Q My symptoms get much worse on hot days, when standing for a long time, and around my period. Why is that?
A Heat, prolonged standing, menstruation, and overeating all worsen POTS by pooling blood in the lower body or digestive system, or by causing dehydration. Knowing these triggers in advance and preparing with hydration and posture management can reduce symptoms.
Detailed Answer
POTS has fairly clear triggers. Hot weather or hot baths dilate blood vessels and cause dehydration through sweating, worsening symptoms. Prolonged standing pools blood in the lower body, making the heart beat faster, and overeating diverts blood flow to the digestive system. Hormonal changes around menstruation or lack of sleep also worsen symptoms. Anticipating these situations by preparing fluids in advance, and tensing the calf muscles or crossing the legs when standing for long periods, can help.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
At Dongjedang, we examine together how these trigger factors disrupt the circulatory balance. For a body whose fluids are depleted and circulation disrupted by heat or menstruation, we focus on replenishing depleted fluids and strengthening the force that stabilizes circulation, so that the autonomic nervous system is less easily disturbed by external triggers.
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