Low blood pressure

You may not have any symptoms at all, however if you stand for too long, or stand up too quickly, it’s common to experience:

• Fainting (syncope)
• Nausea, dizziness or light-headedness
• Headaches or migraines
• Blurred or tunnel vision
• Feeling weak or fatigued

Some mothers-to-be develop low blood pressure in pregnancy. It may also be linked to dehydration, vitamin deficiency or diabetes. A sudden or severe drop in blood pressure can lead to shock, which is a life-threatening condition.

Worried about low blood pressure?

Many people live completely healthy lives with a blood pressure that would be classed as hypotension. The time of day, your mood and when you eat meals can all lower your blood pressure in completely natural ways.

We’ll only recommend that you undergo treatment for low blood pressure if you’re experiencing worrying symptoms.

Some common reasons for low blood pressure include:

• Pregnancy: In the first two trimesters of pregnancy, blood vessels expand to increase the supply of blood to the uterus, which can result in blood pressure decreasing and can cause fatigue, but is unlikely to be anything to worry about.
• Blood loss: Severe injuries or internal bleeding can result in you losing large amounts of blood volume, with your blood pressure falling as a result.
• Changes in position: Experiencing symptoms when standing up quickly from sitting or lying down is known as orthostatic hypotension. Brief periods of light-headedness and dizziness are common, but should pass quickly.
• Allergies: The body's natural reaction to allergies includes the widening of blood vessels, which can cause your blood pressure to drop. If this drop is too big, your body can go into anaphylactic shock.
• Diet: If you regularly eat foods low in nutritional value, lacking Vitamin B12, folate, and salt, you may develop low blood pressure.
• Dehydration: If your body is not properly hydrated, that can decrease the volume of blood in your body, affecting your blood pressure.

In some cases, low blood pressure can be a sign that you have another underlying condition. Your consultant will always conduct tests for conditions such as:

• Bradycardia: An abnormally slow heart rhythm. If your heart rate is too slow, it can reduce blood circulation and lead to low blood pressure.
• Heart failure: If your heart muscle is stiff or beating weakly, it may not pump enough blood around your system.
• Diabetes: Although diabetes is more commonly associated with high blood pressure, medication and dehydration caused by the condition can lead to low blood pressure.
• Sepsis: A serious condition that arises from your body reacting abnormally to an infection. Septic shock is when the reaction causes a severe loss of blood pressure.
• Parkinson's disease: Low blood pressure can be a symptom of Parkinson's disease or develop as a result of medication that you take to treat the condition.

You may experience several possible complications from low blood pressure, some of them serious. These include:

• Shock: If your blood pressure drops too quickly or by too much, your body can go into shock. If this happens, your vital organs lack the supply of oxygen they need and can start to shut down. This is a potentially life-threatening condition and requires emergency care. Call 999 immediately.
• Falls: If you feel dizzy and light-headed or faint because of low blood pressure, you are at greater risk of losing your balance and falling over. This could result in bumps, bruises and cuts or even broken bones and concussion in more serious circumstances.
• Heart issues: If you have low blood pressure, it may mean that your heart beats faster and harder to try and compensate. This can increase your risk of heart failure, coronary artery disease and stroke.