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Normal blood pressure is 120/80, 120 is systolic and 80 is diastolic. If you are an athlete you may have low blood pressure, don't you worry it is a sign of good cardiovascular system. But in elderly low blood pressure can be a sign of underlying problem that may decrease blood flow to vital organs like heart brain etc. Low blood pressure is called as Hypotension in medical terminology and is defined to be as systolic blood pressure of 90mm of Hg or less in an adult.

In contrast to high blood pressure symptoms, where symptoms are poorly defined or may be totally absent, low blood pressure symptoms can be easily recognized. Symptoms of hypotension are usually seen at 90/60; however this range varies from person to person. In conditions where blood pressure lowers rapidly, symptoms may appear at only drop of 20mm Hg blood pressure. In chronic low blood pressure, symptoms usually are not seen unless blood pressure drops to clinical value of 90/60 or less.

What are classic symptoms of Low blood pressure or hypotension?

- Dizziness

- Fatigue

- Vertigo (Surrounding things are revolving around you)

- Fainting

- Mental disturbances

- Difficulty in concentration and confusion or a sense of impending doom and anxiety

- Breathlessness (fast, shallow breathing)

- Nausea

- Extremities become cold and clammy, Pale skin

If you are having any of these low blood pressure symptoms, you must contact your doctor and seek medical advice, among these symptoms, fainting and dizziness are very alarming and warrant an immediate visit to either your own doctor, physician or to the emergency department. If you develop fainting along with nausea vomiting, chest pain or weakness/numbness in your body or extremities, call 911 immediately. These symptoms may indicate an ongoing heart attack, CVA or other dangerous problems.

High blood pressure is an all-too-common disease plaguing millions of Americans every year. It is so common in fact that you are safe to assume that someone you know is taking blood pressure medicine at this very moment. While most people know at least a little bit about high blood pressure, many know nothing about its opposite, low blood pressure. So in this article, we'll explore the causes of this not-so-well-known ailment, and its possible dangers.

Before we get started, let me say that low blood pressure is not viewed as a serious ailment compared to high blood pressure, however, it is not advised that your blood pressure go too low regardless. So what is considered low? Well, we know that so-called "perfect" blood pressure is viewed to be about 120/80; so it is recommended to stay at or below that. However, when it gets too low, like 90/60, adjustments may need to be made to bring it up some. There only needs to be one low number (diastolic or systolic) for you to have a low reading. So if either number is consistently lower than normal or "perfect" you might want to consider seeking medical attention to verify that your blood pressure is not a problem.

So what contributes to a low blood pressure reading? According to medical officials, there are a variety of reasons for blood pressure going lower than normal. Exercise can be a contributing factor, as well as balanced diet and lack of smoking. So if you have made major adjustments in your life and your blood pressure was not high to begin with then it could seem a little low when essentially you are still healthy.

On the other hand, low blood pressure can be a sign that you are in need of medical attention. For example, pregnant women (especially in their first 5-6 months) have a lower blood pressure reading than normal. So if you're blood pressure is low and you are in question of your status, you may want to see a doctor to check for pregnancy.

Even more serious is dehydration, or the life-threatening hypovolemic shock. Dehydration is a result of a lack of water in your system, and of course, water carries oxygen. So when there is a lack of water, there is a lack of oxygen flowing through your blood. If it becomes too low, you can go into hypovolemic shock because no oxygen is reaching your blood tissues. If you go into shock, you can die within a very short period of time. So if your blood pressure is not normally low then it drops suddenly, this is cause for alarm.

Other issues that can contribute to low blood pressure are nutritional deficiencies, allergic reactions, blood loss, and heart problems. This is why it is important to keep tabs on your blood pressure, no matter which direction it is moving. Both and low and high blood pressure readings can cause or be the cause of serious problems, so it is a good idea to watch your blood pressure levels regularly.

But before I scare you into running to the doctor every day, please consider that what is low for some may not be low for others. For example, I've had a blood pressure reading of 100/60 the majority of my adult life and doctors always tell me this is normal. But I am a petite person of small frame and light weight so they tell me I'm right on track; blood pressure considered "perfect" for others might be a little high for me.

