Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Let’s say your laying down on your couch and you suddenly stand up, do you ever feel lightheaded? Do you ever see spots in front of your eyes? Any ringing in the ears? This, among other symptoms, is called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). People with POTS consistently experience Orthostatic Intolerance, or dizziness, an uncomfortable rapid heartbeat or even syncope (fainting.)

Blood is nothing but water. When you suddenly stand up, or change your posture, gravity pulls your blood to your legs. With people that do not suffer from POTS, the heart fights back against gravity and pumps hard enough to get the blood flowing adequately. The opposite is true for people with POTS. They run constant low blood pressure throughout the day, so when they stand up, they feel all the symptoms of the heart not being strong enough to fight the effects of gravity.

Some of the most common symptoms of Postural Orthostatic Intolerance include:

• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Fainting
• High/low heart rate
• High/low blood pressure
• Cool extremities
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Ear ringing
• Insomnia
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea

People with POTS have a higher incidence of fainting. The most important thing to remember is to never fight your dizziness. If you ever feel dizzy, sit on the ground. You do this to prevent a fall. Once on the ground, lay flat. You lay flat to achieve the lowest gravitational pull on your blood. This allows your blood to travel in your blood vessels freely and counter the symptoms of POTS. If a person is to faint, DO NOT pick them up until they recover. The biggest mistake that family members, friends, coaches, teachers and most others unintentionally make upon watching a person faint is picking them up and moving them. This must be avoided to assure the quickest recovery during a fainting episode, allowing the blood to return to its normal pressure and flow.