Low blood pressure, also known as hypotension, is usually considered a sign of good health and low risk for cardiovascular disease. However, there are times when persistently low blood pressure or a sudden drop can be a sign of an underlying health issue that needs medical attention. Knowing when low blood pressure becomes a problem can help ensure timely intervention and proper care.

Blood pressure readings consist of two numbers:

Systolic pressure (the top number) indicates the pressure in your arteries when your heart pumps blood. Diastolic pressure (the bottom number) reflects the pressure in your arteries while your heart is resting between beats.

The normal reading is usually 120/80 mmHg or less. Hypotension is clinically defined as having blood pressure readings less than 90/60 mmHg. In some patients, low blood pressure will have no adverse health consequences and therefore does not need to be treated. In extreme cases, however, it can limit the flow of oxygen and nutrients to vital organs, resulting in potentially life-threatening complications, such as shock.

Causes of Low Blood Pressure

Hypotension can result from many factors. Some of the factors that cause hypotension are as follows:

• Insufficient fluid intake or excessive fluid loss can lead to decreased blood volume and hence hypotension.
• An injury or internal bleeding may result in hypotension. This happens because blood pressure becomes significantly reduced.
• Some hormonal changes along with the increased blood requirement during pregnancy also causes hypotension.
• Issues like heart failure or arrhythmias can impair blood circulation and result in low blood pressure.
• Certain drugs, including diuretics, antidepressants, and blood-pressure-lowering medications, can induce hypotension.

Symptoms of Hypotension

While low blood pressure may not always cause symptoms, it can sometimes be associated with:

- Dizziness or fainting

- Fatigue and weakness

- Blurred vision

- Nausea

- Confusion or difficulty concentrating

- Shallow breathing

- Palpitations

If the person experiences these symptoms, with the recorded blood pressure reading, the medical services have to be consulted.

Types of Low Blood Pressure

1. Orthostatic Hypotension: This is a kind of hypotension that appears as a result of decreased blood pressure when a person is standing up from lying down or sitting position and primarily affects elderly people.

2. Postprandial Hypotension: This is a drop in blood pressure after eating, more common in older people.

3. Neurally Mediated Hypotension: It is triggered by standing for long periods. This type can affect younger people and is associated with miscommunication between the brain and heart.

When Is Low Blood Pressure Dangerous?

There is no such thing as a universal threshold for very low blood pressure, but a blood pressure reading below 90/60 mmHg can be dangerous and require prompt medical assessment if accompanied by symptoms of fainting, confusion, or shortness of breath. Sudden falls in blood pressure may point to potentially serious underlying causes, which can include:

• Internal bleeding
• Sepsis (severe infection)
• Allergic reactions

Management and Treatment

Treatment of hypotension depends on its cause:

• Hydration Drinking more water can help against dehydration-related hypotension.
• Compression Stockings: These can improve circulation and reduce blood pooling in the lower limbs.
• Dietary Changes: Increasing salt intake under supervision can help increase blood pressure
• Medication Changes: The physician may need to reduce dosages of some medications or replace prescriptions.

For more severe cases, physicians might also administer fludrocortisone or midodrine to increase blood pressure. Shock from hypotension should be treated promptly to ensure proper function of organs.

Can Hypotension Cause Fatigue?

Chronic fatigue syndrome has also been associated with low blood pressure. Prolonged tiredness, despite adequate rest, may require reassessment of blood pressure levels. Fatigue secondary to hypotension will impact functionality and thus requires assessment and treatment of the cause.

When to Seek Medical Care

If your blood pressure readings are low consistently and without symptoms, you probably have nothing to worry about. If you do have symptoms like dizziness, fainting, or confusion, you need to go to the doctor. Blood pressure checks are usually conducted regularly. Once you are aware of your own normal baseline, you will know right away when there is something wrong.

Lifestyle Tips That Support Normal Blood Pressure

1. Other than directly treating hypotension, a healthy lifestyle overall would promote balanced blood pressure levels.
2. Exercise regularly; it promotes cardiovascular health and can help regulate blood pressure.
3. Focus on nutrient-dense foods rich in iron, B vitamins, and electrolytes to support circulatory health.
4. Excessive alcohol consumption dehydrates the body and lowers blood pressure.
5. Practices like yoga and meditation can help maintain a healthy blood pressure range.

