HopeSprings Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 Can you describe what mornings are like for you symptom wise? What do you feel as you're waking up and once you get up? I'd love to hear about any symptom head to toe. Getting out of bed and adjusting to being upright is such an ordeal for me every morning. It's a time when the typical POTS symptoms rear their ugly head the most - things are weird the rest of the day, but mornings are most dramatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julieph85 Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 When I first wake up I always notice i'm extremely thirsty and my mouth and eyes are very dry. When I first sit up in bed I feel lightheaded but usually stops after a minute or so. When I go to stand up I intstantly feel short of breath and I get a sudden pressure in my chest and head. My heart rate also goes up suddenly. These symptoms usually dissipate once I start walking around but the dizziness/lightheadedness stays no matter what unless I lay back down. I usually feel a little better when I first drink my coffee but then the jitteryness sets in about 10 minutes after and I feel like I'm on speed. Interesting to note- if I don't drink the coffee I get presyncope and almost faint even while sitting so i obviously need the coffee to constrict my vessels even though it makes me feel anxious! The morning then progresses to where i'm drinking water constantly, peeing constantly, and feel like i've drank a gallon of coffee even though I only had that one cup. Once I eat my morning yogurt the real fun begins- flushing and tachycardia that lasts for an hour and then I feel like a thirsty zombie! Mornings ****!!! Oh, and the dizziness progresses all morning till about 11 am when it is at its worst then gradually lessens throughout the afternoon till the evening when it usually ends, but of coarse by the evening I then have the horrible headache that started after the morning yogurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmichaelson Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Mornings are by far the worst for me as well! Like Julie said, as soon as I wake up, my mouth and eyes are extremely dry. In fact, it's hard to open my eyelids because they're often stuck to my eyes because they're so dry. The moment that I move at all, I hear a 'rushing' sound and feel extremely dizzy. I don't know if the rushing sound is blood rushing to or from my head...? It sounds like blood rushing to my head, but I don't know. Because I'm so dizzy when I wake up, I usually prop myself up for awhile before I get up. I'm always extremely tired and unrested too, no matter how long I sleep.When I get up, I've noticed my feet really hurt. I don't know if this is from blood pooling or what, but they're always sore when I first walk in the morning. I'm also really stiff and almost numb for awhile, like I don't have normal mobility for a couple of hours. Plus, I'm still really dizzy for hours, so I'm pretty useless in the mornings for awhile!I wonder if anyone has any tips for preventing any of this or dealing with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icesktr189 Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 As soon as I sit up in my bed the vertigo starts. I cant even get out of bed until 9 am or I will pass out. My body just wont do it anymore. I feel completely drunk in the morning and can only drink water until around 1 pm. I am sure my blood sugar is low, but its better than syncope.I cant function until around noon. I just lay there with my eyes shut. I do the best about from 1 pm to around 7pm. After than I am not really as dizzy, just tired and can tell I over did it. I get my huge burst of energy around 11 pm. I cant sleep until around 1 am. Gosh my life stinks lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissy Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 When I 1st wake up normally 9 am if before that I feel like a nonhuman zombie unable to mentally focus on anything, and my heart rate is near 100 laying down and BP is "normal numbers" but I feel the worst the more normal they are...As soon as I stand it feels like I am internally exercising heart is racing, I began to get slightly dizzy my BP drops from 100/75 to 90/60 and sometimes depending on what I have to do like make breakfast or wash dishes I get some slight chest pain, I have pooling in my legs and arms . After about 1 hour I have to sit down or lay down for about then its time to eat. I also do not feel to much energy until afternoon it comes in spurts.By 5 pm I feel like its 2 am, but I don't go to sleep till midnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I keep a large cup of salted fluids next to my bed. As soon as I wake, I drink as much as I can palate. Sometimes I keep midodrine right next to my bed too. It starts working about 20 minutes after I take it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Usually wake up worse than when i went to bed, fatigued, sometimes jittery, I gradually improve and then have a symptoms peak in the middle of the day.orthostatic tolerance and blood pressure is lowest and worse for normal people in the morning. In low flow pots the local vascular flow abnormalities are worst in the morning or from inactivity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julieph85 Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 ramkentesh, I have heard that about the low BP in the morning as well. Interesting though that I suspect i have hyper pots because i have orthostatic hypertension but my BP is always the highest in the morning and gradually decreases throughout the day... i wonder if the low bp in the morning only applies to the people who have orthostatic hypotension... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeSprings Posted November 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Yup, exactly. I relate to most of these symptoms. What's odd is I've found if I wake up in the middle of the night - sometimes have insomnia and will get up- I don't feel as bad as I do when I wake up in the morning. Not sure why that would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I get up around 7AM and take Florinef. Then I go back to bed. When I get up at noon, I take my second dose of Florinef. I feel OK, a bit dizzy but get better within the first hour. I usually just sit, drink some Diet Pepsi, and check email for the first hour. If I have to get up in the AM for an appointment or something, I feel really dizzy and nauseated. This does not get better during the day. I am fatigued and dizzy all day. Then the next day I usually get a migraine. As a result, I try to never get up in the AM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icesktr189 Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Yup, exactly. I relate to most of these symptoms. What's odd is I've found if I wake up in the middle of the night - sometimes have insomnia and will get up- I don't feel as bad as I do when I wake up in the morning. Not sure why that would be.I have the same thing. I will fall asleep at 7pm (right when my daughter does) and wake up at midnight. I will feel great and watch movies until around 3 am...weird stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julieph85 Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Dani and Naomi, I think it is because in the middle of the night our vagal tone is high- it greatly supresses the sympathetic nervous system, those of us with hyper pots have over active sympathetic nervous systems... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeSprings Posted December 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Dani and Naomi, I think it is because in the middle of the night our vagal tone is high- What does that mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julieph85 Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Your vagus nerve controls your parasympathetic nervous system, Doctors and researchers refer to it's "tone". When vagal tone is high your parasypathetic nervous system is dominating your ANS. This happens in the evening and at night. It is also what calms you when your having a flight or fight response. In a normal functioning antonomic nervous system as soon as your sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive your parasympathetic is supposed to to kick in to calm your body back down. The primary neurotransmiter that regulates your parasympathetic nervous system is acetycholine. Acetycholine reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and constricts your pupils. It is also secreted by your vagus nerve when you have a vaso vagal "episode" such as fainting. It is what is responsible for suddenly dropping your blood pressure and causing the faint. In the mornings and early afternoon your sympathetic nervous system (adrenaline and norephinephrine dominated) tone is very high and your vagal tone is reduced. As the day goes on your vagal tone increases to where at night it is very high and your sympathetic tone is greatly reduced. I believe this is why most of us feel better at night. There is a problem with over active sypathetic nervous system in hyper POTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeSprings Posted December 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 OK, I mostly get it! That actually explains a lot with the timing of different symptoms. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icesktr189 Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 That makes sense. I am not sure if I have hyper though. I have tons of the "flight or fight " responce feelings, but my bp never,ever gets high. I am lucky to hit 110/90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 I think your right regarding the parasympathetic/sympathetic balance. Parasympathetic withdrawal happens in all forms of POTS usually as a compensatory mechanism but its present in all patients according to a number researchers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annaliese Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Julie, this fits with what happens to me. My favourite time is at night because my anxiety is at its lowest then. I started with classic hyper pots but over a year my standing bp has reduced. It doesnt get high anymore. I have a feeling that i have just as much symp excess as before but my adrenals are just worn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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