An unsatisfactory blood pressure readout, either a low or a high figure, is not good for you and can be alarming. However, most of the information you read online will be about avoiding or managing high blood pressure, also called hypertension.
Regulating circulation around your body is vital for good health. A correct blood pressure level will depend on age, gender, and any pre-existing medical problems.
This article examines how hydration influences blood pressure and the interrelationship between dehydration and hypertension. Read on to find out more.
The Importance of Staying Hydrated
Hydration is essential for cognitive function, metabolism, and clear skin. Hydration also helps regulate blood pressure. It’s simple. Around 50%- 60% of your body is made up of water, and your blood has an even higher water content—around 90%.
Water allows blood to flow around your body; it’s the main constituent of plasma, one of several key elements.
Many people think that ‘sticky blood syndrome’, in reality, a disease called Antiphospholipid Syndrome or APS, is caused by dehydration or lack of water.
In fact, APS is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system produces antibodies that attack platelets. The platelets clump together to form clots. APS is not caused by dehydration.
However, proper hydration is crucial to a free-flowing circulation, and, in particular, to avoiding hypertension.
Recognizing the Signs of Dehydration
A lack of water intake produces some classic signs and symptoms, including a dry mouth, lips, and throat, and darker-colored urine. Dehydration also causes tiredness, lack of cognitive function, headaches, light-headedness, and muscle cramps.
The Impact of Dehydration on Blood Pressure
It’s perhaps easy to understand how dehydration can cause low blood pressure or hypotension. A lack of water leads to low volume, which causes hypotension. Your body struggles to receive enough oxygen and displays certain telltale signs.
So, how can dehydration also lead to hypertension?
If your body becomes aware that your blood pressure is dropping, it can perform a natural correction. However, for some people, this can become an overcorrection, leading to the opposite problem: hypertension.
How High Sodium Levels Influence Blood Pressure
The human body naturally contains a certain amount of salts and sodium. Sodium levels can rise when we’re dehydrated.
When it recognizes this, the body tries to be helpful and releases vasopressin, a hormone designed to help your body retain water; it’s a balancing act.
The problem with vasopressin is that it also constricts the circulatory vessels, creating resistance and elevating your blood pressure. If you’re already suffering from hypertension, then this could be dangerous for your health.
How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day?
The recommended daily water intake for men and women varies. As a baseline, men should drink 125 ounces of fluid per day, and women 91 ounces. However, the thing about guidelines is that they’re just that—guides, not hard-and-fast rules.
Much depends on factors like the weather, lifestyle factors such as exercise (move more, drink more!), and your pre-existing physical health. Some illnesses, like food poisoning and gastroenteritis, can temporarily dehydrate you. Additionally, certain medicines may make you more prone to dehydration, meaning you’ll need to adjust your fluid intake.
Furthermore, it’s hard to tell just by looking whether what you’re drinking is chemical, taint-free, and odor-free—i.e., optimal for your health. Filtering is a great option, but plenty of filtration products don’t do much more than soften the water. Woder is a water filter specialist producing pristine drinking water on tap in just ten minutes. Before you dive straight in, take a few minutes to read our vital guide to buying a water filter.
Can Drinking More Water Lower Blood Pressure?
Water is relevant as part of a holistic management program to avoid hyper- and hypotension and their serious impacts.
Water is essential for normal metabolic function, optimal blood chemistry, and an appropriate blood pressure level based on age, gender, and physical status.
Keeping fluid levels stable (increasing hydration at key times, such as during hot weather, when exercising, or during illness) helps maintain a healthy blood pressure.
Drinking more water will help reduce hypertension if you’re dehydrated. However, hypertension has many causes. So, if you’re not dehydrated and have a sudden-onset hypertensive situation, you should seek medical advice without delay, as there could be a serious, underlying cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Your Blood Pressure Go Up When Dehydrated?
Dehydration can raise blood pressure. Insufficient water reduces actual volume, and when blood vessels constrict to maintain pressure, this can increase blood pressure levels. Increased sodium levels caused by a lack of water in the blood produce the same effect.
When dehydrated, our bodies release vasopressin to preserve available water; this also causes the vessels in our circulatory system to constrict and blood pressure to rise.
Hydration Regulates Circulation and Helps Prevent Hypertension
Water is vital to human wellbeing and healthy blood pressure levels. Staying hydrated promotes good blood chemistry and avoids hypertension associated with dehydration.
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