Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a medical condition that causes lightheadedness and palpitations after standing. Can lifestyle adjustments and multidisciplinary strategies help reduce and manage symptoms?
Table of Contents
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is a condition that varies in severity from relatively mild to incapacitating. With POTS:
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome can affect young individuals who are otherwise healthy and can begin suddenly. It usually happens between the ages of 15 and 50, and women are more likely to develop it than men. Individuals can experience various symptoms within a few minutes of standing up from a lying or seated position. The symptoms can occur regularly and daily. The most common symptoms include: (National Institutes of Health. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. 2023)
Usually, standing up causes blood to rush from the torso to the legs. The sudden change means less blood is available for the heart to pump. To compensate, the autonomic nervous system sends signals to the blood vessels to constrict to push more blood to the heart and maintain blood pressure and a normal heart rate. Most individuals do not experience significant changes in blood pressure or pulse when standing up. Sometimes, the body is unable to perform this function correctly.
The autonomic nervous system controls blood pressure and heart rate, which are the areas of the nervous system that manage internal bodily functions like digestion, respiration, and heart rate. It is normal for blood pressure to drop slightly and for the heart rate to speed up a little when standing. With POTS, these changes are more pronounced.
Sometimes the first episode of POTS manifests after a health event like:
Positional pulse changes are not the only diagnostic consideration for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, as individuals can experience this change with other conditions.
Several approaches are used in managing POTS, and individuals may require a multidisciplinary approach. The healthcare provider will advise regularly checking blood pressure and pulse at home to discuss the results when going in for medical checkups.
Other ways to help prevent symptoms include:
National Institutes of Health. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD). (2023). Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
Sheldon, R. S., Grubb, B. P., 2nd, Olshansky, B., Shen, W. K., Calkins, H., Brignole, M., Raj, S. R., Krahn, A. D., Morillo, C. A., Stewart, J. M., Sutton, R., Sandroni, P., Friday, K. J., Hachul, D. T., Cohen, M. I., Lau, D. H., Mayuga, K. A., Moak, J. P., Sandhu, R. K., & Kanjwal, K. (2015). 2015 heart rhythm society expert consensus statement on the diagnosis and treatment of postural tachycardia syndrome, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, and vasovagal syncope. Heart rhythm, 12(6), e41–e63. doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.03.029
Dysautonomia International. (2019). Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
Fu, Q., & Levine, B. D. (2018). Exercise and non-pharmacological treatment of POTS. Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical, 215, 20–27. doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2018.07.001
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