When blood pressure temporarily drops, blood vessels constrict, and adrenaline-like hormones rise in the body. This leads to an increased heart rate. This acceleration of the pulse, also felt as palpitations, is the body's natural response to compensate for low blood pressure. Therefore, it is common to experience palpitations during a hypotensive episode. However, if both blood pressure and pulse are low, this could indicate a serious health problem, such as a heart attack.