Valsalva Maneuver ***** ...lol

[jangle]

Lifting weights I exhale while lifting under pressure basically inducing a pseudo valsalva maneuver. Oh my goodness it sets my POTS off.

Feeling better again though! Lightheadedness reduced >50% throughout day. This is just with weight lifting, I'm going to start incorporating cardio again.

[Mytwogirlsrox]

Funny u mention this.. I was at the gym tonight pushing some *ahem* iron lol and was thinking I should google how to breathe when lifting.. I was holding my breath, then wooaaah I would get tachy and dizzy. I have a double whammy, I have a PFO so I'm sure that valsalva-ing that deoxygenated blood to my brain isn't good for my PoTS.

[peregrine]

Yeah, Valsalva is not so good. One of the reasons I have trouble singing these days - the breath control required sets me off something awful.

[misstraci]

Jangle.... what is valsava?

[jangle]

The Valsalva maneuver is a specific type of breathing exercise that induces a physiological response. Typically the way doctors perform it is by having you blow into a pressurized chamber usually around 40 mm Hg of pressure.

However, it can also be induced essentially whenever you're breathing out under physical pressure. Like when you're lifting weights, if you breathe out during the lift, you're putting your body under pressure and hence replicating the valsalva maneuver.

What happens is that the pressure (in your chest as you're exhaling) fights against the blood flow return to your heart, transiently lowering your stroke volume. This will of course cause or exacerbate POTS symptoms.