If your blood pressure reading is below 90/60 mmHg and you’re feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or faint, the first thing to do is sit or lie down immediately. Low blood pressure, or hypotension, isn’t always a problem on its own. Some people naturally run low without any symptoms. But when symptoms show up, there are concrete steps you can take right now and habits that help over time.
What to Do Right Now
If you’re feeling lightheaded or like you might faint, sit down and put your head between your knees, or lie down with your legs slightly elevated. This helps blood flow back toward your brain and usually eases symptoms within a few minutes. Drink a full glass of water, since even mild dehydration can push already-low blood pressure lower. Avoid standing up quickly afterward. When you do get up, rise slowly: sit on the edge of the bed or chair for 30 seconds, then stand gradually.
A cup of coffee or tea can also provide a short-term bump. Caffeine blocks certain receptors in your blood vessels that promote relaxation, temporarily raising your blood pressure and increasing circulation.
When Low Blood Pressure Is an Emergency
A low reading by itself isn’t necessarily dangerous. But certain symptoms alongside it signal that your organs aren’t getting enough blood. Get emergency help if you experience confusion or difficulty thinking clearly, cold or clammy skin, rapid shallow breathing, a weak and fast pulse, or fainting that you can’t explain. These can indicate shock, a life-threatening drop in blood flow that needs immediate treatment.
Why Your Blood Pressure Might Be Low
Understanding the pattern behind your drops helps you manage them. The most common types fall into a few categories.
Orthostatic Hypotension
This is a drop of at least 20 points in your systolic (top) number within three minutes of standing up. It happens because your body’s reflexes don’t adjust fast enough when you change position. Dehydration, certain medications (especially blood pressure drugs, antidepressants, and prostate medications), and conditions that affect your nervous system are common triggers. Older adults are particularly susceptible.
Postprandial Hypotension
Your blood pressure drops by 20 or more points within two hours of eating a meal. After you eat, your body diverts a large volume of blood to your digestive system. Normally, your heart rate and blood vessels compensate. When that response is sluggish, especially in older adults or people with nervous system conditions, blood pressure falls noticeably. Large, carbohydrate-heavy meals make this worse.
Vasovagal Episodes
Standing for long periods, heat exposure, emotional stress, or the sight of blood can trigger a sudden failure in the reflexes that regulate blood pressure. Your heart rate and blood vessel tone both drop at once, reducing blood flow to the brain. This is the classic “fainting spell,” and it’s the most common cause of passing out in otherwise healthy people.
Daily Habits That Raise Blood Pressure
If low blood pressure is a recurring issue, lifestyle changes can make a meaningful difference. These aren’t quick fixes for a single episode. They’re strategies that, practiced consistently, keep your baseline blood pressure in a more comfortable range.
Increase Your Salt Intake
This is the opposite advice from what most people hear about blood pressure, but for hypotension, salt helps. Sodium causes your body to retain more water in your bloodstream, which increases blood volume and raises pressure. Medical guidelines for people with orthostatic disorders recommend roughly 4,000 mg of sodium per day, which is about 10,000 mg of salt (close to two teaspoons of table salt). Some specialists recommend even more for certain conditions. You can add salt to meals, eat salty snacks like pretzels or olives, or use electrolyte drinks. If you have kidney disease or heart failure, talk with your doctor before increasing salt, since those conditions require careful fluid balance.
Drink More Fluids
Aim for at least 2 to 3 liters of fluid per day, primarily water. Even drinking a large glass of water (about 16 ounces) in under five minutes has been shown to produce a measurable rise in blood pressure within minutes. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day, and drink a full glass before standing up in the morning or before meals.
Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals
If your blood pressure tends to drop after eating, switching from three large meals to six smaller ones throughout the day reduces the amount of blood diverted to digestion at any one time. Keep these meals lower in carbohydrates, since carb-heavy meals cause a larger blood pressure drop. Pairing carbohydrates with protein and fat slows digestion and blunts the effect.
Use Compression Garments
Compression stockings or abdominal binders prevent blood from pooling in your legs and abdomen when you stand. For most people starting out, stockings rated at 20 to 30 mmHg provide firm enough compression without being too difficult to put on. If that level feels insufficient, 30 to 40 mmHg options are available. Waist-high stockings work better than knee-high ones because they cover more territory where blood tends to pool. Put them on before getting out of bed in the morning for the best effect.
Physical Tricks That Help in the Moment
Beyond sitting or lying down, there are a few physical maneuvers you can use when you feel a drop coming on. Crossing your legs and squeezing your thighs together while standing compresses the veins in your legs and pushes blood upward. Clenching your fists repeatedly or tensing your arm muscles does something similar for your upper body. These counter-pressure techniques buy your body time to stabilize, and they’re especially useful if you can’t sit down right away, like when you’re standing in line or on public transit.
Medications for Chronic Low Blood Pressure
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, several prescription options exist. The most commonly prescribed medication for orthostatic hypotension works by tightening blood vessels throughout the body, which directly raises blood pressure. Another approach uses a synthetic hormone that tells your kidneys to hold onto more sodium and water, increasing blood volume. For postprandial hypotension specifically, there are medications that slow carbohydrate absorption in your gut, reducing the blood pressure drop that follows meals.
These medications are typically reserved for people whose symptoms significantly affect daily life, since raising blood pressure artificially can sometimes overshoot when you’re lying down, leading to high blood pressure at night. Your doctor will likely try lifestyle strategies first and add medication only if those aren’t sufficient.
Reviewing Your Current Medications
Low blood pressure is a side effect of many common medications. Blood pressure drugs are the obvious culprits, but antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, erectile dysfunction drugs, Parkinson’s medications, and even some over-the-counter pain relievers can lower blood pressure. Diuretics (water pills) reduce blood volume directly. If your low blood pressure started around the same time as a new prescription or a dosage change, that connection is worth investigating. Never stop a medication on your own, but bring it up so your dose or timing can be adjusted.