Dehydration happens when your body doesn’t have enough fluids. Not drinking enough fluids or losing fluids faster than you can replace them can both result in dehydration. Show Dehydration can be serious. If it’s left untreated, it can lead to life threatening complications, like heat-related emergencies and kidney problems. Additionally, dehydration can cause potentially dangerous changes in blood pressure. Continue reading to learn more about dehydration, its effect on blood pressure, and the symptoms to watch out for. Blood pressure is the force your blood exerts on the walls of your arteries and veins. Dehydration can affect your blood pressure, causing it to spike up or go down. Let’s take a closer look at why this happens. Low blood pressure is when your blood pressure reading is lower than 90/60 mm Hg. Dehydration can cause low blood pressure due to a decrease in blood volume. Blood volume is the amount of fluid that’s circulating in your blood vessels. Maintaining a normal blood volume is necessary for blood to be able to adequately reach all of the tissues of your body. When you’re very dehydrated, your blood volume can decrease, leading to a drop in blood pressure. When blood pressure drops too low, your organs won’t receive the oxygen and nutrients they need. You could potentially go into shock. High blood pressure is when you have a systolic (top number) reading of 140 mm Hg or higher, or a diastolic (bottom number) reading of 90 mm Hg or higher. Dehydration has been linked to high blood pressure. However, research into this topic is limited. Additional work is needed to investigate the connection. Although more research is needed, it’s still worth noting that dehydration can lead to an increase in blood pressure due to the action of a hormone called vasopressin. Vasopressin is secreted when there’s a high amount of solutes (or sodium level) in your blood, or when your blood volume is low. Both of these things can happen when you lose too much fluid. In response, when you’re dehydrated, your kidneys reabsorb water as opposed to passing it in urine. High concentrations of vasopressin can also cause your blood vessels to constrict. This can lead to an increase in blood pressure. Other than not drinking enough fluids, there are other possible causes of dehydration. They can include:
It’s important to seek prompt medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms:
For low blood pressureA lower than normal blood pressure reading, without other symptoms, may not be a cause for concern. However, if you have low blood pressure readings along with other symptoms, it’s important to get medical care. Symptoms to look out for include:
Shock is a medical emergency that needs immediate care. Dial 911 if you have lower than usual blood pressure and symptoms like:
For high blood pressureHigh blood pressure doesn’t usually cause symptoms. Most people find out about it during a routine checkup with their doctor. If you regularly take your blood pressure and find that your readings are consistently high, see your doctor. The key to preventing dehydration is to make sure you take in enough fluid each day. But how much water or other fluids should you drink in a day? Daily fluid recommendations can depend on several factors, including things like:
According to the Mayo Clinic, a good goal to aim for is to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. If you find it hard to drink plain water, you can also stay hydrated by drinking:
Also remember that you can get water from some food sources, particularly fruits and vegetables. Additionally, follow the tips below to help yourself stay hydrated:
Changes in blood pressure can occur due to dehydration. A drop in blood volume can lead to a potentially dangerous drop in blood pressure and even shock. High blood pressure has also been linked to dehydration. More research is needed to fully understand the connection. You can prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids. This is especially important if you’re ill, in a warm environment, or being physically active. How much water should you drink if you have high blood pressure?Lifestyle Changes
Chronic dehydration also can be a cause of high blood pressure by making the body hold onto sodium. This increases blood volume and thus blood pressure. Make a point of drinking a minimum of eight and preferably 10 to 12 glasses of pure, filtered water every day.
Does water lower blood pressure quickly?Blood pressure started increasing within two or three minutes after the water was ingested, increased rapidly over the next 15 minutes, and then began to decrease after about 60 minutes. Drinking more water at 60 minutes caused the blood pressure effect to be sustained for another hour.
How can I quickly lower my blood pressure?How Can I Lower My Blood Pressure Immediately?. Take a warm bath or shower. Stay in your shower or bath for at least 15 minutes and enjoy the warm water. ... . Do a breathing exercise. Take a deep breath from your core, hold your breath for about two seconds, then slowly exhale. ... . Relax!. Does drinking a lot of water lower or raise blood pressure?Water drinking also acutely raises blood pressure in older normal subjects. The pressor effect of oral water is an important yet unrecognized confounding factor in clinical studies of pressor agents and antihypertensive medications. (Circulation. 2000;101:504-509.)
|