Low blood pressure, defined as a reading below 90/60 mmHg, can be raised through a combination of increased salt and fluid intake, body positioning techniques, compression garments, and in some cases medication. The right approach depends on whether your blood pressure drops when you stand up, after meals, or stays low throughout the day.
Increase Your Salt Intake
Salt is one of the most effective tools for raising low blood pressure because sodium helps your body hold onto water, which increases blood volume. For people with orthostatic hypotension (blood pressure that drops when standing), medical guidelines recommend significantly more sodium than the general population typically consumes. The American Society of Hypertension suggests 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium per day for these patients, while some expert groups recommend even higher amounts of 4,000 to 4,800 mg daily.
To put that in perspective, most dietary guidelines for healthy adults cap sodium at 2,300 mg per day. People with low blood pressure are often told to exceed that number. One study found that patients who added roughly 2,400 mg of supplemental sodium per day for two months showed meaningful improvements in their ability to tolerate standing and in blood flow to the brain. A practical way to increase your intake is adding 1,000 to 2,000 mg of sodium to meals, spread across three meals per day. Salting food liberally, eating broth-based soups, or using electrolyte supplements are common strategies.
Drink More Fluids
Dehydration reduces blood volume, which directly lowers blood pressure. Most healthy adults need roughly 11.5 to 15.5 cups (2.7 to 3.7 liters) of total fluid per day from all sources, including food. If you have low blood pressure, aiming for the higher end of that range helps maintain the blood volume your cardiovascular system needs to keep pressure stable. Water works, but pairing fluids with sodium (like an electrolyte drink) is more effective because the sodium helps your kidneys retain the water instead of flushing it out.
Eat Smaller, Lower-Carb Meals
Blood pressure naturally dips after eating because your body diverts blood to the digestive tract. Large meals and high-carbohydrate meals make this worse. If you notice dizziness or lightheadedness after eating, switching from three large meals to six smaller ones can reduce the size of that post-meal drop. Keeping carbohydrates lower at each meal also helps, since carbs trigger the largest blood flow shift to the gut. This type of blood pressure drop, called postprandial hypotension, is especially common in older adults.
Use Physical Counter-Pressure Techniques
When you feel lightheaded or sense your blood pressure dropping, specific muscle-tensing movements can raise it quickly by squeezing blood from your limbs back toward your heart. These are simple enough to do anywhere:
- Leg crossing: Cross one leg over the other and squeeze the muscles in your legs, abdomen, and buttocks. Hold until symptoms pass.
- Arm tensing: Grip one hand with the other and pull them against each other without letting go. Hold as long as you can.
- Hand grip: Squeeze a rubber ball or similar object in your dominant hand until symptoms ease.
A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found these counter-pressure maneuvers effectively prevent fainting episodes in people prone to blood pressure drops. They work best when you start them at the first sign of symptoms, before dizziness progresses.
Wear Compression Garments
Compression stockings prevent blood from pooling in your legs when you stand, which keeps more blood circulating to your brain and vital organs. For low blood pressure, most specialists recommend waist-high stockings rated at 20 to 30 mmHg or 30 to 40 mmHg of pressure. Knee-high stockings are easier to put on but less effective because a significant amount of blood pools in the thighs and abdomen. The higher the garment reaches, the more blood it pushes back into circulation.
Change Positions Slowly
One of the simplest ways to prevent blood pressure from dropping is giving your body time to adjust when you change positions. When getting out of bed, sit on the edge of the mattress for a minute before standing. Keep something sturdy nearby to hold onto. Squeezing a rubber ball or clenching and unclenching your hands before you stand can prime your blood pressure upward. Sleeping with your head slightly elevated, using extra pillows or raising the head of your mattress, trains your body to better handle the shift to upright and reduces the severity of morning drops.
Medications for Persistent Low Blood Pressure
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, doctors may prescribe medication. One commonly used option works by helping the kidneys retain sodium and water, increasing blood volume. It’s typically started at a low dose and combined with a high-salt diet and adequate fluid intake. The dose can be gradually increased on a weekly basis depending on response. Another class of medication works by tightening blood vessels directly, which raises pressure mechanically. These medications are generally reserved for people with orthostatic hypotension severe enough to cause fainting or significantly limit daily activities, since raising blood pressure with drugs requires careful monitoring to avoid pushing it too high when lying down.
For people whose blood pressure drops specifically after high-carbohydrate meals, a medication that slows carbohydrate absorption in the gut can be taken before those meals to blunt the post-meal pressure drop.