Low blood pressure, generally defined as a reading below 90/60 mmHg, can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, and fatigue. If your blood pressure runs low and causes symptoms, several practical strategies can bring it up, ranging from simple dietary changes to physical techniques you can use in the moment.
Increase Your Salt and Fluid Intake
Salt is the single most effective dietary tool for raising blood pressure. Sodium causes your body to retain water, which increases blood volume and pushes pressure higher. For most healthy adults, guidelines suggest limiting sodium. But if you have chronically low blood pressure or an orthostatic disorder (where your pressure drops when you stand), the recommendation flips. Medical societies suggest 2,400 to 4,000 mg of sodium per day for people with orthostatic hypotension, and some guidelines go as high as 4,800 mg for conditions like POTS. For reference, the average American consumes about 3,400 mg daily, so people with low blood pressure may actually need to add salt rather than cut it.
A practical approach is adding 1,000 to 2,000 mg of sodium to your diet three times a day. That could mean salting your food more generously, eating broth-based soups, snacking on salted nuts or olives, or using electrolyte drinks. One study found that patients who added roughly 2,400 mg of supplemental sodium daily saw meaningful improvements in their ability to tolerate standing after just two months.
Fluids matter just as much as salt. When you’re dehydrated, your blood volume drops, and your blood pressure follows. General fluid recommendations are about 3.7 liters per day for men and 2.7 liters for women, though people with low blood pressure often benefit from drinking more than this baseline. Water before meals is especially useful: drinking 12 to 18 ounces about 15 minutes before eating can prevent the blood pressure drop that commonly follows a meal.
Use Physical Maneuvers for Quick Relief
When you feel suddenly dizzy or lightheaded, certain body positions can raise your blood pressure within seconds by squeezing blood from your legs and abdomen back toward your heart and brain. The American Heart Association recommends several of these counterpressure maneuvers:
- Leg crossing with muscle tensing: Cross your legs while standing or lying down, then squeeze your leg, abdominal, and buttock muscles simultaneously.
- Squatting: Lower yourself into a full squat. Tense your lower body and abdominal muscles while down, then stand slowly once the dizziness passes.
- Arm tensing: Grip your hands together, interlocking your fingers, and pull your arms in opposite directions as hard as you can.
- Isometric handgrip: Clench your fist at maximum force, with or without holding an object.
These aren’t permanent fixes, but they can prevent fainting in the moment and buy you time to sit down, drink water, or get to a safer position.
Adjust How and What You Eat
Large meals can cause a significant blood pressure drop as your body diverts blood flow to your digestive system. This is called postprandial hypotension, and it’s especially common in older adults. Switching from three large meals to six or seven smaller ones throughout the day reduces the demand on your circulatory system at any single point.
The type of food matters too. Rapidly digested carbohydrates like white bread, white rice, potatoes, and sugary drinks move quickly from your stomach to your small intestine, triggering a sharper blood pressure drop. Replacing these with slowly digested foods like whole grains, beans, protein, and healthy fats keeps your blood pressure more stable after eating. If you do experience post-meal dizziness, sitting or lying down for an hour afterward helps.
Try Caffeine Strategically
A cup of coffee can raise your blood pressure by up to 10 mmHg. The effect kicks in within about 30 minutes and peaks around one hour after drinking it. This makes caffeine a useful tool if your blood pressure tends to dip at predictable times, like after meals or first thing in the morning. However, regular caffeine drinkers may build tolerance over time, reducing the effect. If you don’t normally drink coffee, even a small cup can produce a noticeable boost.
Wear Compression Garments
Compression stockings and abdominal binders work by preventing blood from pooling in your legs and abdomen when you stand. Thigh-high compression stockings in the 23 to 32 mmHg pressure range are the standard recommendation for orthostatic hypotension. An elastic abdominal compression belt can also help, and some people find the belt more tolerable in warm weather than full-length stockings. These garments are most effective when worn during the day, especially during prolonged standing or walking.
Make Positional Changes Slowly
If your blood pressure drops when you stand up, the simplest intervention is changing positions gradually. Sit on the edge of your bed for a minute before standing in the morning. Rise from chairs slowly. Avoid standing motionless for long periods, and if you must stand in place, shift your weight, flex your calves, or rock on your heels to keep blood moving upward.
Sleeping with the head of your bed slightly elevated can also help your body adjust to positional changes. Research suggests that even modest tilting helps, though the optimal angle involves balancing effectiveness with comfort. You can achieve this with a foam wedge under your mattress or by placing risers under the headboard legs.
Medications for Persistent Low Blood Pressure
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, prescription medications can help. The most commonly prescribed option works by stimulating nerve endings in blood vessels, causing them to tighten and raising blood pressure. It’s typically taken three times during daytime hours, with the last dose no later than late afternoon to avoid elevated blood pressure while sleeping. Your doctor may also prescribe a medication that helps your body retain sodium and water, increasing blood volume over time.
Medications are generally reserved for people whose low blood pressure significantly affects daily life, particularly those who faint or feel unable to function normally. They work best alongside the dietary and lifestyle strategies above rather than as a replacement for them.