Introduction
Many people suffer from low blood pressure. Often those affected are not aware of this. Nausea is a characteristic accompanying complaint of too low blood pressure. It is caused by the blood circulation in the gastrointestinal tract, which can decrease (in the short term) when blood pressure is too low. Besides nausea, too low blood pressure may be accompanied by other symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness or palpitations.
Why does low blood pressure cause nausea?
Low blood pressure means that the entire cardiovascular system is working at a low level. The blood is pumped through the heart into the body and supplies the organs with oxygen-rich blood. If blood pressure is low, blood supply to the organs may be reduced in the short or long term.
Among other organs, this also applies to the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the food that is ingested is only broken down and absorbed very slowly. Further processing of the food components and transport along the gastrointestinal tract are disturbed.
A long stay of the food in the gastrointestinal tract and a slow utilization of the food components cause nausea in the patients. At the same time, these complaints often lead to a reduced appetite in those affected, so that they generally take less food. This can further intensify the symptoms.
Which accompanying symptoms still occur frequently?
Low blood pressure does not always cause discomfort. Severe symptoms typically occur when blood pressure is so low that organs such as the gastrointestinal tract or the brain are temporarily undersupplied with blood. Reduced blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract often causes nausea and vomiting.
If the brain is not supplied with enough blood for a short period of time, visual disturbances, pulsating headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears and disturbances of consciousness up to fainting can occur. Those affected only faint if their blood pressure drops very quickly. If the blood pressure is permanently very low, symptoms such as tiredness, lack of drive and insomnia occur.
Both short-term and long-term drops in blood pressure can cause cold hands and feet. If low blood pressure results in poor blood circulation in the gastrointestinal tract, the chyme is processed less quickly and the food components remain in the gastrointestinal tract longer. This often causes nausea in those affected.
Nausea is usually a harbinger of vomiting. However, people with low blood pressure and nausea do not always have to vomit. Nevertheless, vomiting is a possible symptom of low blood pressure and nausea.
Vomiting is a kind of protective reflex of the body. It tries to get rid of the food in the other direction, i.e. to spit it out, because the transport towards the rectum is disturbed. Vomiting is defined as the gushing emptying of the stomach contents.
The stomach, diaphragm and abdominal muscles contract to transport the stomach contents into the mouth. The stomach acid often causes a burning sensation in the esophagus (heartburn). Diarrhea is not a typical symptom of low blood pressure and nausea.
In principle, low blood pressure leads to a slowing down of the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea, on the other hand, is a pathologically accelerated intestinal passage. Diarrhea is a possible cause of acute circulatory disorders.
Severe diarrhea leads to a loss of salt and fluid in the body without electrolyte balance. When the body loses fluid, a redistribution of body fluids takes place. In the process, the blood pressure decreases.
This means that diarrhoea is a possible cause of low blood pressure with the accompanying complaint of nausea. Dizziness is a disturbance of the sense of balance, whereby those affected lose their physical security and subjectively feel a sense of swaying or spinning. Low blood pressure can lead to an insufficient blood supply to the brain.
If the brain is insufficiently supplied with blood, symptoms such as impaired vision, ringing in the ears and dizziness develop. Dizziness is also common in orthostatic hypotension. Those affected suffer a drop in blood pressure when suddenly getting up from a sitting or lying position, because the blood in the legs sinks.
Dizziness and “going black” are the typical symptoms. A fast pulse, which sufferers often describe as a racing heart, is a common symptom accompanying low blood pressure. In principle, too little blood flows through the body when blood pressure is low.The organs may be less well supplied with blood and cause unpleasant symptoms.
To compensate for this, our body activates its sympathetic nervous system. The body tries to counteract the reduced blood circulation by making the heart beat faster. In this way, the body tries to ensure a continued adequate blood supply to the organs.
Those affected feel a fast heartbeat and a distinct palpitations. The heart beats more than one hundred times per minute. A permanently low blood pressure leads to unspecific general symptoms such as tiredness, lack of concentration and exhaustion.
The hypotension makes us tired. Those affected notice this by needing significantly more time in the morning to get going. They often feel a lack of drive and performance.
If you suffer from low blood pressure, nausea and headaches, you should take the symptoms seriously. Stinging, pulsating headaches are a sign that the blood circulation in the head is reduced. Fresh air, drinking plenty of water and a walk can help to improve the supply to the brain in the short term. In the long term, the blood pressure should be stabilized.
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