POTS stands for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Symptoms can include lightheadedness, brain fog, palpitations, breathlessness, and other symptoms when upright. These symptoms typically improve somewhat when lying down.

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POTS is defined by a sustained heart rate increase of 30 beats per minute or more, or a heart rate increase above 120 beats per minute at any time within the first 10 minutes of going from lying down to standing.

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POTS symptoms can fluctuate over time, change throughout the day, and are often worse in the morning and on days with more long COVID symptoms. There is also a great deal of variability in the types of symptoms that are most troubling and how much they impact function from person to person. For example, some people have a lot of blood pooling in their legs while others don’t. Some people have very mild symptoms and for others the symptoms can be severe and debilitating.