If your blood pressure is consistently below 90/60 mmHg and causing symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, or fainting, there are several effective ways to bring it up. The approach depends on whether you’re dealing with a sudden drop or chronically low readings, but the core strategies involve increasing fluid and salt intake, using physical techniques, wearing compression garments, and in some cases, taking medication.
Drink More Water to Increase Blood Volume
Your body holds roughly 5 quarts of blood at any given time, and when you’re dehydrated, that volume drops. Less blood circulating means less pressure pushing against your artery walls. The result is lightheadedness, brain fog, and sometimes fainting.
When you’re low on fluids, your sodium concentration rises, triggering a hormone called vasopressin that tells your kidneys to hold on to whatever water is left. Drinking water consistently throughout the day keeps blood volume up and prevents these compensatory responses from kicking in. For people with chronically low blood pressure, aiming for 2 to 3 liters of fluid daily is a common starting point, though your needs may be higher in hot weather or during exercise.
Increase Your Salt Intake
Salt pulls water into your bloodstream and keeps it there, which directly raises blood volume and pressure. For most healthy adults, public health guidelines recommend staying under 2,300 mg of sodium per day. But for people with orthostatic hypotension (blood pressure that drops when standing), the recommendation flips entirely.
The American Society of Hypertension suggests 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium daily for people with orthostatic disorders. Some specialists recommend even more, up to 8,000 mg of sodium per day, for severe cases. You can increase sodium through salty foods like broth, pickles, olives, and salted nuts, or by adding extra table salt to meals. Electrolyte drinks and salt tablets are another option when food-based approaches aren’t enough. This strategy only makes sense if your blood pressure is genuinely low. If you have heart or kidney problems, extra salt can cause harm.
Use Physical Counter-Pressure Maneuvers
When you feel a sudden drop in blood pressure, such as dizziness when standing up, specific body movements can raise your pressure within seconds. These work by squeezing blood out of the large muscles in your legs and arms and pushing it back toward your heart and brain.
- Leg crossing with muscle tensing: Cross your legs while standing and tense your leg, abdominal, and buttock muscles simultaneously. This is the most studied technique for preventing fainting episodes.
- Handgrip: Squeeze a rubber ball or any firm object as hard as you can with your dominant hand. Sustained maximal grip raises blood pressure quickly.
- Arm tensing: Grip one hand with the other in front of your body and pull your arms apart while keeping your hands locked together. This contracts muscles in both arms at once.
These maneuvers were tested in a clinical trial on people prone to vasovagal syncope (the type of fainting triggered by standing too long or sudden stress) and proved effective at stabilizing blood pressure and preventing blackouts. They’re simple, free, and work in the moment when you feel symptoms coming on.
Wear Compression Garments
Compression stockings prevent blood from pooling in your legs when you stand, which is one of the most common triggers for blood pressure drops. They work by gently squeezing the veins in your lower body, forcing more blood back up toward your heart.
For blood pressure management, waist-high stockings rated at 20 to 30 mmHg or 30 to 40 mmHg of compression are what most specialists recommend. Knee-high stockings are easier to put on but less effective because a significant amount of blood pools in your thighs. Abdominal binders serve a similar purpose for people who can’t tolerate full-length stockings. The garments work best when you put them on before getting out of bed in the morning, since that’s when blood pressure tends to be lowest.
Adjust How You Eat
Blood pressure naturally dips after meals because your body diverts blood flow to your digestive system. Large meals heavy in carbohydrates cause the biggest drops, a condition called postprandial hypotension. If you notice dizziness or fatigue within an hour or two of eating, your meals are likely part of the problem.
Eating six smaller meals instead of three large ones reduces the amount of blood your gut demands at any one time. Keeping carbohydrate portions modest at each meal also helps, since carbs trigger the strongest digestive blood flow response. Pairing carbohydrates with protein and fat slows digestion and blunts the pressure drop.
Caffeine as a Short-Term Boost
A cup of coffee can raise blood pressure by about 5 to 10 points in people who don’t drink it regularly. The effect kicks in within 30 minutes and can last up to two hours. For people with chronically low blood pressure, a cup of coffee before situations that tend to trigger symptoms (like a long morning commute or standing event) can be a useful tool.
Regular caffeine drinkers build tolerance, so this strategy works best if you use it selectively rather than relying on it all day. Some people find that a small coffee before meals specifically helps counteract postprandial drops.
Medication for Persistent Low Blood Pressure
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, two prescription medications are commonly used. The first works by tightening blood vessels directly, which increases resistance to blood flow and raises pressure. The second is a synthetic version of a hormone that tells your kidneys to retain more sodium and water, expanding blood volume over time. It also enhances the effect of your body’s natural vessel-tightening signals.
Both medications require monitoring because they can overshoot and cause high blood pressure while lying down, a common side effect. Your doctor will typically start with the lifestyle strategies above and add medication only if symptoms persist.
Recognizing a Dangerous Drop
A drop of just 20 mmHg, say from 110 to 90 systolic, is enough to cause dizziness or fainting. Most episodes of low blood pressure are uncomfortable but not dangerous. However, if low pressure is accompanied by confusion, cold or clammy skin, rapid shallow breathing, or a weak and fast pulse, that pattern can signal shock, which is a medical emergency. Persistent readings below 90/60 that come with blurred vision, nausea, or an inability to concentrate also warrant medical evaluation, especially if they represent a change from your usual readings.