Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I can only speak to my own experience and hope that gives you some insight into what POTS is and how it can affect you or the people around you.

Why is blood pressure important? What does it have to do with your heart rate?

Every POTS symptom can be related somehow to blood pressure which is why it is so important to keep an eye on it and try to keep it up.

With POTS you notice your heart rate but less so your blood pressure unless you’re monitoring it. The reason your heart races is because of your blood pressure. With POTS you have low blood volume, with that when you stand up your blood rushes to your feet. When your blood rushes to your feet your blood pressure drops causing your heart rate to speed up to get your blood pressure back up.

Low Blood Pressure

What it feels like: Dizziness, faiting, weakness

What causes it:

When you are laying down your blood flow is normal, all your blood is going where it needs to and working as it should. When you stand up gravity comes into play a bit and the blood goes into your feet and legs. In someone without POTS the valves in their legs anticipate standing up and close or slow the blood flow to compensate for the standing. With POTS those valves don’t work so the blood stays in your feet and legs. This causes your blood flood to drop which in turn causes your blood pressure to drop as well.

Solutions I’ve found: 

Try LMT or Liquid IV, check your blood pressure monitor to get an idea of how much you can push yourself each day, eat a lot of salt, rest when you’re tired or feeling faint. Make sure to add salt to everything and I mean everything, add it to ketchup, a smoothie, coffee, etc. I was once told by a doctor to make sure to eat 2 TBSP of salt a day. Also make sure it is idolized salt, you can buy iodized sea salt but most sea salt is not idolized so make sure to buy the one that is.

Tachycardia Heart Rate

What it feels like: Pounding in your chest, moving your head to the side and you can hear your heart rate.

What causes it:

The drop in blood pressure when you stand causes your heart to work faster to get the blood moving to where it should be. This is not dangerous at all, more just uncomfortable. 

Solutions I’ve found:

It’s all about keeping your low pressure up, why your blood pressure is up then your heart rate will slow down.

Further Reading

“Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.” Dysautonomia International, http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=30. Accessed 2 April 2023.

“POTS: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, 9 September 2022, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16560-postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots. Accessed 2 April 2023.

Rice, Damien, and Matt Galbraith. “.,.” ., – YouTube, 16 November 2008, https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.cir.0000160356.97313.5d. Accessed 2 April 2023.

How do you deal with your blood pressure and heart rate?