHg, and while it’s harmless for many people, it becomes a problem when it causes dizziness, fainting, or fatigue.
Increase Your Salt and Fluid Intake
Salt is the most straightforward way to raise blood pressure because sodium helps your body hold onto water, which increases blood volume. For people with orthostatic disorders (where blood pressure drops when standing), medical guidelines recommend significantly more sodium than the average person consumes. The American Society of Hypertension suggests 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium per day for these patients, while other expert groups recommend up to 4,000 to 4,800 mg daily. A practical approach is adding 1,000 to 2,000 mg of sodium to your diet three times per day through salty foods or salt tablets.
Hydration matters just as much as salt. Water makes up 50% to 65% of your body weight and is the primary component of your blood volume. When you’re dehydrated, there’s simply less fluid in your blood vessels, which drops pressure. Healthy adults generally need 11.5 to 15.5 cups of total fluid per day from all sources, but if you’re dealing with low blood pressure, aiming for the higher end of that range is a reasonable starting point. Drinking a full glass of water 15 to 30 minutes before standing up can help prevent sudden drops.
Physical Techniques That Work Immediately
When you feel lightheaded or sense your blood pressure dropping, several physical maneuvers can raise it within seconds by squeezing blood from your legs and abdomen back toward your heart. The American Heart Association recommends these specific techniques:
- Cross your legs and squeeze. While standing or lying down, cross your legs and tense the muscles in your legs, abdomen, and buttocks simultaneously.
- Squat down. Lowering into a squat forces blood from your lower body upward. Tense your lower body and abdominal muscles while squatting, then stand slowly once symptoms pass.
- Isometric hand grip. Grip your opposing hands with interlocked fingers and pull in opposite directions with maximum force. This raises blood pressure through full-body muscle tension.
- Clench your fists. Make a tight fist at maximum contraction, with or without something in your hand.
These are temporary fixes, not long-term solutions, but they can prevent a faint when you feel one coming on.
Compression Garments
Compression stockings and abdominal binders prevent blood from pooling in your legs and abdomen, which is one of the most common reasons blood pressure drops when you stand. Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends starting with 20 to 30 mmHg compression, which provides firm support without being too difficult to put on. If that level doesn’t help enough, you can move up to 30 to 40 mmHg, though tighter garments can be hard to get on, especially for people with flexible joints. If 20 to 30 feels too tight, 15 to 20 mmHg is a lighter option. Waist-high stockings or compression shorts work better than knee-high socks because they also prevent pooling in the thighs and pelvis.
Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals
Blood pressure commonly drops 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 meals with lots of carbohydrates cause the biggest drops because carbs trigger more blood flow to the gut.
The fix is straightforward: eat six smaller meals throughout the day instead of three large ones, and keep carbohydrate content lower at each sitting. Preparing and freezing small portions ahead of time makes this manageable without cooking twice as often. Drinking water before a meal can also help buffer the drop.
Check for Nutrient Deficiencies
Low blood pressure sometimes has a correctable nutritional cause. Deficiencies in vitamin B12 and folate can cause anemia, a condition where your blood can’t carry enough oxygen, leading to dizziness, fatigue, and low blood pressure. B12 deficiency can result from an autoimmune condition called pernicious anemia, from intestinal conditions like Crohn’s disease or celiac disease, or simply from not eating enough animal products. Folate deficiency often stems from a diet low in leafy greens, heavy alcohol use, or intestinal conditions that block absorption. Certain medications, including some antiseizure drugs, can also deplete folate. A simple blood test can identify these deficiencies, and correcting them with supplements or dietary changes can resolve the blood pressure problem at its source.
Medications for Chronic Low Blood Pressure
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, doctors may prescribe medication. The two most commonly used options work in different ways. One increases sodium retention and expands blood volume. The other directly tightens blood vessels to raise pressure. Both are effective but come with a trade-off: they can cause blood pressure to rise too high when you’re lying down, which means they need careful monitoring.
A third option works differently by improving the nerve signals that regulate blood pressure in response to position changes. Originally developed for a neuromuscular condition, it’s used off-label for blood pressure drops that happen when standing. It tends to cause fewer problems with elevated pressure while lying down, making it a useful alternative for people who don’t tolerate the first-line options well.
Recognize Dangerous Drops
Mild low blood pressure that causes occasional lightheadedness is common and usually manageable with the strategies above. But a sudden, significant drop in blood pressure can be dangerous. If low blood pressure comes with confusion, cold or clammy skin, rapid shallow breathing, blurred vision, or fainting that doesn’t resolve quickly, that signals your organs may not be getting enough blood flow and needs emergency attention. A blood pressure reading below 90/60 paired with these symptoms is the threshold where urgency increases significantly.