Can Dehydration Cause High Blood Pressure? A Research-Backed Examination
By Dr. Nikita Toshi +2 more
Medically reviewed by Dr. Nikita Toshi
Last updated: Apr 17, 2024Click to rate this article!
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By Dr. Nikita Toshi +2 more
Medically reviewed by Dr. Nikita Toshi
Last updated: Apr 17, 2024Table of Contents
Dehydration and high blood pressure are common health problems. They can both harm your body in different ways. Hence, it’s crucial to understand their link and how they work together. In this article, we’ll examine the tie between dehydration and blood pressure. We’ll study the evidence behind their connection and offer useful tips for good hydration and blood pressure levels.
We’re going to talk about what dehydration is, the basics of high blood pressure, and how these two relate. We’ll also look at how medicine can cause dehydration, how much water you should drink daily, and how lifestyle choices impact hydration and blood pressure. Finally, we’ll cover when to see a doctor and answer common questions about the topic.
So what exactly is dehydration? Is it just a dry mouth now and then, or is it more serious?
Dehydration happens when your body loses more fluids than it gets. This leads to a lack of water and electrolytesneeded for normal body functions. If you don’t replace the lost fluids, your body starts to dehydrate. This condition can be very harmful, especially for young children and older adults who are more at risk.
Multiple factors can lead to dehydration:
Knowing the signs of dehydration is key. The early warning signs might vary depending on your age. Common signs in adults include:
The symptoms of dehydration in infants and young kids can comprise:
To keep yourself from getting dehydrated, drink plenty of fluids and eat fruits and vegetables that have a lot of water. It’s important to drink more water particularly when it’s hot, if you do a tough workout or if you’re not feeling well. Pay attention to your body and ensure you drink enough fluids.
Staying hydrated is very critical as dehydration can reduce the blood volume and consequently your blood pressure may fall too low and when left untreated low blood pressure can damage the heart or brain.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
Did you know?
Blood pressure is the force your blood puts on the walls of your arteries and veins. Let’s dig into the basics of high blood pressure or hypertension.
High blood pressure, which goes by the name hypertension, is when the force of your blood pushing against your blood vessel walls is higher than the normal range 120/80 mm HgIt affects about one in three American adults.
Many things can lead to high blood pressure:
Often, you can’t tell if you have high blood pressure. But if it’s not treated, it can cause serious problems like stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, and loss of sight.
To keep from having high blood pressure, try to make healthy lifestyle choices like:
In my experience I have found that dehydration is always accompanied by loss of fluid from blood vessels which leads to a low volume state called hypovolemic shock and is always accompanied by low blood pressure.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD(Pediatrics)
Let’s look at how dehydration might change blood pressure. It can lead to both low and high blood pressure.
Dehydration can change blood pressure in various ways:
If dehydration causes a large drop in your blood volume, you can get a type of low blood pressure called hypotension. With less blood volume, your blood can’t reach all your body tissue the way it should. Very severe dehydration can lead to a very dangerous condition called hypovolemic shock.
Dehydration can also cause high blood pressure, known as hypertension. Your body lets out vasopressin when you’re dehydrated, which tells your kidneys to keep more water and makes your blood vessels tighten. Both of these can raise your blood pressure.
Hydration plays a key part in controlling blood pressure. You need plenty of fluids to keep your blood volume right and make sure your organs and tissues work properly. Staying well-hydrated can help avoid both low and high blood pressure and improve your overall health.
Also Read: Honey Dew Fruit: Unraveling Its Research-Based Health Benefits
While medicines and drugs play an important role in handling high blood pressure, some medicines can cause dehydration.
Some medicines, including diuretics and certain other high blood pressure medications, can cause you to pee more, leading to dehydration.
Some blood pressure drugs, like angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), may cause dehydration as a side effect. If you take these drugs, you must drink enough fluid to keep yourself well-hydrated and control your blood pressure.
If you take drugs that might cause dehydration, talk with your healthcare provider about how much fluid you should drink each day to stay well hydrated. They might suggest that you drink more fluids or perhaps alter your drug routine if needed.
Keeping hydrated is key to all-around health and managing blood pressure. Do you know how much water you should drink each day?
Every adult woman should drink 91 ounces (or 2.7 litres) of water daily and every adult man 125 ounces (or 3.7 litres), says the National Academy of Sciences. This includes both drinks and water-rich foods. That said, a person’s water needs may change based on things like their age, sex, weight, overall health, how much they exercise and the drugs they take.
Your water needs depend on many things, including:
Besides plain water, you can get your daily fluid intake from other drinks and foods:
You should control or avoid certain drinks to manage high blood pressure or dehydration, such as:
Your diet, how much you exercise and other lifestyle choices can affect your high blood pressure and hydration levels.
Eating well and doing regular exercise can help you both stay hydrated and manage your blood pressure. Go for food and drinks rich in water to keep your fluids up and eat a balanced diet to manage your overall health and blood pressure.
Try to eat food and drinks rich in water, like:
Avoid foods high in sodium and bad fats, which can raise your blood pressure.
Doing regular physical activity can help keep a healthy blood pressure by making the heart stronger and improving circulation. Try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of strong aerobic activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days per week.
Remember to stay well hydrated before, during, and after exercise, and pay attention to your body’s thirst cues to know when to drink more.
You must know how to spot the signs of dehydration and high blood pressure and get medical help when needed.
Severe dehydration needs to be treated right away. Get professional help if you or a loved one presents:
Whenever you spot symptoms of low BP in an otherwise healthy person, ORS oral rehydration solution can be given immediately. It is important to prepare ORS with cooled and boiled drinking water or otherwise safe filtered drinking water. Follow the steps given on the pack. Keep checking blood pressure and blood sugar in people with hypertension and diabetes when managing low BP symptoms. Consult a doctor after giving initial care at home to avoid any complications.
Get in touch with your healthcare provider if you:
Reach out to your healthcare provider if you see high blood pressure readings again and again or have symptoms tied to high blood pressure (like severe headaches, chest pain or trouble breathing). They might suggest changes in your lifestyle, drugs or other steps to help you manage your blood pressure.
It’s critical to understand how dehydration and high blood pressure are linked for your total health. While dehydration can vary your blood pressure, it’s key to make sure you drink enough fluids every day to regulate your blood pressure and cut down on health problems that are related.
Make it a goal to stay hydrated, along with other healthy lifestyle choices like eating a balanced diet and getting regular physical activity. By controlling your hydration and blood pressure, you’ll be in a better place to keep up your general health and wellness.
Not directly. But if you’re dehydrated a lot, it can be harder for your body to keep enough blood volume. This can narrow your blood vessels and raise your blood pressure as a result.
Yes, when you’re dehydrated, your blood pressure could go up as a counter-effect to manage low BP. This happens due to the release of a hormone involved in keeping water.
It’s hard to say for sure how much dehydration can change blood pressure. However, being dehydrated from mild to severe can cause changes in blood pressure that might harm you.
Signs of dehydration are severe thirst, peeing less often, dark peeing, feeling worn out, being confused or feeling dizzy. High blood pressure usually has no clear signs. But with very high blood pressure readings, people might have severe headaches, chest pain, hard time breathing, throwing up, anxiety, confusion, eyesight changes, and dizziness.
Yes, drinks like beet juice, tomato juice, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, low-fat milk, and tea might help keep or even lower blood pressure. However, you should drink these in addition to the daily water you need to drink, and make sure to ask your healthcare provider about what you should eat and drink based on your health and any restrictions.
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