Just like any other medical issues, you should always treat low blood pressure seriously. Even though it is not as common, and traditionally not deemed as serious as high blood pressure, it is still related to your health and should be treated as such. If you can invest in a small blood pressure gauge, you might want to make the purchase, just to keep tabs on your low blood pressure readings and stay on top of your health.

Low blood pressure is no less threatening than high blood pressure. In fact this problem of low blood pressure which is also known as Hypotension often leads to dangerous consequences. In case of hypotension your blood moves in arteries or entire circulatory system with less than required pressure. Due to this, blood movement becomes slow. Because of this slowed rate of blood circulation all vital parts of body get less than the sufficient volume of blood to carry out the normal functioning. That is, functions of all of your vital organs get retarded due to hypotension.

Although there exists some explicit reasons of hypotension; still, it becomes difficult to ascertain exact causes for it in most of the cases.

1. Drugs and Medication

Hypotension often develops due to consumption of drugs used for various purposes. For example use of anti depressants can immediately result in low level of blood pressure. Medications used in cardiovascular complications could also facilitate hypotension. If you are using Diuretics continuously, major side-effects will definitely include low blood pressure. All high blood pressure medications if used over a period of time would give way to low BP.

2. Alcohol Consumption

Excessive alcohol consumption may also affect blood flow by lowering level of blood pressure. Some analgesics have been also found reducing blood pressure.

3. Over all health and diseases

An impending stroke could also be a cause of hypotension. That's why people with cardiac complications are said to be extremely careful of hypotension. A chronic diabetic may also suffer from blood pressure disorder. Thus low BP could be termed as by product of different maladies. However cardiac diseases remain major contributor to low BP.

Anatomical inflammations may also cause hypo tension. For example- pancreatic swelling, cardiac inflammation and enlarged liver.

A nervous system disorder known as Vasovagal reaction that is identified by fear or trauma contributes to low blood pressure.

4. Dehydration

Dehydration undoubtedly happens to be the most common cause of low blood pressure. Dehydration may be due to less water consumption, vomiting, excess sweating and diarrhea. There could other reasons of dehydration too.

5. Diet

Low blood pressure could be also due to undernourishment or poor dietary habits. Less than required calorie intake tends to slow pace of blood circulation thus retards function of vital organs.

Despite the number of varied reasons of this ailment, the lower bp is identified with some common symptoms or indicators. These are regular headaches, irregular breathing, dizziness and excess vomiting.

Whatsoever may be the cause, you low BP could be cured well. Be positive while undergoing treatment for low BP as it would help you in your quest to overcome hypotension.

What Is The Cause Of Low Blood Pressure?

While you may know and understand the health risks behind having high blood pressure, not too many people know that low blood pressure can be a serious health problem of its own. So, what is behind the cause of low blood pressure? Here's a closer look.

Low blood pressure, which is also called Hypotension, will be diagnosed whenever blood pressure readings remain below 90/60 on a consistent basis. Why is this a problem? We all want lower blood pressure. While that is true, having too low of a reading can cause dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting. In severe cases it can lead to low blood flow to the brain which in turn can lead to shock and heart attacks.

What Are The Common Causes Of Low Blood Pressure?

Antidepressants - Are you taking antidepressants? If so, different ones can cause all sorts of different reactions within your body. Talk to your doctor about any changes in your health when taking various prescription drugs.

High Blood Pressure Medication - This is a big culprit. When you're being given medications to control your high blood pressure, often times it can lead to low blood pressure. That is why follow up visits with your doctor are so important when starting any new treatment program.

Alcohol - If you're not aware, drinking alcohol can have a dangerous effect on your blood pressure.

Heart Medications - Diuretics - Anti-Anxiety Medications - All of these can lead to a dramatic drop in blood pressure readings and must be monitored carefully.

Some other causes of low blood pressure can be:

Dehydration - Heart Attack - Fainting - Shock - Low Blood Sugar - Diabetes

One of the more common causes is not related to having a medical condition, but it can be from getting up suddenly from a lying down position. This can easily happen quite often to anyone and is not in and of itself an area of concern.

If you do experience any of these causes of low blood pressure, call your doctor or health care provider immediately. Let them know what is going on as this can be a signal of more serious issues.

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When the pressure of the blood that is exerted against the walls of the blood vessels after and during every heart beat is lower than normal, you have low blood pressure. This can result in insufficient blood flow to the important body organs like the heart and the brain. And this can lead to various low blood pressure symptoms.

