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What is Postural Tachycardia Syndrome?
Sometimes called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or ‘PoTS’, as it’s commonly referred to, relates to a condition that causes fainting or dizziness when a person stands or sits up.
Symptoms of PoTS can range from:
What causes PoTS?
PoTS is caused by a disfunction in the autonomic nervous system, the part that operates the automatic body functions or to put it in simple terms, those functions that happen without you having to think about it.
When you stand up or sit up, your body makes sure that your blood pressure does not drop, by regulating blood circulation to the Heart and Brain. With PoTS sufferers, the body does not react in this way, causing a decrease in blood flow to the Heart and Brain and an abnormal increase in Heart rate, and therefore, triggering a fainting episode or an attack of any of the symptoms as listed above.
Management of PoTS
First and foremost, you will need to seek the advice of a medical professional, as there are not only medications that can help PoTS, but there are many self-management techniques that can be put into place to help decrease the chances of an attack or lessen the symptoms.
Your healthcare plan might include exercise, diet, help for better sleep or fatigue management, to name a few, but as the symptoms will differ for everyone, so will your management plan.
Compression Tights for PoTS
One of the self-care management techniques is the use of compression tights. These will aid the blood circulation in the legs, improve venous flow back up towards the Heart and lessen excessive blood pooling in the lower limbs. Compression tights can be helpful to wearers if they are standing for long periods or are busy on their feet.
Graduated compression tights come in varying levels of ‘squeeze’, where the higher the level of compression, the stronger the ‘squeeze’. If it’s safe for you to wear a higher compression (ask your doctor or medical professional), then these will be most beneficial for PoTS, however, if you have not worn compression tights before, then you need to be aware that they can be tricky to get into, so perhaps start off with a compression garment with a lower compression level, until you get used to wearing them.
Help for PoTS
- PoTS UK - https://www.potsuk.org/
- Find a PoTS Specialist in your Area - https://www.potsuk.org/specialists/
- Heart Matters - https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/ask-the-experts/pots
- Kids Health - https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/pots.html
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