Last night, I reversed the usual order of activity for a Thursday and ate first, then did aerobics. Thus, I went to musical theater rehearsal in the evening both fatigued and perhaps slightly dehydrated.
I was unusually sleepy during rehearsal, which was characterized by bursts of intense activity. I experienced lightheadedness and occasional shortness of breath.
When I went home, I measured my blood pressure as 96/74, far lower than the usual 120/80, and my usual of 130+/90+. I was surprised I was still conscious with such low blood pressure. It's kind of thrilling, in a way, that my quest for lower blood pressure has been answered so well.
The symptoms were consistent with Postprandial Orthostatic Hypotension, probably caused by a combination of eating, dehydration, and use of blood pressure control medications. So, this morning, I eased up on my dose of medication a little bit. As thrilling as this new adventure on the other side of normal is, it's a bad idea to collapse on stage. Actors live in the moment, and are very, very good at responding to stage crises with instantaneous and effective remedies, but actors really, really hate surprises, and an unanticipated collapse would cause nothing but unnecessary worry in the audience.
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