Postural hypotension and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome are two conditions that cause blood pressure to drastically drop when changing to an upright position. The symptoms of both include dizziness, lightheadedness, syncope or near syncope, confusion, and nausea. An additional symptom of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a rapid heartbeat. Both of these conditions make getting up in the morning extremely difficult for people who have them and downright scary for people with these conditions who live alone. Here's what you need to know and how to make mornings easier to manage.
Why are mornings so difficult?
The main reason for mornings being so difficult is that dehydration plays a large role in the inability for the body to regulate blood pressure and heart rate. Most people do not keep water or electrolytes beside their beds to drink throughout the night, but patients with these conditions should. A night of sleep without drinking any water or electrolytes causes the body to have very little blood volume. When the blood pools in the lower extremities, a decrease in blood volume causes the blood pressure to reduce even more.
What should the morning routine be?
In addition to drinking water whenever they wake up at night, people with either of these conditions have to take getting up in the mornings very slowly, or they risk getting so dizzy they fall over or faint altogether. When living alone, dizziness and fainting can be quite scary and should be avoided as much as possible. Here are a few things to incorporate into the morning routine that may help reduce your risks of dizziness and fainting:
Since you don't have anyone to help you in the mornings and mornings are difficult, it may be a good idea to sleep with compression socks and garments on. However, ask your cardiologist first before you do so. Also, your cardiologist can give you a recommendation on what compression strength is right for you.
Share6 May 2018
After watching my mother navigate treatment for breast cancer in my early teens, I knew pretty much what to expect from my dad's diagnosis with prostate cancer. What I didn't know was how different chemotherapy and radiation can affect different people. My mother became very ill while my dad seemed to weather the treatments with few ill effects. I spent a long time researching the differences in treatments, types of chemotherapy, and how each one can react differently with the body. I created this blog to help others understand the same things, because I knew I couldn't be the only one unfamiliar with it. I hope it helps you if someone you love is facing treatment for any type of cancer.
