In looking at the topic of the effects of low blood pressure, I would want to make it clear to the reader that typically a lower blood pressure reading is a very good thing. People who don’t smoke, exercise regularly and watch their diets will maximize their bodies’ capabilities and will generally be healthier. In situations such as this, a person will generally sport a lower blood pressure reading.
Low blood pressure and the effects of low blood pressure (also referred to as hypotension), as we are considering it, is a condition in which the blood pressure is insufficient to carry enough oxygen to the brain and vital organs. There are a number of situations that can create low blood pressure and the effects of low blood pressure. Too much of the wrong medication, excessive vomiting or diarrhea, excessive blood loss and lack of fluids, can all compromise a person’s health.
My own experience with the effects of low blood pressure occurred in 1988, after I had been hospitalized for two weeks with a transient ischemic attack. I had been sent home on ten medications. One of those medications was a diuretic which is a blood pressure medication that encourages urination. One has to keep their fluid intake up which I did not do.
I was on my bed sleeping when I woke up and went towards the kitchen to get a drink. At that time my wife and I had a “doorway fence” to keep our young children from some very steep steps to the second floor of our house. As I approached this fence I felt light-headed and very weak. Everything began to move in slow motion. I was experiencing what is known as “being orthostatic”; a common effect of low blood pressure. This occurs when one rises too quickly and the blood pressure doesn’t have a chance to adjust. However, in addition to that, I simply did not have enough blood volume.
When I reached the fence, I fainted. As soon as I hit the floor and was again prone I regained consciousness. However, my wife was terrified and called an ambulance. When the EMT arrived he took my blood pressure. His comment to his partner as it related to my blood pressure reading was “75 all the way down. This meant that my systolic reading was only 75 and he could hear no diastolic reading. My blood pressure was extremely low and the effect of my low blood pressure was the inability to function because not enough oxygen was getting to my brain.
Low blood pressure is usually defined as a systolic reading of somewhere between 60 and 80. Once again, fine-tuned athletes may function very well with readings of 90/60, but that is because their body systems have learned to function with much less blood flow.
There is no stereotypical treatment for low blood pressure. The two most common reasons that the body has effects from low blood pressure is either it has lost too much fluid due to an erroneous dosage of medication (in my case the medication had caused too much urination), or, a person can’t or won’t replace the fluid that the body needs quickly enough (I didn’t drink enough).
I was taken to the hospital and given intravenous fluids and, while there, my physician was called and my medications were adjusted. I did fine after that.
I was lucky. The effects of low blood pressure can be deadly. Heart attack, fainting at an inopportune time, kidney failure as well as the condition of shock where many key vital organs rapidly deteriorate, are just some of the possible effects of low blood pressure.
The effects of low blood pressure illustrate the importance of drinking lots of water, or, fluids, where one replaces electrolytes; of taking any medications exactly as prescribed; as well as reporting any untoward symptoms immediately to your doctor. Finally, one should get in the habit of going from a sitting to standing position slowly to give your circulatory system a chance to adjust.
I can tell you from experience that even mild effects of low blood pressure are dangerous and terrifying.