Sleep is a cornerstone of health. When we sleep good, we feel good. However, people often view sleep as expendable, they trade it to work more hours, or spend time with loved ones, or any other recreational activity. While these things are important too, they should not come at the expense of your health as it can lead to other issues you may not be prepared for.

When we go to sleep, we hope to wake up and feel refreshed, as sleep is like a reset button for your body. Media has given us a view of waking up, where the person is happy and energetic as soon as they get out of bed, however that is not entirely right. Everyone feels a little sleepy when they first wake up. It's called sleep inertia, and it's normal. Think of it like your brain needing a few minutes to boot up.

The sleep foundation suggests that you may feel better after 15 to 90 minutes, which is due to sleep inertia. Sleep inertia is the grogginess and disorientation you may feel right after waking up. You may also have had a bad night's sleep, which may cause you to be tired in the morning. However, if you're getting plenty of sleep and still wake up tired every single day, that's different. This kind of tiredness, where you're always dragging, is a sign that something might be wrong. Don't just ignore it. Talk to your doctor to figure out why you're so tired all the time.

Could The Food You Eat Cause You To Wake Up Tired?

Eating spicy food right before bed can cause heartburn. The Cleveland Clinic explains heartburn is like a burning feeling in your chest, and it happens when stomach acid goes back up into your throat. This can make it hard to fall asleep, and if you do fall asleep, it can wake you up. So, if you eat spicy food late at night, you might wake up feeling tired and groggy. Try to avoid eating spicy meals close to bedtime. It's better to eat them earlier in the day so your stomach has time to digest them before you try to sleep.

Eating Sugary Foods

According to 2019 study published in American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, eating sugary foods or drinks before bed can really mess with your sleep. When you eat sugar, your body gets a quick burst of energy. This burst of energy can make it harder to fall asleep because your body is wide awake. Also, if you do fall asleep, the sugar can cause you to wake up during the night. Try to avoid sugary snacks or drinks before bed. Instead, try a light, healthy snack if you're hungry. This will help you sleep better and wake up feeling more rested.

Other Lifestyle Habits That Cause Restless Sleep

Looking at your phone or tablet right before bed can keep you awake. The Cleveland Clinic explains that the bright light from these screens, called blue light, tells your brain it's daytime. This makes it hard to fall asleep. Also, looking at social media can make you feel worried or stressed. If your mind is racing with thoughts, you won't sleep well. Try to turn off your screens at least an hour before bed. Instead, try reading a book or listening to calming music. This will help you relax and fall asleep faster.

Your Mental Health Can Also Be A Reason For Poor Sleep

If you're worrying about things when you're trying to sleep, you won't sleep well. When you're stressed or anxious, your mind keeps going over and over the same thoughts. This makes it hard to relax and fall asleep. If you're having trouble sleeping because of stress, try doing relaxing things before bed. Things like taking a warm bath, meditating, or doing deep breathing exercises can help. If you're still having trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor. They can help you find ways to manage your stress and sleep better.

We have all heard the phrase ‘your eyes are the window to your soul’, while souls may be a stretch, your eyes can reveal a lot about your health, especially your heart health. The primary function of our eyes is to see, so people often wonder why they must go through eye checkups for their heart health.

According to UChicago Medicine, when our blood vessels aren't working right, it can show up in our eyes, especially in the retina. The retina is like a screen inside our eye that shows how our blood is moving. If there's a problem, our eye doctor can see changes that we can't see ourselves. This means that an eye checkup can sometimes find heart problems before they get serious, because our eyes give clues about our overall health.

During an eye exam, doctors look at both the outside and inside of your eyes. They use a special tool to check things like your pupils, the lens, the retina, and the optic nerve. By doing this, they can spot signs of various health issues.

What All Can An Eye Exam Tell?

During the eye exam, your doctor will use tools like ophthalmoscope to take a better look at things like your pupil reflex, lens of your eyes, the optic nerve and the retina. Here are some conditions your eyes can reveal,

Hypertension

High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in your eyes, leading to problems like bleeding, blurry vision, and even vision loss. Ophthalmologists can see signs of high blood pressure in your eyes, sometimes even before you know you have it. They look at the size of your eye's blood vessels; if they're not the right size, it can be a warning sign. Often, people don't know they have high blood pressure until their eye doctor finds these signs.

