POTS: Why It's Not About Your Heart Rate

It is slightly too long for a podcast episode description. The content is good, but I’d tighten it so someone can understand the episode quickly without feeling like they have already consumed it.

If your heart races every time you stand—but your cardiac testing keeps coming back normal—the heart may not be the real problem.

POTS is diagnosed by changes in heart rate, but research suggests that the heart-rate increase may be a response to something happening earlier: an excessive drop in cerebral blood flow when you become upright.

In this episode, Dr. Spencer Zimmerman explains why this matters, how the brain and autonomic nervous system normally regulate blood flow, and how impaired regulation may contribute to dizziness, brain fog, fatigue, shortness of breath, digestive problems, temperature intolerance, and other symptoms.

You’ll also learn why salt, electrolytes, compression, and medications may help without fully explaining—or addressing—why you remain stuck.

If you have POTS or dysautonomia and feel like no one has connected all your symptoms, this episode will help the bigger picture make more sense.