Do you ever stand up and need a second for your vision to clear or feel like the room is spinning? Does your heart start racing when you move from sitting to standing? Have you ever felt like you might faint in the shower?
You might blame it on anxiety, stress, or not drinking enough water. But these symptoms aren’t normal and could actually be signs of POTS, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
POTS is a condition that affects how your body regulates blood flow and heart rate when you change positions. Since it causes your heart rate to spike, it’s often mistaken for a heart issue. In reality, it’s a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which controls automatic body functions like heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion.
It mostly affects women between the ages of 15 and 50, and many appear completely healthy, which makes it hard to recognize or diagnose. But POTS can be incredibly disruptive, leading to brain fog, exhaustion, difficulty exercising, and trouble standing for long periods.
While there is no cure, there are ways to manage it. Common treatments include:
• Increasing salt and fluid intake
• Wearing compression garments
• Following a consistent, gradual exercise program
• Taking medications like beta blockers to help control heart rate
If these symptoms sound familiar, talk to your doctor. She may ask you to wear a heart rate monitor for a few weeks to track how your heart responds to daily activity or she may test you in office using the tilt table test that simulates activity changes.
To meet the criteria for POTS, your heart rate will usually increase by 30 beats per minute (or more) within 10 minutes of standing, without a major drop in blood pressure.
You know your body best. If something feels off, don’t be afraid to ask for answers.