You stand up and your heart suddenly races.
Your vision may become blurry or grey at the edges. You feel dizzy, nauseous, weak or as though you might faint.
Then you sit or lie back down and gradually begin to feel better.
For people living with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, commonly known as POTS, these experiences can become part of everyday life.
POTS is a form of dysautonomia. This means the autonomic nervous system, which helps regulate automatic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and digestion, is not responding normally when the body changes position.
At Purposeful Life, I meet people from Adelaide, Glen Osmond and Williamstown in the Barossa Valley who are navigating complex health conditions and want to better understand the bigger picture.
What Is POTS?
POTS stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
When you move from lying down to standing, gravity causes blood to move towards the lower part of your body.
Normally, your cardiovascular and autonomic systems respond quickly to maintain circulation.
In POTS, this response does not work normally. As a result, standing can cause an excessive increase in heart rate along with symptoms of orthostatic intolerance.
For adults, one diagnostic criterion is a sustained increase in heart rate of at least 30 beats per minute within 10 minutes of standing. For adolescents aged 12 to 19, the threshold is at least 40 beats per minute.
However, heart rate alone does not diagnose POTS.
Symptoms must occur with standing, improve when lying down and persist over time. Doctors also need to rule out other explanations such as dehydration, anaemia, thyroid problems, medications and other causes of tachycardia.
Therefore, if you suspect POTS, proper medical assessment is important.
Why Does the Autonomic Nervous System Matter?
The autonomic nervous system helps regulate processes your body performs automatically.
These include heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature regulation and other functions.
POTS involves abnormal autonomic and cardiovascular responses to being upright. However, it is not simply a matter of a nervous system being “stuck” or needing to be reset.
Researchers recognise several possible mechanisms and subtypes of POTS. These include neuropathic, hyperadrenergic, hypovolemic and potentially autoimmune mechanisms. There can also be considerable overlap between them.
This is why POTS can look very different from one person to another.
What Does POTS Feel Like?
A racing heart is only one part of the condition.
People with POTS may experience:
• Dizziness or light headedness when standing
• Heart palpitations
• Weakness
• Blurred vision
• Shakiness
• Fatigue
• Exercise intolerance
• Headaches
• Brain fog
• Nausea or digestive symptoms
• Sleep difficulties
• Feeling faint or occasionally fainting
Symptoms can significantly affect work, study, exercise and everyday activities.
For someone living with POTS, even activities that appear simple to other people can sometimes require considerable effort.
POTS and Other Health Conditions
POTS can occur alongside other health conditions.
Research has identified associations with hypermobility and Ehlers Danlos syndrome, ME/CFS, long COVID and mast cell disorders.
However, this does not mean these conditions all have one shared root cause.
In fact, researchers are still working to understand why some of these conditions occur together. Current expert guidance specifically notes that while associations between POTS, hypermobility disorders and mast cell disorders are observed, evidence explaining the biological mechanisms remains limited and continues to evolve.
That distinction matters.
Rather than assuming one condition causes another, each deserves appropriate assessment and management.
POTS and Long COVID
POTS has received increased attention since the COVID 19 pandemic.
Some people develop autonomic symptoms following COVID 19, and POTS has been identified in some people experiencing long COVID.
POTS can also develop following other viral illnesses.
Healthdirect Australia notes that the condition most commonly develops after a viral infection, although the exact cause is not always known.
Living With POTS
One of the difficult aspects of POTS is that symptoms can affect many parts of everyday life.
You might recognise:
• Unpredictable good days and difficult days
• Brain fog that makes concentrating harder
• Exhaustion after everyday activities
• Difficulty standing for long periods
• Problems exercising
• Avoiding hot environments because symptoms become worse
• Having to plan activities around how your body is feeling
Living with a chronic condition can also affect emotional wellbeing and social connection.
Therefore, good support needs to recognise the impact of the whole condition, not simply the heart rate reading.
Medical Management Matters
POTS requires medical assessment.
There is currently no cure, but treatment can help manage symptoms.
Depending on the individual, management may involve increasing fluid intake, increasing salt where medically appropriate, compression garments, avoiding triggers such as excessive heat and carefully managed physical activity. Medications may also be prescribed for some people.
Importantly, changes to salt, fluid intake, exercise or medication should be discussed with your healthcare professional because recommendations need to suit your individual health circumstances.
Where Does Purposeful Life Fit?
My role at Purposeful Life is not to diagnose or treat POTS.
Nor would I suggest replacing your medical care with complementary wellbeing therapies.
Instead, I work alongside appropriate healthcare from a whole person wellbeing perspective.
For someone already diagnosed with POTS, that may mean exploring areas such as stress, relaxation, breathing patterns, lifestyle and broader wellbeing.
Depending on the individual, my work may include:
Spinal Flow Technique™
A gentle, light touch approach used within my nervous system focused wellbeing work.
Breathwork
Practical breathing techniques that can support relaxation and self regulation. For someone with POTS, breathing practices need to be comfortable and appropriate for the individual.
NLP Coaching
Exploring thoughts, behaviours and emotional patterns that may be affecting wellbeing while living with a chronic condition.
Metabolic Health Education
Exploring nutrition, lifestyle and metabolic wellbeing where relevant.
PEMF and Terahertz
Complementary frequency wellness modalities.
These approaches are not treatments for POTS.
Instead, they form part of the broader wellbeing support I offer alongside someone’s existing healthcare.
POTS Support in Adelaide and the Barossa Valley
I work from two South Australian locations:
Abergeldie House, Glen Osmond
Williamstown, Barossa Valley
If you have POTS, you do not need someone telling you that your symptoms are simply stress or that you should push through them.
Your symptoms are real.
Medical management should remain an important part of your care. However, you may also choose to explore complementary wellbeing support alongside it.
Ready to Explore the Bigger Picture?
If you are already receiving appropriate medical care for POTS and would like to explore additional wellbeing support, you are welcome to contact Purposeful Life.
Call or text: 0481 877 860
Email: hello@purposefullife.com.au