If you often experience dizziness, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, brain fog, and exercise intolerance, you may be dealing with more than just a passing discomfort. These symptoms could be indicators of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that affects the autonomic nervous system. This condition can make even the simplest of daily activities, like standing up or walking short distances, a challenging task.
Although it has been established that POTS syndrome is most prevalent among the female population, unfortunately, there is little understanding of the exact causes, and treatment options are often limited. The good news is that physical exercise has been identified as an important therapy for managing this condition. In many patients, exercise training results in substantial improvement in symptoms and overall performance.
But then again, POTS syndrome patients have low exercise tolerance in addition to difficulty sustaining an upright position. As a result, gentle, easy, low-impact exercises are a good way to start and are often advised for managing this condition effectively. As we go further, we’ll explore how Easy Exercising can help with POTS management through gentle, stress-free, and carefully supervised exercises.
What is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)?
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition believed to develop due to a malfunction in the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system regulates many of the body’s functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion.
This condition affects the way your body works when you stand up. Normally, when you stand up, your body adjusts your blood pressure and heart rate to keep blood flowing to your brain and other organs. But if you have POTS, your body has trouble adjusting, and your heart rate goes up a lot more than it should. This can make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, and tired.
People with POTS can also have other symptoms, like trouble concentrating, headaches, and stomach problems. Sometimes, even doing simple things like taking a shower or walking up the stairs can be hard because it worsens their symptoms.
How does postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) affect the body?
As mentioned earlier, POTS affects the way your body regulates blood flow and heart rate when you stand up. Normally, your body adjusts blood pressure and heart rate to keep blood flowing to your brain and other organs.
But in people with POTS, the body has trouble making these adjustments. As a result, about 10% to 15% of your blood settles in your abdomen, legs, and arms and less blood reaches your brain. This can cause a number of different symptoms, including:
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Fatigue
- Brain fog or trouble concentrating
- Headaches
- Stomach problems like nausea or bloating
- Exercise intolerance
These symptoms can be really challenging to deal with and can make even simple activities like standing up or walking short distances difficult.
How exercise helps patients with POTS
While exercise may seem counterintuitive for people with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), it can actually be an important part of managing the condition. Exercise can help improve cardiovascular fitness, increase blood volume, and improve autonomic nervous system function, which are all key factors in reducing POTS symptoms.
When people with POTS exercise, their heart rate and blood pressure initially go up, which can worsen their symptoms (physical deconditioning). However, with regular exercise, your body can adapt to these changes and become more efficient at regulating blood flow and heart rate.
Research has shown that a structured exercise program can help improve symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, and brain fog in people with POTS. The exercise program should be tailored to your specific needs and limitations and may include low-impact exercises like walking, cycling, swimming, or yoga. It’s important to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of the exercise program over time.
In addition to improving physical symptoms, exercise can also have positive effects on your mental health and well-being. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, which are common in people with chronic health conditions like POTS.
Why Easy Exercising is the ideal exercise program for people with POTS
If you have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), it can be tough to know how to manage your symptoms. You may have a hard time tolerating high-intensity exercise because it can worsen symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, and rapid heartbeat and even cause you more chronic pain. However, one important thing that you can do to help is to exercise regularly – and the best type of exercise for you is an easy, gentle exercise that is not causing over-exertion on the body.
With this, you can start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your exercise program over time. This means that you can build up your fitness at a pace that works for you, without pushing yourself too hard… under a healthcare professional who understands what exercise programs are safe and effective for you.
There’s one place you can get fatigue management and the best professionals to help you through proper stress-free exercises for your POTS — Easy Exercising. At Easy Exercising, we’ll help manage your POTS through our unique power-assisted machines. Our machines assist you with any required exercises while you relax and chat with friends you’ll meet at our facilities.
You’ll also enjoy the support of a qualified practitioner who will monitor, assist and offer suggestions and one-on-one support to make sure you’re on the right track. They can also help you come up with a plan that works for your specific needs and limitations and can monitor your progress over time.
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"I had a very good hour doing Easy Exercising which isn’t hard on your joints. I think it’s good for any over fifties to try as they will find it so good for their different problems or just to have some general exercise. There is a qualified person supervising you on each machine & its a very sociable environment." - Margaret
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