Low blood pressure, generally defined as a reading below 90/60 mmHg, can cause dizziness, fatigue, and fainting. The good news is that several practical strategies can bring your numbers up, ranging from simple dietary changes to physical techniques that work in seconds. Which approach works best depends on whether your blood pressure is chronically low or tends to drop suddenly when you stand up or eat.
Increase Your Salt and Fluid Intake
Salt is the most direct dietary tool for raising blood pressure. Sodium pulls water into your bloodstream, increasing blood volume and pushing pressure higher. While most health advice focuses on limiting salt, the opposite applies here. The American Society of Hypertension recommends 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium per day for people with orthostatic disorders, and some guidelines go even higher, up to 4,800 mg daily for conditions like POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). A practical way to get there is adding 1,000 to 2,000 mg of sodium to your diet three times a day through salted foods, broth, or salt tablets.
One study found that people who fainted from standing and added roughly 2,400 mg of supplemental sodium per day saw improved blood pressure control and better tolerance of upright posture within two months. Salty snacks like pretzels, olives, pickles, and canned soups are easy ways to boost intake without much effort.
Fluid intake matters just as much. Aim for 2 to 3 liters of water per day. Drinking water doesn’t just expand blood volume. It triggers a nervous system response that tightens blood vessels in your legs, which actively pushes blood pressure up. Research published in Circulation found that water drinking increased sympathetic nerve activity to the legs and raised levels of norepinephrine (a hormone that constricts blood vessels), improving the body’s ability to handle standing. This effect kicks in within minutes of drinking, so having a glass of water before getting out of bed or before standing for long periods can help prevent drops.
Physical Maneuvers That Work Immediately
When you feel lightheaded or sense your blood pressure dropping, specific muscle-tensing techniques can buy you time by squeezing blood from your legs and abdomen back toward your heart. The American Heart Association recommends several of these “counterpressure maneuvers”:
- Leg crossing with tensing: Cross your legs and squeeze your thigh, buttock, and abdominal muscles simultaneously. You can do this while standing or lying down.
- Squatting: Lower yourself into a squat, tense your lower body and abdomen, then rise slowly once symptoms pass.
- Arm tensing: Grip your hands together, interlocking your fingers, and pull your arms in opposite directions as hard as you can.
- Fist clenching: Squeeze a fist at maximum contraction, with or without an object in your hand.
These work because contracting large muscle groups physically pushes pooled blood back into circulation. They’re especially useful in situations where you can’t sit down, like waiting in line or standing on public transit. The key is to start them at the first sign of lightheadedness, not after you’re already feeling faint.
How You Stand Up Matters
If your blood pressure drops when you go from lying down or sitting to standing (orthostatic hypotension), the transition itself is where the problem happens. Your body needs a few seconds to redirect blood against gravity, and moving too quickly doesn’t give it enough time.
Sit on the edge of your bed for 30 to 60 seconds before standing. Once upright, pause and let your body adjust before walking. During exercise or daily activities, avoid frequent position changes. If you’re doing something on the floor, plan your transition back to standing rather than popping up quickly. In the morning, drink water while still in bed to trigger that vascular tightening response before you’re on your feet.
Eat Smaller Meals More Often
Large meals can cause a significant blood pressure drop during digestion, a condition called postprandial hypotension. After you eat, your body diverts a large volume of blood to your digestive tract, and if the meal is big, that shift can leave too little blood pressure for the rest of your body. Symptoms typically hit 30 to 60 minutes after eating and can include dizziness, blurred vision, or nausea.
The fix is straightforward: eat six smaller meals throughout the day instead of three large ones. Smaller portions mean less blood gets redirected to digestion at any one time. Cutting back on refined carbohydrates at meals can also help, since high-carb meals tend to cause the steepest drops. Drinking water before and during meals adds an extra buffer.
Compression Garments
Compression stockings and abdominal binders work by physically preventing blood from pooling in your legs and midsection. When you stand, gravity pulls blood downward, and if your blood vessels don’t tighten quickly enough, your blood pressure drops. Compression garments do the tightening for you.
The recommended pressure for managing low blood pressure is 30 to 40 mmHg, which is firmer than what you’d find in standard travel socks (those are usually 15 to 20 mmHg). Studies have tested pressures ranging from 20 to 60 mmHg, with the 30 to 40 range striking the best balance between effectiveness and comfort. Waist-high stockings outperform knee-high ones because they also compress the abdomen, where a large volume of blood can pool. The AAFP specifically recommends waist-high compression garments with graded pressure of 30 to 40 mmHg to reduce venous pooling.
These garments are most useful if you spend long periods standing, but many people also wear them during exercise or while traveling.
When Lifestyle Changes Aren’t Enough
If dietary adjustments, fluids, compression, and physical maneuvers don’t control your symptoms, medication is the next step. Two drugs are commonly prescribed for chronic low blood pressure. One works by boosting your total blood volume, essentially doing what extra salt and water do but more aggressively. The other narrows your blood vessels so they hold pressure more effectively when you stand, reducing the ability of those vessels to expand. Both are typically used for orthostatic hypotension that hasn’t responded to non-drug strategies.
It’s also worth reviewing any medications you’re already taking. Blood pressure drugs, certain antidepressants, and medications for prostate conditions can all lower blood pressure as a side effect. Sometimes the most effective fix is adjusting or replacing a medication that’s contributing to the problem.