Blood pressure below 90/60 mmHg is considered low, and if yours is causing symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, or fainting, there are several safe, evidence-based ways to bring it up. Most strategies fall into two categories: lifestyle changes that raise your baseline blood pressure over time, and quick physical techniques that can rescue you during a symptomatic episode.
Increase Your Fluid and Salt Intake
The two most effective first-line strategies for raising blood pressure are drinking more water and eating more salt. Both work by expanding your blood volume, which directly increases the pressure inside your vessels.
Aim for 2 to 2.5 liters of fluid per day to offset normal urinary losses. Plain water works, but adding electrolytes can help your body retain more of that fluid. For sodium, guidelines from several cardiology societies recommend at least 2 to 3 grams of sodium per day as a starting point, with some experts recommending 4 to 5 grams daily for people with conditions like POTS or orthostatic hypotension. A practical approach is adding 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of sodium to each of your three daily meals through salty foods, broth, or salt tablets.
This is the opposite of what most people hear about salt, so it’s worth being precise: these higher sodium targets are specifically for people with diagnosed low blood pressure or related conditions. If you have any history of heart failure, kidney disease, or high blood pressure, increasing salt intake could cause harm. Work with a provider to find the right amount for your situation.
Use Physical Counterpressure Maneuvers
When you feel a dizzy spell coming on, certain muscle-tensing techniques can quickly push blood pressure up by squeezing blood from your legs and abdomen back toward your heart and brain. The American Heart Association recommends several of these for people prone to blood pressure drops:
- Leg crossing with muscle tensing: Cross your legs at the ankles and squeeze your leg, abdominal, and buttock muscles simultaneously. You can do this standing or lying down.
- Squatting: Lower yourself into a squat, which compresses the blood vessels in your legs. Tense your lower body and abdominal muscles while squatting, then stand slowly once symptoms pass.
- Arm pulling: Grip your hands together with interlocked fingers and pull your arms in opposite directions as hard as you can.
- Fist clenching: Squeeze your fist at maximum force, with or without something in your hand.
These maneuvers are meant as immediate rescue techniques, not long-term solutions. They’re especially useful if you tend to feel lightheaded when standing up quickly or after being on your feet for a while.
Adjust Your Meal Patterns
Blood pressure naturally drops after eating because your body diverts blood flow to your digestive system. Large, carbohydrate-heavy meals make this worse. If you notice dizziness or fatigue after meals, you may be experiencing postprandial hypotension, and changing how you eat can make a significant difference.
The most effective adjustment is switching from three large meals to six smaller ones throughout the day. Keep each meal low in simple carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, and sugary foods, which cause the most dramatic blood pressure drops. Drinking 12 to 16 ounces of water about 15 minutes before a meal helps buffer the post-meal dip. Taking a 10-minute walk after eating also counteracts the drop by keeping blood circulating through your muscles rather than pooling in your digestive tract. Lying down after a meal is another option if walking isn’t practical.
Try Caffeine Strategically
Caffeine raises blood pressure by 5 to 10 points in people who don’t drink it regularly. This effect kicks in within about 30 minutes and can last up to two hours. A cup of coffee or tea before breakfast or lunch can provide a meaningful boost, particularly for people who experience morning dizziness or post-meal drops.
The catch is that regular caffeine use builds tolerance, which blunts the blood pressure effect over time. If you already drink coffee daily, it’s probably not doing much for your blood pressure anymore. For the most benefit, use caffeine selectively before the times of day when your symptoms are worst rather than sipping it all day long.
Wear Compression Garments
Compression stockings and leggings work by preventing blood from pooling in your lower body, which is one of the main reasons blood pressure drops when you stand. For low blood pressure, start with garments rated at 20 to 30 mmHg of pressure. If that feels too tight or difficult to put on, 15 to 20 mmHg is a reasonable alternative. If 20 to 30 mmHg doesn’t seem like enough, you can move up to 30 to 40 mmHg.
Waist-high stockings or leggings provide the most benefit because they compress the abdomen and thighs in addition to the calves. Knee-high socks are easier to wear but less effective since they only address pooling below the knee. If you’re going to invest in one pair, go for waist-high or at least thigh-high.
Medications for Persistent Low Blood Pressure
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, two types of prescription medication are commonly used. One works by tightening blood vessels directly, which raises pressure mechanically. The other is a steroid that signals your kidneys to retain more salt and water, expanding your blood volume. Both require monitoring because they can overcorrect the problem and push blood pressure too high, especially when you’re lying down.
Medications are typically reserved for people whose symptoms significantly affect daily life despite trying fluid, salt, compression, and dietary adjustments first. Your provider will likely want to confirm that your blood pressure is genuinely low with repeated readings or a tilt-table test before prescribing anything.
Symptoms That Need Immediate Attention
Most low blood pressure is manageable at home, but certain symptoms signal that your brain and organs aren’t getting enough blood flow to function safely. Fast, shallow breathing, confusion or trouble concentrating, unusual agitation or behavioral changes, and extreme weakness or lethargy all warrant urgent medical evaluation. These can indicate that blood pressure has dropped low enough to compromise organ function, which is a different situation from the garden-variety dizziness most people with chronic low blood pressure experience.