# Low blood pressure and anxiety



## HedraHelix (Sep 6, 2010)

I thought that because I have anxiety and I sometimes can feel my heart beating in my chest and I'm stressed all the time that I would have high blood pressure. It turns out I have abnormally low blood pressure (80/55).

I was thinking that maybe this is because my body is so accustomed to stress, that my blood pressure is usually low to compensate???

Is there a link between LBP and anxiety? It seems a lot of pepole with GAD have LBP online.


----------



## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

That could even be from dehydration or some other non-psychogenic cause. I would go to a doctor just to be safe. 
I don't know of any link between stress/anxiety and low blood pressure. If anything, anxiety should cause high blood pressure, as you mentioned.


----------



## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

LaRibbon said:


> I think it could work in reverse, having low blood pressure can trigger mild tachycardia to compensate (heart has to work harder to get the blood around your body) and this can make you feel more anxious...but that's just a wild guess.


That is exactly what happens with me. I have low BP and tachycardia. My heart has to work overtime to make up for the low BP.


----------



## rainbowOne (Sep 26, 2010)

I have a super low blood pressure when I'm not stressed out, and a regular blood pressure when I am - I guess that's coz my bodys accustomed to the stress. I also have orthostatic hypotension which is where your blood pressure drops when you stand up - which can make you faint if you get up quickly.
Apparantly a cause of low BP is lack of sodium, do you eat much salt?? I know I drink loads of water cos of anxiety which means I have less sodium in my body - therefore low blood pressure. Of course don't increase your salt without consulting a doctor.


----------



## Belshazzar (Apr 12, 2010)

I'm not familiar with any literature linking anxiety to LBP. I'm under the impression that anxiety usually puts you at risk for HBP.


----------



## Amber78 (Jun 25, 2010)

I have low blood pressure and was wondering if that has anything to do with anxiety also. Lately I have been very fatigued as well, and getting headaches.


----------



## Amber78 (Jun 25, 2010)

So how low is unhealthy low? I havent been working out at all lately and I just took my pressure and it was 90/59. I am not doing anything that would keep my BP low. This morning I could really feel my heart beating and sitting perfectly still it was 90 bpm. Now its lower and my BP is back up but I dont know if this is something indicating that something is wrong or what. I also often get palpitations but my doc told me its anxiety related.


----------



## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I doubt there is any link between the two. Keep in mind that SAS members tend to be on the young side and young adults will tend to have lower BP on average than the general population that is older & fatter.

It's overweight more mature guys like me who tend to have high BP.

From personal experience, I can tell you that weight has a HUGE effect on BP. When I got down to 175# my BP was lower with no meds than it was at 250# taking 100 mg of Atenolol (which comes in 25, 50, and 100 mg sizes to give you some idea that's not a tiny dose). Pulse also went down with weight.

My live brother, 20 years my senior, used to donate plasma for money (which I won't do even for cash as needles scare the hell out of me far more than I like money). Sometimes he'd get rejected as they don't allow donation unless the top number is at least 90. He said he'd just go back into the waiting room and pace around thinking about the Bush administration. That always worked for him and his BP was high enough to donate when they let him try again.


----------



## imNotShy (Oct 17, 2010)

NoSocialButterfly said:


> During the last 6 months, when my anxiety has been at an all-time high, my blood pressure has been running extremely low. I would say it's usually around 95/45 but has been as low as 87/42. There have been times, not really lately, where upon standing up I would get dark spots or my vision would go black for a couple seconds. Also, I feel like I'm lacking in the energy department most of the time. My heart rate is usually between 60-70 and my hands are always freezing. I keep wondering if this all, somehow, ties into the anxiety.


Sounds exactly like me. Do your hands ever turn bluish, purplish when they get really cold?


----------



## Amber78 (Jun 25, 2010)

My BP has been all over the map lately. Had a panic attack about a week ago and it was 148/48 which I foudn very concerning but the doc i was dealing with (not my gp) wasnt . My top number is never that high and that bottom number was really low. I was hopped up on cafiene though and on the brink of a total meltdown,


----------



## maltese (Sep 11, 2010)

I have low bp too along with anxiey and etc but low bp runs in my fathers family. I eat a handul of salty flax crackers each morning to raise my bp and that works great for me.


----------



## Amelia (Nov 24, 2003)

I have low BP and it doesn't worry me. It's preferable to high BP, which puts you at high risk of heart disease and stroke.


