Very low blood pressure when lying down

[Bubbles254]

My blood pressure when sitting is generally on the low side, around 100 over 60. Today I happened to check it lying down and it decreased to 88 over 43. I tested a few times and got a similar result.

I made the mistake of googling and it said that a diastolic that low was harmful to the heart. I am wondering though if this is an issue or not as my sitting one is normal and I think everyone's BP drops when lying down (my DHs dropped a similar amount but his starting BP was much higher) so it is normal to go that low?

I have already been to the gp about dizzy spells I have had for years but they have been unable to identify a cause. They have done bloods (all clear) and tested for POTS which is wasn't becuase there was no change in blood pressure between sitting and standing.

I am wondering whether it is worth bothering my gp about this. Any ideas?

Are you sure you are measuring it accurately when you're lying down?

What made you test it when you were lying down? Did you feel dizzy or faint? Or was it just curiosity?

I think it is accurate, I tried it multiple times, on my back and both sides too. Got similar readings each time.

I tried it lying down becuase I had been measuring my disabled sons bp and could only get his measurement lying down so wanted to see if there was any difference from seated. My dh also tried it and his was about 15 points lower when lying down but becuase his was higher when seated he was still in the normal range.

Anyone?

Mines exactly the same. If you feel ok probably best to stop checking it!

Are you using the electronic machine with the right size cuff, is your arm lower than your heart when you record it.

Yep, me too. Sometimes 70/40. Also pulse of around 37-39. That's why i just had a pacemaker.

Yes the electronic one. I have my arm alongside me level with my heart. I read it goes even lower if you have your arm lower.

@pollyglot did you have any other symptoms requiring fitting the pacemaker? Was it just due to BP when lying down.

@pollyglot did you have any other symptoms requiring fitting the pacemaker? Was it just due to BP when lying down.

Low heart rate, exacerbated by having to take beta blockers for AFib. I've always had BP of 90/60 or so. So tired of feeling tired. And shit.

Re PoTS they should have been checking for a heart rate increase of at least 30 bpm on standing, not your BP. A BP drop on standing would indicate orthostatic hypotension (OH) not PoTS although some people can have both.

Orthostatic intolerance (OI) as in dizziness on standing and other pre-syncope symptoms or even fainting can be caused by autonomic dysfunction (PoTS is just one type of AD), which can also mess with your BP readings.

There are medications, eg Midodrine and Fludrocortisone and others which can help with low BP and OH, but they are prescribed by a consultant, so you would need a referral, as they can only be prescribed off-label.

Both myself and one of my dc have PoTS and we both have low heart rate and BP when lying down. Dc is medicated with Midrodine, I’m not at the moment, as mine has increased a little since hitting the menopause. I also have micturition syncope, which is another autonomic issue causing a BP drop when you wee, leading to fun faints on the toilet!

Everyone’s BP will be lower lying than standing, so it makes sense, if yours is low seated or standing, the numbers will be even lower reclined. I think whether or not it’s causing symptoms is what determines if it needs to be treated. A pacemaker would probably only be indicated if you were symptomatic when lying down and had a concurrent low heart rate, but if you are concerned there is no harm in seeing your GP for advice.

It's not causing you an issue, it's fine. Don't make up problems you don't have.

I state in my opening post that I have ongoing dizzyness and have been trying to find what is causing this.

@ErroneousEntity many thanks I think the gp must have checked heart rate on standing as well and there wasn't much change. I just checked this and it went up 8 points so I don't think PoTS is an issue

You could get a BP monitor at chemist. I don't think it's going to show that your BP is abnormal while you are walking around, though. Do you only get the dizzy spells when lying down, or else when do you get them?

@lljkk I get the dizzy spells fairly randomly but generally when either upright or sitting (not lying down). Dizzyness does seem to be more of an issue when I first stand up (hence wondering about POTS. Usual BP when sitting is around 100/60

I have fainted a few times (maybe 3 x a year). This has been an ongoing issue for years but I have only recently thought I should get it checked out.