When we stand up, the body is meant to do things to force the blood from the lower half of the body to the upper. In healthy people, the body does these things successfully in a split second. A healthy person's body will react to standing by making the heart beat slightly faster (temporarily) to increase the force of the hearts contractions, and by tightening the blood vessels of the lower body to force blood back up. They can then go about their normal, everyday activities with no adverse effects.
In people with POTS, one of the most common forms of dysautonomia, the blood stays in the lower half of the body which can cause problems in the body regulating blood pressure and heart rate. The heart rate increases above 100 beats per minute (tachycardia) and stays that way just from the simple act of standing. The blood pressure might drop causing fainting or near fainting; in others it can raise. Either way, for the person with POTS, standing doesn’t feel right. Standing still for a prolonged period of time for someone with POTS is physically draining due to the stress hormones flooding the body thanks to the sympathetic over-activation- all because the basic functions such as blood pressure and heart rate cannot adjust adequately to the simple act of standing- something we all take for granted.
People with dysautonomia are not getting enough blood to their brain (remember- it’s all in the lower half of the body) and can thus be forgetful or unclear in their thinking. They are not stupid, they are simply suffering from the cognitive effects of not enough blood reaching their brain. They may get headache and generally feel unwell- all simply from standing.
The rapid heart rate is the body’s way of trying to compensate for the changes in blood pressure a person with dysautonomia will experience on standing- and is often the cause of their excess fatigue and feeling washed out after upright activities- even things you wouldn’t think of as being strenuous such as waiting in a queue can be very tiring for a person with dysautonomia.
A person with dysautonomia uses three times as much energy just to stand- let alone walk around and go about daily life. They get tired 'easily' because standing is not easy on their body and puts it into 'fight or flight' mode all the time. Living with dysautonomia is therefore a daily battle.
This illness is invisible- it's all happening on the inside- so the person with dysautonomia might look healthy and even be able to act normal, when inside they are suffering quietly with all manner of symptoms.
The rapid heart rate is the body’s way of trying to compensate for the changes in blood pressure a person with dysautonomia will experience on standing- and is often the cause of their excess fatigue and feeling washed out after upright activities- even things you wouldn’t think of as being strenuous such as waiting in a queue can be very tiring for a person with dysautonomia.
A person with dysautonomia uses three times as much energy just to stand- let alone walk around and go about daily life. They get tired 'easily' because standing is not easy on their body and puts it into 'fight or flight' mode all the time. Living with dysautonomia is therefore a daily battle.
This illness is invisible- it's all happening on the inside- so the person with dysautonomia might look healthy and even be able to act normal, when inside they are suffering quietly with all manner of symptoms.