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

I imagine both low blood pressure and high blood pressure are bad, for different reasons.


----------



## nork123 (Oct 22, 2009)

I think I have low blood pressure, I get head rushes a lot when I stand up and feel dizzy like im gunna pass out sometimes, usually have to stand still and let it settle. I used to get it really badly when I smoked weed and remember once I stood up to fast after and actually did black out and fall flat on my face, my friend says my arms were thrashing and stuff, dont really know what happened and it scared me for a while but I read about it happening to other people on the internet


----------



## kerosene (Oct 26, 2010)

I have the same thing and it runs in my family. 90/70 or lower, depending. I never figured out why either because I have such bad anxiety, but it's much better for you than high blood pressure, so that's one less thing to worry about  Just don't take a hot bath, or step out of a hot shower without turning it cold first (OOPS).


----------



## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

There is no established value for low blood pressure because everyone is different. What is normal for one person is too high or low for another. Basically they just go by symptoms. If you have no symptoms no point going to the doctor. They are unlikely to do anything. If you have symptoms even if your blood pressure is in the average range you should see a doctor to discuss it.

My doctor pretty much told me to go eat unhealthy foods. Lots of salty stuff and only drink things with electrolyte mixes. You can get gatorade in powder form now and I sometimes order pocari sweat from japan. It's a lot lower in sugar than 90% of the drink mixes in the US and tastes better. You can find a version in the US but it uses fructose instead of sugar as a sweetener which is bad for everyone but especially those of us with fructose malabsorption. Also spend as much time as you can sitting up or standing instead of laying down.


----------



## Cerz (Jan 18, 2010)

I have very bad High Blood Pressure, It's definitely my unhealthy lifestyle that caused it. Thing is I'm not that fat but i used to eat A LOT of junk food, never exercise and only drink soda for about 2-3 years. Now I'm exercising every week and eating much healthier.


----------



## Freeflow918 (Jan 11, 2011)

When I take ritalin obviously dopamine is increasing, but I feel less anxious around people and My BP is around 140/75. It might just be the drug though. Interesting anyways


----------



## Caitlin2 (Jun 1, 2011)

I've been fainting and had low BP for as long as I can remember, but the cardiologists have never been able to find a cause. It's actually been getting worse and so has my anxiety so maybe it is related.


----------



## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

Dr House said:


> That is exactly what happens with me. I have low BP and tachycardia. My heart has to work overtime to make up for the low BP.


My BP is at the bottom of the normal range. I don't know if 70 beats per minute resting heart rate qualifies as tachycardia but I know its faster than average.

In my 20s I was an avid runner and was shocked that no matter how many miles I ran my beats per minute stayed the same.


----------



## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

I also would guess its nutrition related. Dehydration. Minerals. Vitamins etc.


----------



## sanspants08 (Oct 21, 2008)

FairleighCalm said:


> I also would guess its nutrition related. Dehydration. Minerals. Vitamins etc.


Definitely. Having had personal experience with this, I know I felt a lot better when I started eating a more balanced diet, even though that sometimes meant protein shakes instead of no food at all.


----------



## SeverelyShyandQuiet (Aug 13, 2006)

*Attached is a blood pressure chart*



Amber78 said:


> So how low is unhealthy low? I havent been working out at all lately and I just took my pressure and it was 90/59. I am not doing anything that would keep my BP low. This morning I could really feel my heart beating and sitting perfectly still it was 90 bpm. Now its lower and my BP is back up but I dont know if this is something indicating that something is wrong or what. I also often get palpitations but my doc told me its anxiety related.


Hi,

Attached is a blood-pressure-chart
According to the chart it is 10 points before it is considered low.
If it drops down to 80 you will start having serious problems.

http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/blood-pressure.htm


----------



## Freiheit (Dec 8, 2008)

I get checked out by my doctor and my BP isn't dangerously low, but is pretty much as low as it can get and still be considered within the normal range. I do get faint sometimes and tired but it's probably more from lack of vitamins and nutrients.


----------



## slightlyawkward (Feb 16, 2011)

LaRibbon said:


> ^ Like I said above, low bp is bad, if you are experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, lack of concentration, numbness/tingling etc, because it can be a sign your blood pressure is so low that your body isn't getting adequate blood flow. Low bp can also be a symptom of other underlying conditions.


Oh dude. My blood pressure is 90/60 (low, but not the worst) but I have all of those symptoms...Nearly daily. :afr I've also blacked out because of it a few times...


----------