You may detect low blood pressure symptoms during the use of various drugs such as those used for surgery, anti-anxiety agents, treatment for high blood pressure, diuretics, heart medicines, antidepressants, narcotics, alcohol, and other types of drugs. You may notice the low blood pressure symptoms also because of dehydration, heart failure, or heart attack, anaphylaxis, shock, diabetes (especially in advanced stage), etc.

The most common low blood pressure symptoms are dizziness and lightheartedness. But there are other low blood pressure symptoms, and they are: a tendency to faint, black or maroon stools, chest pain, wheezing, irregular heart beat, consistent high fever, head ache, back pain, or stiff neck. If you happen to spot any of the low blood pressure symptoms, it is recommended that you consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Because of low blood pressure not enough blood reaches to all parts of the body and thus the cells do not receive the correct amount of oxygen and nutrients. Therefore, the waste products in the blood are not removed.

Don’t overlook the risk of low blood pressure if you cough with phlegm or if you are suffering from prolonged diarrhea, or if you are unable to eat or drink, or if you experience burning urinary symptoms or even if you are taking new medicines, because all these are low blood pressure symptoms.

When you start experiencing low blood pressure symptoms remember that the brain is the first organ to malfunction in such situations because it’s located at the top of the body and as a result you will experience dizziness or even fainting. You should be aware that if you don’t treat low blood pressure seriously it might lead to brain damage.

When you have low blood pressure, blood is not adequately supplied to the heart muscles and therefore breathlessness and chest tightness forms one of the common low blood pressure symptoms. When you have prolonged low blood pressure all organs start malfunctioning and this leads to shock.

You must take precautionary measures to avoid the situation from getting worse when you have low blood pressure and you must take your doctor’s advice. You must try to be more physically active and must try to lose weight. You should also maintain a healthy diet and limit your alcohol intake. All these will help you to keep your low blood pressure symptoms under control.

In spite of all the harmful aspects of low blood pressure, researchers say that it is better than high blood pressure because people experiencing low blood pressure symptoms tend to live longer than people suffering from high blood pressure symptoms do.

If you suspect you are suffering with low blood pressure you should consult your primary care physician straight away.

Low blood pressure is considered an abnormal condition. However for some, it is much better than high blood pressure. Many people who have low blood pressure are healthy and have no signs or symptoms related to lower than normal readings. Yet for others it can cause dizziness and fainting or it can also indicate serious heart, endocrine or neurological disorders.

Low blood pressure is simply a condition where an individual’s blood pressure is much lower than the norm. It is also called hypotension or syncope, which points to fainting. It can cause symptoms such as dizziness or lightheadedness.

Low blood pressure happens when the flow of blood is too low to deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and kidney; the organs do not function normally and may be permanently damaged. It should be noted that unlike high blood pressure, which is defined on the basis of blood pressure alone, low blood pressure is defined primarily by signs and symptoms of low blood flow. In fact, some individuals may have a blood pressure of 90/50 and have no signs or symptoms of low blood pressure, and, therefore, not have low blood pressure symptoms. Others who normally have a blood pressure of 130/80 may develop symptoms and signs of low blood pressure if their blood pressure drops to 100/60.

Common causes of low blood pressure:

* Medicines or any medications used for surgery

* High blood pressure treatments

* Anti-anxiety agents

* Diuretics

* Heart medicines

* Some antidepressants

* Narcotic analgesics

* Alcohol

There are also other causes of low blood pressure such as:

* Diabetes

* Fainting

* Heart attack

* Heart failure

* Dehydration

* Heart rhythm changes

* Shock

* Anaphylaxis

Orthostatic hypotension is another common type of low blood pressure. This results from a sudden change in body position. It happens usually from lying down and moving to an upright position.

Despite the possible side effects, people who have lower blood pressures have a lower risk of strokes, kidney disease, and heart disease. Athletes, people who exercise regularly, people who maintain ideal body weight, and non-smokers tend to have lower blood pressure. Low blood pressure is actually desirable as long as it is not low enough to cause symptoms and damage to organs in the body.

In fact, low blood pressure in healthy people without symptoms or organ damage needs no treatment. All patients with symptoms possibly due to low blood pressure should be evaluated by a doctor. Patients who have had a major drop in blood pressure from their usual levels even without the development of symptoms also should be examined. The doctor needs to identify the cause of the low blood pressure since treatment will depend on the cause.

