Elderly Blood Pressure Too Low: Causes and What to Do
When people think about blood pressure, they usually worry about readings that are too high. For older adults, blood pressure that is too low deserves just as much attention, because dizziness and fainting lead to falls.
What counts as low?
A reading of 90/60 mmHg or below is generally treated as low. Some people have always had low blood pressure and feel fine. The reading matters most when it is a change for you, or when it comes with symptoms. Place a reading on the chart to see if it falls in the low zone.
Signs of low blood pressure
- Dizziness or light-headedness, especially on standing
- Feeling faint, or fainting
- Blurred vision
- Unusual tiredness or weakness
- Confusion, which can be the only sign in some older people
- Nausea
Common causes in older adults
- Dehydration, from too little fluid, heat, vomiting or diarrhoea
- Standing up quickly, called orthostatic or postural hypotension
- Medicines, including some for blood pressure, heart conditions, water tablets, and prostate or depression treatments
- Heart problems and some hormone or nerve conditions
- Infection, which can cause a sudden fall in pressure
- After meals, when blood flows to the gut
Check for a drop on standing
Our standing blood pressure check compares a sitting and a standing reading. A fall of 20 mmHg or more in the top number, or 10 in the bottom number, within three minutes of standing is one that doctors watch for. Show the result to your doctor.
What to do if you feel dizzy or faint
- Sit or lie down straight away. If you can, raise your legs.
- Drink a glass of water unless a doctor has limited your fluids.
- Stand up slowly afterwards, pausing on the edge of the bed first.
- Write the reading and how you felt in your log.
Do not stop or change any medicine yourself. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
When to get urgent help
Call your local emergency number if low blood pressure comes with chest pain, severe breathlessness, confusion, cold clammy skin, a very fast pulse, a fall with injury or if the person cannot be woken properly.
Elderly blood pressure dropping and fluctuations
Blood pressure moves all day, and in older adults it often swings more. It can fall after meals, after standing, in hot weather or with some medicines, and rise with stress, pain or a cold room. Some fluctuation is normal. What matters is the pattern. If your readings keep swinging widely, or drop suddenly from your usual range, write down the time, what you were doing and how you felt in your log, and show it to your doctor.
Talk to your doctor if
- Readings are repeatedly below 90/60
- You have dizziness more than once a week
- You have had a fall
Read more about ranges in elderly blood pressure range and how to take readings in how to measure blood pressure at home.
This article is general information only and is not medical advice.
Check your own reading
Type your two numbers into the chart and see where they sit, in plain words.