Feel light headed or dizzy right after eating? It could be a health concern!

Act up soon, before your dizziness makes you faint and face a fatal accident.

There can be times when you feel giddy, lightheaded or nauseous right after your meals. You might brush it off as a one-off episode and never care much about it. However, if this often occurs , especially after meals, don't ignore it. Here are 10 reasons why you should take fainting more seriously.

Feeling lightheaded, giddy or dizzy especially after meals is called postprandial dizziness signifying that you could be suffering from low blood pressure. When you suffer from low blood pressure, there is a drop in the pressure in the heart and arteries while trying to pump blood for proper circulation. Here are six causes of low blood pressure that you should know about.

The reason for feeling dizzy after meals due to low blood pressure

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After consumption of food, the intestine requires large amounts of blood to function smoothly and initiate the process of digestion. This makes the heart pump harder and faster to divert blood to the stomach and intestines. When this happens, the blood vessels in other parts of the body constrict to help maintain the normal blood pressure. Here is how you can control blood pressure with yoga.

However, people who suffer from heart diseases have weaker heart muscles, and the heart might not be able to pump as fast as needed. Or in some cases, a person s blood vessels might get narrow over a period of time due to age and other lifestyle related vices like smoking, diabetes, etc., which causes a problem in redirecting blood to the intestine. When this happens, there is a drop in the pressure after meals called postprandial hypotension. The sudden drop, especially after meals, can lead to light-headedness, dizziness, unconsciousness or even a fall that could be fatal. Here are nine must have foods that are a must for people with low BP.

How low is too low

The ideal blood pressure of a healthy person is thought to be 120/80 mm Hg. However, this pressure might not remain constant throughout. There are various factors that can make your blood pressure go haywire medications, stress, smoking, alcohol, obesity, breathing pattern and much more. Blood pressure is usually lowest in the night and increases considerably on waking up. Your blood pressure is a measure of two factors:

Systolic pressure: This is the pressure that your heart generates while pumping blood from the arteries to the rest of your body. Systolic pressure is the first part of the reading of your blood pressure.

Diastolic pressure: This is the pressure that your heart and arteries face while resting between two beats. Diastolic pressure is the second part of the blood pressure reading.

When the systolic pressure goes lower than 90 mm Hg and the diastolic pressure goes lower that 60 mm Hg, is when you suffer from lower pressure. This drop in pressure can give rise to dizziness, light-headedness, and fainting. A drop in pressure is dangerous because it could also means low oxygen transmission to brain.

What you should do

Here are few things that you can do to prevent dizziness after your meals:

Avoid skipping meals, especially breakfast and eat all your meals on time. Have your dinner at least two hours before bedtime. Avoid eating large meals in one sitting. It is advisable to eat small meals throughout the day.
Avoid drinking soda and other carbonated drinks with meals. Drink water or other healthy beverages such as lime juice, coconut water, or fresh fruit juice and stay hydrated by drinking water at regular intervals.
Avoid doing strenuous activities like running or exercising right after eating.
Talk to your doctor about your condition. Proper diagnosis and treatment may be needed to avoid further complications.

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Reference: Postprandial Hypotension - Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders (MSD Manual Consumer Version)