Low blood pressure is not as treacherous as high blood pressure. For people who have hypotension, sufficient sleep and rest is very important. Also, sleeping in daylight is different from sleeping at night. People who have night jobs make it a point to sleep during daylight. Even if you have sufficient sleep low blood pressure still arises.

If you have low blood pressure it is advised that you have regular intake of iron to avoid anemia or other disorders that are caused by low blood pressure. Consult your doctor at once if you ever feel dizzy, have chest pains, shortness of breath, and an irregular heartbeat, fever higher than 101 degrees, headache, and stiff neck or severe upper back pain.

Low blood pressure, the medical term hypotension is generally defined as that which is below normal and relative to the individual with things taken into account such as age and activity levels.

Many conditions can cause low blood pressure, with the most common being illness, taking drugs with side effects that lower the blood pressure, although this is very rare and nearly the only drugs that can cause this are alpha blockers which may give you postural hypotension – this is were you may feel dizzy or even faint when standing up. If you suffer from this, see your doctor immediately! He may prescribe high blood pressure pills to gradually raise your blood pressure.

As people get older the chance of developing a problem with their blood pressure rises. This is true for high and low blood pressure. You could begin suffering from low blood pressure as your arteries stiffen and become less supple which could cause your blood pressure to fall when standing up.

Low blood pressure in itself isn't really a bad thing – in fact, those with low blood pressure will out live most, but if the symptoms arise were it's effecting you when standing this is when you should seek a doctor.

Why is your blood pressure low?

As a doctor with an interest in the subject, I'm often asked if a low blood pressure is normal or if such a reading indicates some abnormal process in the body? In fact - it can be difficult to precisely define what we mean by low blood pressure. It all really depends on what's normal for you as an individual.

If 1000 people had their blood pressure measured then we might expect to find a spread of readings. These might range from as high as 200 / 120 down to 80 / 50 with most people clustering around a level of around 130 / 85. Most of these people would have no symptoms of any kind - no matter what their blood pressure reading actually was. Even those with obviously low blood pressure would be free of any symptoms in most cases.

The answer to whether it is normal or abnormal to have a low blood pressure depends on what your own typical or average blood pressure reading is.

Here's an example of when it's normal to have low blood pressure.

If, for the whole of your life, you've always had blood pressure readings of around 90 / 50 - then without doubt you have "low blood pressure" but there is truly nothing wrong with you or with your blood pressure reading. You should be pleased that your risk of stroke or heart attack will be much less than many others. You're not likely to experience any symptoms from your "low blood pressure." Putting it simply - your blood pressure is normal for you and needs no investigation or treatment. This kind of "normal low blood pressure" will not cause you any symptoms and will need no treatment. It's just part of you and how your system works.

So, when might low blood pressure be an abnormal finding?

If your blood pressure is usually around 130 / 80 and suddenly or gradually drops to a level around 90 / 50 then it's very likely that you'll become aware of symptoms related to this change. As in the above example you have "low blood pressure" but in this instance it is not normal for you to have readings this low. You may need to see your doctor for tests because it's quite likely that some other disease or perhaps a medication has caused your blood pressure to drop. Someone who develops low blood pressure like this will often experience symptoms such as those listed below.

The symptoms of an abnormally low blood pressure can include:

Feeling light headed, feeling dizzy, being tired or feeling fatigue on exertion, fainting, transient blurring of vision, or transient confusion. All of these low blood pressure symptoms will resolve if the blood pressure returns to normal.

The following are among the many possible causes of low blood pressure when it is abnormally low:

Medications for anxiety, medications for blood pressure, heart medications, diuretics or "water tablets" and some anti-depressant medications. Other medication related causes are painkillers and alcohol - particularly if these two are mixed together!

Non medication causes of include dehydration, heart disease and heart valve disease, recent heart attack, changes in heart rhythm, bacterial infection in the system, kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus and hemorrhage or bleeding.

As you can see, the above list of the causes of low blood pressure is extensive and you should consult with your doctor if you are concerned in any way. Above all - don't try to diagnose your own condition - seek help if you are worried. Low blood pressure is not likely to do you any serious harm but it can leave you feeling pretty miserable.