Low blood pressure, defined as a reading below 90/60 mmHg, can often be managed with a combination of increased fluids, more dietary salt, and simple lifestyle adjustments. Unlike high blood pressure, which has dozens of medications aimed at lowering it, low blood pressure treatment focuses mostly on what you put into your body and how you move through your day.
Drink More Water, and More Than You Think
The simplest thing you can take for low blood pressure is water. Dehydration reduces blood volume, which directly lowers pressure. For people with chronic low blood pressure or symptoms like dizziness when standing, experts typically recommend 2 to 3 liters of fluid per day. That’s roughly 8 to 12 cups, which is more than most people drink without effort.
Timing matters too. Drinking 12 to 18 ounces of water about 15 minutes before a meal can prevent the blood pressure drop that some people experience after eating. Research published in the journal Circulation found that water drinking acutely improves the body’s ability to handle position changes in healthy subjects, so this isn’t just advice for people with a diagnosed condition.
Increase Your Salt Intake
Salt is one of the most effective tools for raising blood pressure, which is exactly why people with high blood pressure are told to avoid it. If your blood pressure runs low, the opposite advice applies. Sodium helps your body retain fluid, expanding your blood volume and pushing pressure up.
How much salt you need depends on the severity of your symptoms. The American Society of Hypertension recommends 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium per day for people with orthostatic hypotension (the kind that causes dizziness when you stand up). Other guidelines go higher: the Heart Rhythm Society suggests 4,000 to 4,800 mg of sodium daily for people with conditions like POTS, a disorder that causes blood pressure and heart rate problems with position changes. For context, the average American already consumes about 3,400 mg per day, so some people may only need a modest increase.
Practical ways to add sodium include salting your food more liberally, eating broth-based soups, snacking on salted nuts or pretzels, and adding electrolyte drinks to your routine. One study found that adding roughly 2,400 mg of supplemental sodium per day for two months improved blood pressure regulation and reduced fainting episodes in people with low urinary sodium levels. If you have kidney disease or heart failure, increasing salt without medical guidance can cause problems, so this advice applies mainly to otherwise healthy people with low blood pressure.
Adjust What and How You Eat
Some people experience their lowest blood pressure 30 to 60 minutes after eating, a condition called postprandial hypotension. Large, carbohydrate-heavy meals are the biggest trigger. Foods like white bread, white rice, potatoes, and sugary drinks pass quickly from the stomach to the small intestine, which diverts blood to the digestive system and drops pressure elsewhere in the body.
Smaller, more frequent meals help prevent this. Swapping refined carbohydrates for slowly digested options like whole grains, beans, protein, and healthy fats keeps blood sugar and blood pressure more stable after eating. If you notice dizziness or lightheadedness after meals, sitting or lying down for an hour afterward can help while you work on adjusting your diet.
Compression Garments
Waist-high compression stockings reduce the amount of blood that pools in your legs when you stand, keeping more of it circulating to your brain and vital organs. The Mayo Clinic specifically recommends waist-high styles over knee-high ones for orthostatic hypotension, since thigh and abdominal compression prevent pooling more effectively than stockings that stop at the calf. Abdominal binders work on a similar principle and can be worn under clothing.
These aren’t a permanent fix for most people, but they can make a real difference on days when symptoms are worse, during prolonged standing, or in hot weather when blood vessels naturally dilate and pressure drops further.
Caffeine
Caffeine constricts blood vessels and can temporarily raise blood pressure, which is why a cup of coffee or tea before meals is a common recommendation for people dealing with postprandial drops. The effect is modest and temporary, lasting a few hours at most. It works best for people who don’t already drink caffeine regularly, since tolerance develops quickly.
Change How You Move
What you “take” for low blood pressure matters, but how you move through your day can be equally important. Standing up slowly, especially in the morning, gives your cardiovascular system time to adjust. Clenching your thigh muscles or crossing your legs while standing helps push blood back toward your heart. Sleeping with the head of your bed elevated a few inches (rather than lying flat) trains your body to handle gravity better over time and reduces nighttime fluid loss through the kidneys.
Avoid prolonged standing when possible, and if you feel symptoms coming on, sitting down or squatting immediately is more effective than trying to push through. Hot showers and baths dilate blood vessels and can trigger sudden drops, so keeping water temperature moderate helps.
When Lifestyle Changes Aren’t Enough
For most people with mildly low blood pressure, the combination of more fluids, more salt, compression, and movement strategies resolves or significantly reduces symptoms. If your blood pressure remains symptomatic despite these changes, prescription medications are available that work by either constricting blood vessels or helping your kidneys retain sodium and water. These are typically reserved for people whose low blood pressure causes fainting, falls, or significantly limits daily activity. Symptoms like confusion, cold or clammy skin, rapid shallow breathing, or fainting warrant prompt medical evaluation, as they can signal that blood pressure has dropped to a level where organs aren’t getting adequate blood flow.