Diabetes

Eye exams can also reveal blocked arteries. If doctors see small clumps in your eye's blood vessels, it could mean there's a problem with the arteries that carry blood to your head or heart. Diabetes is another condition that can be spotted through eye exams. High blood sugar can damage the small blood vessels in your eyes, leading to vision problems. Catching diabetes early through an eye exam can help prevent serious complications.

Other Health Issues

Eye exams can also uncover other health problems like arthritis. Inflammatory diseases can cause eye inflammation, leading to pain, redness, and vision loss. Even dry eyes can sometimes be linked to these conditions.

Can Eye Diseases Mean Heart Troubles?

If your Ophthalmologist notices marks left by the dead cells in your eyes known as RIPLs, which are Retinal Ischemic Perivascular Lesions. According to Journal of American Heart Association these are tiny marks on the back of the eye, caused by a lack of blood, can tell us if someone might have heart problems due to poor blood flow.

Sometimes, these marks mean you had an eye stroke, which happens when blood flow to your eye is blocked. If you have many marks, it might mean you have heart problems like high blood pressure or high cholesterol. However, not all marks mean you had an eye stroke. This is why one must make sure to get regular eye check-ups.

In the recent years there have been questions about the potential of ivermectin which is used to treat cancer. These questions have surged, so have the misinformation. This was originally used as an anti-parasitic drug and it gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, with claims that it could treat the virus. However, these claims have been debunked by many different scientific studies. The US Food and Drug Administration also notes that no clinical trial data found ivermectin to be effective against COVID-19 in humans. Now, a new wave of discussions suggest that the drug could treat cancer. How true is that? Let's find out.

What Ivermectin Is Actually Approved For?

Ivermectin is a well-established medication that is highly effective—against parasite. It was developed to treat topical parasitic infections and has been widely used for conditions like river blindness and scabies. The drug's significance is treating these diseases was so profound that researchers who studied it won the Nobel Prize in 2015.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ivermectin tablets for treating specific parasitic infections in humans. It is also available as a lotion to treat lice and as a cream for rosacea. Additionally, veterinarians also use it to prevent and treat parasitic diseases in animals. however, none of these uses include cancer treatments.

The Misinformation Around Ivermectin

Even though there has been a lack of scientific evidence, ivermectin gained popularity as a cancer cure. The influential platforms are to be blamed. There is also a podcast episode which features a well-known actor, Mel Gibson who suggested that the drug helped people recover from Stage 4 cancer. The podcast was called "The Joe Rogan Experience". The episode received millions of views and thus lead to a spike in interest and misinformation surrounding ivermectin's potential benefits.

What added more to the controversy is that lawmakers in multiple states have proposed and even passed legislation that has made it easier to obtain ivermectin without a prescription. While this could seem like a step to expand and extend treatment options, medical experts have pointed that this could lead to misuse of an unproven drug to treat serious conditions like cancer.

What The Science Says About Ivermectin and Cancer?

As of now, there is no solid evidence that ivermectin can cure or even treat cancer in humans. There are some laboratory studies that suggest that ivermectin could kill certain cancer cells under specific condition. This was led by Dr Peter P Lee, the chair of the department of immuno-oncology at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope in Duarte, Calif. However, these findings are preliminary and do not indicate that the drug is effective in real-world cancer treatment.

There are studies in human cells that also suggest that ivermectin could trigger immune response that could be beneficial in fighting cancer. Research in mice has shown that while ivermectin does not shrink tumors, it could be combined with existing cancer immunotherapy. Scientists are also trying to explore whether it is at all effective for cancer treatments. However, all these studies are still at their early stages.

Are There Any Risks In Using Ivermectin For Cancer?

Neurological issues: High doses can lead to blurred vision, confusion, and even seizures.

Drug interactions: Ivermectin may interfere with the way the body processes other medications, such as blood thinners, potentially leading to dangerous side effects.

Toxicity risks: Overuse can cause toxicity, leading to central nervous system damage, coma, or even death.

Delaying proven treatments: Perhaps the most dangerous risk is that some patients may forgo or delay effective cancer treatments in favor of an unproven drug, allowing the disease to progress unchecked.