Orthostatic hypotension, also known as postural hypotension, refers to the sudden failure in the blood pressure, which takes place whenever you stand up immediately. Hypotension is the medical term to determine low blood pressure and blood pressure implies the blood force against your arteries’ walls. Whenever you stand up, the gravity of your body pulls the blood in your legs while forces falling off your blood pressure.
Certain reflexes present in your body may compensate for the respective change. Your heartbeat occurs at a fast rate for pumping a high amount of blood and your blood vessels often constrict for preventing your blood to pool in the legs. People suffering from orthostatic hypotension often feel dizzy whenever they stand up. This condition is mild and may last for only a few minutes after the patient stands. However, a few other patients may lose consciousness or faint.(1)
Exercises/Activities To Manage Orthostatic Hypotension
Most of the simple and easy types of low blood pressure exercises give support to the management of hypotension i.e. low blood pressure. These exercises help your heart working effectively, enhancing muscular strength and limiting fluctuations in blood pressure.
In simple words, low blood pressure or orthostatic hypotension exercises make your lungs and heart to work hard and provide enough oxygen as well as blood to the body. Thus, you will find most of the annoying symptoms related to low BP vanishes in a significant way. Even though merely low blood pressure types of exercises cannot do enough job, when combined with home remedies and lifestyle changes, you will expect to get amazing results.
Walking: Newbie should start their schedule by walking for a minimum of 5 minutes to a maximum of 10 minutes period. However, they should increase the duration to a minimum of 30 minutes in a single session.
Lunges: Keep your spine in a straight position and take one big step in the forward direction. Next, you should bend your front knee to 90 degrees. You should place weight on your back toes and drop your back knee towards the ground. However, your back knee should never touch the floor.
Squats: Keep your feet at a distance apart equal to your shoulders with your back straight. Later, you should bend your knees and lower your rear as if you sit in a chair by keeping your knees on your ankles. You should practice squats by using a chair to gain mastery in your move. After this, you should avoid sitting on your chair; instead, touch its seat barely before you stand up. You can easily do squats gradually without taking any support.
Abdominal Crunches: You should start this exercise for orthostatic hypotension by simply lying on your back with flat feet over the floor, while your palms should support the head. When you press the low back, you may contract the abdomen and raise the head i.e. tuck your chin slightly. Later, you should do the same by using your shoulders, neck and upper back off from the ground or floor. However, you need to perform crunches only by keeping your feet off the ground with your bent knees. This technique will help you in avoiding the back arch and engaging the hip flexors.
Push-Ups: By keeping your face downward, you should place the hands a bit wide from the width of your shoulders. Simultaneously, you should place knees or toes on your floor to create a smooth body line from your shoulders to feet or knees. Keep your rear-end muscles as well as abdominals engaged, low and lift your body by simply straightening and bending your elbows, while keeping the torso stable during the entire time.
Each of the mentioned low blood pressure/ orthostatic hypotension exercises may help in strengthening your muscles as well as nerves, which further helps in the prevention of sudden variations in blood pressure. However, you should always stay cautious and never change positions quickly and suddenly. Instead, you must do each of the activities slowly.(2)
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