If your blood pressure runs low, you can raise it through a combination of dietary changes, hydration habits, physical techniques, and lifestyle adjustments. Most people with mildly low blood pressure can see meaningful improvements without medication. A reading below 90/60 mmHg is generally considered low, but what matters more than the number is whether you’re experiencing symptoms like dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, or feeling faint when you stand up.
Increase Your Salt and Fluid Intake
Salt is the single most effective dietary tool for raising blood pressure. Sodium pulls water into your bloodstream, which increases your total blood volume and pushes pressure higher. While most dietary guidelines tell people to limit sodium, the opposite applies when your blood pressure is too low. Medical guidelines for people with orthostatic disorders (where blood pressure drops when standing) recommend 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium per day, and some specialists go as high as 4,000 to 8,000 mg daily depending on the severity. For context, the average American consumes about 3,400 mg per day, so you may need to deliberately add salt to your meals rather than restrict it.
Practical ways to boost sodium include salting food more liberally, eating salty snacks like olives or pickles, drinking broth, or using electrolyte tablets dissolved in water. Pair the extra salt with more fluids. Aim for at least 8 to 10 cups of water daily. The salt helps your body retain that fluid rather than simply passing it through, so the two work together to expand blood volume.
Adjust How and What You Eat
Large meals can cause your blood pressure to drop significantly as blood flow shifts toward your digestive system. This is called postprandial hypotension, and it’s especially common in older adults. Eating six smaller meals throughout the day instead of three large ones reduces this effect. Keeping those meals lower in carbohydrates also helps, since carb-heavy meals tend to trigger the biggest post-meal blood pressure dips.
Caffeine offers a small but real boost. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that caffeinated beverages raise blood pressure by about 3 to 5 points systolic and 2 to 3 points diastolic. The effect is strongest in the first week of regular consumption and slightly diminishes over time as your body adjusts. A cup of coffee or tea before a meal or before activities where you tend to feel lightheaded can provide a temporary buffer.
Use Physical Counter-Maneuvers
When you feel a dizzy spell coming on, specific muscle-tensing techniques can raise your blood pressure within seconds. These are called isometric counterpressure maneuvers, and they work by squeezing blood from your muscles back into your central circulation.
- Arm tensing: Grip one hand with the other and pull your arms apart while tensing both arms. In one study, this raised systolic pressure from 92 to 105 mmHg in patients who were about to faint, while untreated patients dropped to 73.
- Leg crossing and tensing: Cross your legs while standing and squeeze your thigh and calf muscles together.
- Squatting: If you feel faint, squatting down immediately compresses blood vessels in your legs and pushes blood upward.
These techniques are especially useful in moments when you can’t sit or lie down right away. Practice them so they become automatic when symptoms hit.
Wear Compression Garments
Compression stockings prevent blood from pooling in your legs, which is one of the main reasons blood pressure drops when you stand. Waist-high compression stockings are recommended over knee-high ones because they cover a larger surface area of veins. Wear them during the day, especially when you’ll be standing for extended periods, and remove them at night when you’re lying down.
Abdominal binders work on the same principle. They compress the large venous reservoir in your abdomen and can be worn under clothing. Some people find a combination of waist-high stockings and an abdominal binder works better than either alone.
Change How You Sleep and Stand
Elevating the head of your bed by about 9 inches (roughly a 10-degree tilt) can help your body adjust to blood pressure changes overnight. This gentle incline trains your nervous system to better regulate pressure when you transition to standing in the morning. You can achieve this with bed risers under the headboard posts or a foam wedge under your mattress. Stacking pillows doesn’t work as well because it bends your body at the waist instead of tilting your whole frame.
When getting out of bed, do it in stages. Sit up first and stay on the edge of the bed for 30 to 60 seconds before standing. Once standing, tense your leg muscles a few times before walking. These habits reduce the morning blood pressure drop that causes many people to feel dizzy or unsteady first thing.
When Lifestyle Changes Aren’t Enough
If you’ve tried salt, fluids, compression, and physical maneuvers and your symptoms persist, prescription medications can help. The two most commonly prescribed options work in different ways. One tightens blood vessels directly, raising pressure through vasoconstriction. The other helps your kidneys retain sodium, which increases blood volume over time. Both are taken multiple times per day and are typically started at low doses, then adjusted based on your response.
Medication is usually considered after non-drug approaches have been given a fair trial. It’s also worth identifying whether anything is actively lowering your blood pressure. Some medications for other conditions, including certain antidepressants, prostate drugs, and heart medications, can cause or worsen low blood pressure as a side effect.
Signs of Dangerously Low Blood Pressure
Most low blood pressure is more annoying than dangerous, but severe drops can lead to shock. Warning signs include confusion (particularly in older adults), cold or clammy skin, noticeably pale skin, rapid shallow breathing, and a weak, fast pulse. These symptoms together indicate your organs aren’t getting enough blood flow and require emergency medical attention.