Low blood pressure—or hypotension, if you want to be all medical about it—is the weird, often ignored cousin of hypertension. Everyone is obsessed with bringing their numbers down. But what if your numbers are already in the basement? If you’re constantly feeling like you’re walking through a fog or if you see stars every time you stand up from the couch, you’re probably asking yourself, how do you raise blood pressure naturally without just eating a bucket of salt?
It’s actually a lot more nuanced than just "eating more chips."
The thing is, doctors usually don't even care about low blood pressure unless it's making you miserable. If your reading is 90/60 mmHg but you feel like a rockstar, they’ll just call you "athletic" and send you home. But for those of us who feel dizzy, fatigued, or just plain weird, those low numbers are a real problem. We need strategies that actually work.
The Salt Myth and Why Quality Matters
Most people hear "low blood pressure" and immediately reach for the table salt. Honestly, that's a bit of a blunt instrument. While sodium is the primary lever your body uses to hold onto water and increase blood volume, the type of salt and how you use it matters.
You see, sodium pulls water into your bloodstream. More water equals more volume. More volume equals higher pressure. It’s basic hydraulics.
But instead of just dumping bleached table salt on everything, experts like Dr. James DiNicolantonio, author of The Salt Fix, suggest that many people with low BP actually thrive on mineral-rich salts like Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt. These contain trace minerals like magnesium and potassium which help balance the cellular environment while the sodium does the heavy lifting for your BP.
Try this: add a tiny pinch of high-quality sea salt to your water bottle. Not enough to make it taste like the ocean—just a "scosh," as my grandma would say. It helps with absorption. If you just drink plain, filtered water all day, you might actually be flushing out the electrolytes you desperately need to keep your pressure stable.
Hydration Isn't Just About Water
You've heard it a million times. "Drink more water."
💡 You might also like: Mayo Clinic: What Most People Get Wrong About the Best Hospital in the World
It’s boring advice. But for hypotension, it’s literally the fuel for your blood pressure. When you’re dehydrated, your blood volume drops. Think of it like a garden hose; if there’s barely any water running through it, the pressure is pathetic.
But there is a catch.
If you chug a gallon of water in twenty minutes, you’re just going to pee it out. Your kidneys are smart. They see a massive influx of fluid and go into overdrive to get rid of it. To raise blood pressure naturally, you need consistent, incremental hydration.
- Coconut water: Great because it has potassium, which helps with heart rhythm.
- Bone broth: This is the gold standard for low BP. It’s salty, it’s hydrating, and it has amino acids that support vascular health.
- Avoid excessive caffeine: This one is tricky. A cup of coffee can give you a temporary BP spike (which is good), but if it makes you pee too much, you’ll end up lower than where you started.
The "Small Meals" Strategy
Have you ever felt like you need a three-hour nap after a big Thanksgiving dinner? That’s because of something called postprandial hypotension.
Basically, when you eat a huge meal, your body sends a massive amount of blood to your digestive tract to process all that food. If your system isn't great at compensating, your blood pressure everywhere else—like your brain—drops.
Basically, your stomach is a "blood hog."
To fix this, stop eating three "square" meals. Switch to five or six smaller snacks throughout the day. Also, keep the refined carbs low. High-glycemic foods (white bread, sugary cereals, pasta) cause a rapid spike and then a crash in blood sugar, which can mess with your vascular tone. Stick to proteins and healthy fats that require a slower, more steady blood flow for digestion.
📖 Related: Jackson General Hospital of Jackson TN: The Truth About Navigating West Tennessee’s Medical Hub
Compression Garments: Not Just for Your Grandma
I know, I know. Compression stockings aren't exactly "cool." But if you want to raise blood pressure naturally by using physics, they are your best friend.
When you stand up, gravity tries to pull your blood down into your legs. In people with low BP, the veins don't always squeeze back hard enough to push that blood back up to the heart. This is why you get dizzy. It's called orthostatic hypotension.
By wearing compression socks (20-30 mmHg is usually the sweet spot), you’re essentially giving your veins a permanent hug. This prevents blood from pooling in your feet and calves. If you hate the look of stockings, even an abdominal binder—basically a tight elastic wrap around your stomach—can help. Keeping the blood in your core and upper body is the goal.
The Role of B12 and Folate
Sometimes, low blood pressure isn't about salt or water at all. It’s about your blood itself.
If you are deficient in Vitamin B12 or folate, your body can’t produce enough red blood cells. This leads to anemia. Anemic blood is "thin" and doesn't carry oxygen well, and it often results in lower blood pressure readings.
- B12 sources: Beef liver (if you’re brave), sardines, eggs, and nutritional yeast.
- Folate sources: Leafy greens, asparagus, and beans.
If you’ve been feeling lethargic and your BP is low, get a blood panel. It’s a simple fix, but if you’re missing these building blocks, no amount of salt is going to fix the underlying issue.
Lifestyle Tweaks That Actually Work
How you move through the world matters.
👉 See also: Images of the Mitochondria: Why Most Diagrams are Kinda Wrong
- Don't jump out of bed. When you wake up, sit on the edge of the bed and dangle your feet for a full minute. Flex your calf muscles. This "primes the pump" before you stand all the way up.
- Cross your legs. If you have to stand in one place for a long time (like in a grocery line), cross your legs in a scissor fashion and squeeze your thigh muscles. This pushes blood back up toward your chest.
- Elevation. Sleep with the head of your bed slightly elevated—about 10 to 15 degrees. It sounds counterintuitive, but it actually helps your body retain fluid overnight by tricking your kidneys into thinking your pressure is lower than it is.
The Licorice Root Secret
This is a "natural" remedy that actually has a very potent pharmacological effect. We aren't talking about the red Twizzlers here. We’re talking about real licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra).
Licorice root contains a compound called glycyrrhizin. It works by reducing the breakdown of cortisol, which in turn helps the kidneys retain more sodium and water. It basically mimics a hormone called aldosterone.
Warning: You have to be careful with this. Too much can cause potassium levels to drop too low. It’s a powerful tool for people who struggle to raise blood pressure naturally, but it’s something you should definitely chat with a functional medicine practitioner about before you start megadosing.
When to Stop Self-Treating
Look, I'm a writer, not your doctor. If your low blood pressure comes with chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting spells where you actually lose consciousness, stop reading blogs and go to the ER. Low BP can sometimes be a sign of a heart valve problem, a thyroid issue, or even an internal infection.
But for the vast majority of "low-pressure" people, it’s just a matter of management.
Actionable Next Steps to Raise Your BP
- Audit your meds: Check if you're taking diuretics, certain antidepressants, or even OTC meds that might be lowering your pressure as a side effect.
- The 32-ounce rule: Drink 32 ounces of water with an electrolyte packet first thing in the morning before you even have coffee.
- Calf raises: Do 20 calf raises while brushing your teeth to get the blood moving.
- Salt your pre-workout: If you exercise, add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to your pre-workout drink. Sweat loss is a major trigger for BP drops.
- Track the patterns: Keep a log. Does your BP drop after a hot shower? (Heat dilates blood vessels, which lowers pressure). Does it drop after a high-carb lunch? Identify the triggers and you’ve won half the battle.
Raising your blood pressure isn't a one-and-done event. It's a series of small, daily adjustments to how you hydrate, eat, and move. Start with the salt and the water—those are the heavy hitters—and then layer in the compression and the supplements if you still feel like you're dragging.