Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
Comprehensive care with compassion and expertise
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
For people with POTS, simply standing up can trigger a racing heart, dizziness or a sudden drop in energy. Symptoms can be unpredictable, making work, exercise and everyday routines harder to plan.
Complete Health Australia offers specialist assessment for people with suspected or diagnosed POTS. We’ll help you make sense of what’s happening and find practical ways to reduce the effect it has on your life.
What is POTS?
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, known as POTS, affects the way the body responds to being upright.
When you move from lying down to standing, your nervous system normally adjusts your heart rate and blood vessels to keep blood moving around the body. With POTS, this process becomes disrupted. The heart rate rises more than expected, often alongside dizziness, weakness or a feeling that you may faint.
POTS is part of a group of conditions known as autonomic disorders. These affect body functions that usually happen without conscious effort, such as circulation, temperature control and digestion.
Symptoms are often worse while standing and may ease after sitting or lying down.
POTS symptoms
POTS doesn’t look the same for everyone. Symptoms may come and go, vary from one day to the next or become more noticeable after illness, stress or time spent upright.
Common experiences include:
- A rapid or pounding heartbeat after standing
- Light-headedness or feeling unsteady
- Near-fainting or fainting
- Heavy fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Shakiness or sweating
- Blurred or narrowed vision
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Breathlessness
- Chest discomfort
- Poor tolerance of exercise
Hot weather, dehydration and standing still for long periods can make symptoms worse. Some people also struggle after showering, eating a large meal or getting out of bed in the morning.
Seek urgent medical help if you develop severe chest pain, marked breathing difficulty or fainting that leads to injury.
What causes POTS?
POTS can develop for different reasons. In some cases, the exact cause isn’t found.
It may appear after a viral infection, surgery or a period of prolonged bed rest. Some people notice symptoms begin during or after pregnancy. POTS can also occur alongside other health conditions.
Changes within the circulatory or nervous system may contribute. Blood can collect in the lower body when standing, while the nerves that help tighten blood vessels may not respond effectively. Some people may also have a lower blood volume.
Your specialist will look at when your symptoms began, your wider health and anything that seems to trigger or worsen them.
Diagnosing POTS
Diagnosing POTS involves looking closely at how your body reacts to a change in position.
Your heart rate and blood pressure may be checked after you’ve been lying down, then measured again while you’re standing. A sustained rise in heart rate, together with symptoms and no significant drop in blood pressure, may support a diagnosis.
You may also have a tilt table test. This allows your cardiology team to monitor your response while the table gradually moves you into an upright position.
Other tests can help rule out conditions that may cause similar symptoms. These may include:
- Blood tests
- An electrocardiogram
- Longer-term heart rhythm monitoring
- An echocardiogram
Your doctor may also review your medicines, fluid intake and recent illnesses before confirming the next steps.
POTS treatment
POTS treatment aims to make standing and daily activities more manageable. It usually involves a combination of practical adjustments and medical support.
You may be advised to increase your fluid intake. A higher salt intake may also help some people, but this should only be considered with medical guidance.
Compression garments can reduce blood pooling in the legs and abdomen. Moving more slowly between positions may also lower the chance of sudden dizziness.
Physical activity may form part of your plan, although it needs to be introduced carefully. Some people begin with exercises completed while seated or lying down before gradually building towards upright movement.
Medication may be considered if symptoms remain difficult to control. It can be used to slow the heart rate, support blood pressure or improve circulation. Your specialist will explain what may suit you and monitor how you respond.
Explore dedicated cardiology care with Complete Health Australia
POTS can affect much more than your heart rate. It can change how long you can stand, how far you can walk and how much energy you have left for the rest of the day.
Our specialists will consider the full pattern of your symptoms and how they affect your routine. From there, we’ll work with you on a plan that feels realistic, manageable and responsive to change.
Meet our specialists
Our specialists assess symptoms linked to heart rate, circulation and the autonomic nervous system. They’ll take time to review your history, explain your results and support you with a plan that fits around your health and daily demands.
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