Low Blood Pressure Wierdness

I did some searching on TE and noticed there were some of you with the low blood pressure issue too. I am in the middle of final exams right now, generally I'm stressed out and I drink a ton of coffee. You would think my BP would be elevated. I keep noticing while sitting studying that suddenly I'm lethargic to the point I can barely move. After 2 or 3 episodes of this I whipped out my BP cuff and started checking it. The last few times I have felt like this my BP was 95/65 and my pulse was 50 bpm. :eek: I felt like crap! I think this has been happening a lot lately b/c I keep getting these massive slumps in my day where I just want to go lay on the warm pavement at school and sleep. I'm absolutely freezing when this happens too. I have been drinking a lot of water but it's not quite cutting it and I'm a bit confused :confused:

Are you getting enough sleep? I get especially dizzy or lethargic when I'm too busy or stressed to sleep well, but it helps taking a ashort nap if possible.

LPH - absolutely not, lol. It's crunch time so sleep has been very hard to come by but last night I got a full 8 hours unlike the 5-6 I've been getting all week.

Get your thyroid checked. You sound hypo to me.

I've been diagnosed with low pressure at different times in my adult life. I've been warned not to get up from bed, too quickly or you might fall/faint...which did nearly happen to me in the middle of the night.

Are you eating properly? Do you have enough iron..which should require blood test before ingesting more iron pills than necessary. I've also had low iron at different times.
My partner is mildly narcoleptic...a lifelong disorder that causes him to want to sleep if his body is still...driving, watching a movie in theater, etc. He has low blood pressure (which is aided by cycling fitness.) That's why he bikes..it is partially to re-energize his body. He has been tested at a sleep clinic at hospital..twice in his life.

95/65 is not low BP, it is perfectly fine, and if you are fit, a RHR of 50 is fine too, I am 48 and mine is about 55. I ride with a 40 yr old athlete whose is in the 30s. Do you eat properly? Do you sleep properly? Go for a checkup. Look at your diet, look at your lifestyle. If you eat a crappy cheap diet, it feels like your description. Check your blood sugar, do a random and a starved (you are bound to know someone with a machine) to check that.

While I also have normal blood pressure on the low side and dodge the occasional faint, the lethargy and sleep side I always consider separately. I have a low tolerance for lack of sleep and when my body decides it is time to go to sleep there is no fighting it. I always liken it to a little man turning off all the lights. I am lucky if I can brush my teeth before I go under. Also my body temp always drops like a stone when I am tired and I often start shivering uncontrollably until I get into bed. This sounds similar to what you are experiencing. I am always fine after I have slept so I would suggest finding a way to feed more sleep sessions into your study schedule even if they are short and make sure you get back on a better sleep schedule once this cram session is over.

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Originally Posted by MelC

While I also have normal blood pressure on the low side and dodge the occasional faint, the lethargy and sleep side I always consider separately. I have a low tolerance for lack of sleep and when my body decides it is time to go to sleep there is no fighting it. I always liken it to a little man turning off all the lights. I am lucky if I can brush my teeth before I go under. Also my body temp always drops like a stone when I am tired and I often start shivering uncontrollably until I get into bed. This sounds similar to what you are experiencing. I am always fine after I have slept so I would suggest finding a way to feed more sleep sessions into your study schedule even if they are short and make sure you get back on a better sleep schedule once this cram session is over.

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Sorry everyone I've been away for a bit. I did go see my PCP after all of that and apparently I have orthostatic hypotension and a normally slow heart rate. I take medications that in most people SHOULD raise your blood pressure/HR but apparently my body has coped a little too well and now it drops my BP even lower to compensate.

I have been working on eating more regularly and not letting my body get hungry. I don't have high blood sugar, it's normal but as for iron I am always low, some times more than others for obvious reasons. When I'm super cold it is usually iron is low or I'm dehydrated from riding. Sleep is an ongoing battle for many reasons: lifestyle, medications and noisy neighbors at times. I have found when I can get enough sleep the blood pressure lows are not as frequent.

[QUOTE=My partner is mildly narcoleptic...a lifelong disorder that causes him to want to sleep if his body is still...driving, watching a movie in theater, etc. He has low blood pressure (which is aided by cycling fitness.) That's why he bikes..it is partially to re-energize his body. He has been tested at a sleep clinic at hospital..twice in his life.[/QUOTE]

Shootingstar that is interesting stuff you mentioned because my father was diagnosed as having narcolepsy and he and I have a lot of similarities to your partner in that regard. My father and I both have low blood pressure and slow heart rate. I too have to be VERY careful driving. When I am tired I have in the past fell asleep at the wheel. I nearly wrecked my car on a handful of occasions. My father DID wreck his car and miraculously survived without a scratch. Apparently a truck driver saw him wreck and the car spun out of control about 6 times before spinning into the median of the interstate. That being said, when I have long trips now I try and take someone with me, drink a lot of coffee or take the cat b/c she meows occasionally and RARELY use the cruise.

I always notice how much more alert I feel after I ride or run. I'm sure other people feel this too but I don't think to the same degree. I say that because sometimes I honestly feel intoxicated some days until I go run or ride. It's strange and a little unnerving since my father was also diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease a few years ago. I really hope those things are not connected.

Hmmmm... have you asked your PCP whether a sleep study is indicated?

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Originally Posted by WindingRoad

Shootingstar that is interesting stuff you mentioned because my father was diagnosed as having narcolepsy and he and I have a lot of similarities to your partner in that regard. My father and I both have low blood pressure and slow heart rate. I too have to be VERY careful driving. When I am tired I have in the past fell asleep at the wheel. I nearly wrecked my car on a handful of occasions. My father DID wreck his car and miraculously survived without a scratch. Apparently a truck driver saw him wreck and the car spun out of control about 6 times before spinning into the median of the interstate. That being said, when I have long trips now I try and take someone with me, drink a lot of coffee or take the cat b/c she meows occasionally and RARELY use the cruise.

I always notice how much more alert I feel after I ride or run. I'm sure other people feel this too but I don't think to the same degree. I say that because sometimes I honestly feel intoxicated some days until I go run or ride. It's strange and a little unnerving since my father was also diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease a few years ago. I really hope those things are not connected.

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How old is your father? Does he still drive or what does he do help himself stay safe? I don't he should drive anymore and now with some AZ Disease..

My partner drives a rented car...less than 5 times annually. We haven't had a car since we've known each other...last 22 years. Yes, he used to drink over 10 c. of coffee daily decades ago to stay awake because his job required business trips for site visits at times. He's had his sleep disorder since his late 20's but he was not diagnosed until his late 30's.

When he drove to the side of road with his son, who was then 10 yrs. old, he had no recollection how he got the car there. Then he knew he was endangering himself and everyone else. He lost his appetite for driving much at all.

He has tried prescribed mild narcotic drug to stay awake...but the aftereffects made him feel lousy and he didn't want to get his body hooked on a drug for life. So he abandoned it.

For him to drive 100 km. in a car, it requires him to stop at least once so that he doesn't fall asleep. So moving my stuff from Toronto to Vancouver was a lovely leisurely trip of a lifetime to see Canada...:D

I'm glad you try hard to stay safe. Seriously, very seriously rethink in the future that you must choose to live near transit, to bike....you have already got into some accidents. So that you can drive less. This is for your own safety. It is a priority since you are still young. (I'm guessing here.)

Please don't use cruise control for the car, not with your condition.