7 Tips for Living with POTS

POTS is more formally known as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and it is a disorder that most commonly affects women between the ages of 15 and 50. While researchers have not yet determined the cause of POTS, they have learned that it is more likely to develop in patients with the following conditions:

• Autoimmune disorders like lupus or multiple sclerosis
• Mitral valve prolapse (also known as click-murmur syndrome)
• Prediabetes and diabetes
• Anemia
• Infections hepatitis C, Lyme disease, or mononucleosis

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptom of POTS is orthostatic intolerance (OI). Under normal conditions, a patient’s blood flows at the same rate regardless of whether they are sitting, lying down, standing or even hanging upside-down. In a patient with OI, however, the blood rate changes when they change positions, especially when they go from lying down to standing up.

Most of a POTS patient’s blood stays in the lower part of the body when they start to get up. As they stand, their heart beats faster in order to make the blood flow upward towards their brain. Their heart rate can thus increase by as much as 30 beats per minute, and their blood pressure often drops at the same time. The patient will also feel lightheaded, faint or dizzy. Other symptoms of POTS can include the following:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Blurry vision
• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Lots of sweating
• Chest pain
• Insomnia
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Anxiety
• Neck pain and headaches
• Discoloration of hands and feet

Many patients experience POTS symptoms right after eating because their GI tract needs more blood to properly digest their food. They are also more likely to have symptoms when under stress or when they are showering or standing in line.

How to live with POTS?

There is currently no cure for POTS, and the medical treatments include compression stockings and various medications to regulate blood pressure. There are also a variety of lifestyle changes that POTS patients can make, and they include the following:

1) Increase salt intake

Patients with POTS need a lot of salt in their diet to help their blood vessels retain water. That extra water, in turn, will keep the patient’s blood pressure within normal levels or at least prevent it from falling when they stand up. Depending on their age and size, many patients take between six and ten grams of salt per day. They can get the salt in the form of salt pills or by simply adding a lot of salt to their food. Naturally salty foods include store-bought soups, cured meat, and cold cuts.

2) Stay hydrated

Since patients with POTS need to increase their salt intake, they need to increase their fluid intake to prevent dehydration. A patient with POTS should drink anywhere between two to four quarts of water, Gatorade, milk, Pedialyte, sports drinks or Propel per day. Both Pedialyte and Propel replace electrolytes and prevent dehydration. Drinking a bottle of water in one or two minutes while pumping the leg muscles before getting out of bed can reduce the risk of fainting.

3) Eat more and smaller meals

POTS also affects the digestive tract, so the stomach empties either too slowly or too quickly. Eating a large meal can thus cause a stomachache. A patient with POTS should, therefore, eat four to six smaller meals to reduce the chances of stomachache and increase their digestive system’s efficiency in absorbing nutrients. Mixing the food in a blender or processor can also make it easier to digest.

4) Exercise

Researchers have found that exercise is even more effective at easing the symptoms of POTS than are beta blockers. A patient should gradually work up to 30 minutes of exercise five days a week by adding a minute or two to their workouts every two days.

Patients should avoid high-impact exercises like jogging or jumping rope, for these can actually make their symptoms worse. If they are just starting out, they should also avoid exercises that require standing. Patients with POTS should try recumbent exercises like rowing, riding a recumbent bike, or swimming. The last is especially beneficial for the cool water can relieve pain, and the water also puts pressure on the blood vessels that compresses them. Pilates and weight training can also help people with POTS.

5) Sleep with the head elevated

This requires more than simply piling a lot of pillows at the head, though. The patient will actually need to place bricks or blocks of wood under the head of the bed. As the patient should sleep at a 30-degree angle, they should raise the head of the bed anywhere between four to twelve inches.

6) Take advantage of technology

Fatigue is part of the POTS package, and patients shouldn’t spend their limited energy on chores that can be done by a machine. Dishwashers can be used to clean cutting boards and scissors as well as dishes and silverware. Robots can handle the vacuuming, and automated carwashes can clean the car.

7) Get a shower chair

Many POTS patients feel faint or get dizzy while showering. A shower chair can reduce both the dizziness and the risk of falling and getting hurt.

Abby Drexler is a contributing writer and media specialist for POTS Care. She regularly produces content for a variety of health and wellness blogs.

Other articles by Abby Drexler:
https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/postural-orthostatic-tachycardia#1
http://standinguptopots.org/treatment/pots-tricks
https://pedialyte.com
http://propelwater.com
https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2016/6/17/tips-on-living-with-pots
http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/blog/wordpress/life-hacks-for-dysautonomia-patients