How to Increase Diastolic Pressure

Diastolic pressure is the bottom number of your blood pressure reading and indicates your blood pressure when your heart is at rest between beats. A diastolic number below 60 can indicate low blood pressure, also known as hypotension. If your blood pressure is too low, it can cause complications ranging from dizziness to shock, a serious condition that occurs when your brain and other organs are deprived of sufficient oxygen. You can do several things to raise your diastolic pressure that include medications and self-care. If you do not have any symptoms or only mild ones like occasional dizziness, you will probably not require treatment.

Instructions

• 1

  Increase your salt intake. Salt draws more fluids into the blood, which raises blood pressure. Check with your doctor to see determine an optimal amount of salt intake for your condition.

• 2

  Stay hydrated. Drink six to eight 8-oz. glasses of water daily. Water increases your blood volume and prevents dehydration. Avoid alcohol, as it causes dehydration.

• 3

  Increase your caffeine intake, which will constrict your blood vessels slightly. This constriction increases the pressure of your blood moving through the vessels.

• 4

  Eat smaller meals throughout the day and reduce your consumption of high-carbohydrate foods such as rice, bread and pasta. Eating large meals can cause a drop in blood pressure.

• 5

  Consider using natural supplements known to increase blood pressure. Alternative medicine expert Dr. Andrew Weil recommends ginseng, which he says increases energy and causes blood pressure to stabilize, as well as licorice (not licorice candy). According to the book "From Fatigued to Fantastic" by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, licorice root can help regulate your body's use of cortisol. The recommended dose is 400 to 500mg of licorice root daily.