# Eating with POTS

POTS is when your heart rate rises after you get up from sitting or lying down. Here is what the NHS and PoTS UK say about food, drink and daily life, with practical ideas for ordinary days.

> PoTS UK suggests small meals and snacks through the day, based on protein foods with smaller amounts of wholegrain carbohydrate, and regular drinks. The NHS lists eating, especially carbohydrates, and not drinking enough among things that can make symptoms worse. Salt and fluid amounts are for your GP or specialist to set, not a website.

## What POTS is

The NHS describes postural tachycardia syndrome as a condition where your heart rate increases after getting up from sitting or lying down, often making you feel dizzy or lightheaded. It says symptoms can happen when you stand up and get better when you sit or lie down, and that some people also get digestive symptoms, headaches, extreme tiredness and problems with thinking, memory and concentration.

The NHS is clear that these symptoms can be similar to those of other conditions, and that having them does not mean you definitely have POTS. A GP may check your blood pressure and heart rate before and after you stand up, and may arrange blood tests and an ECG. It says finding the right treatment can take time, and that a GP or specialist may suggest lifestyle changes first.

PoTS UK says management needs to be individualised, and that non-medicine approaches are the foundation of any treatment. The charity describes its own information as general information rather than a substitute for medical advice, which is a good description of how to use any of this.

## Meals that are easier to manage

The NHS lists eating small meals with fewer carbohydrates among the lifestyle changes a GP or specialist may suggest. It also lists things that can make symptoms worse, including eating, especially carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and rice, and not drinking enough fluids.

PoTS UK explains the reasoning it gives for that: when you eat, blood is diverted to the gut for digestion, which can lead to a small drop in blood pressure. Its suggestion is to eat small meals and snacks through the day, with meals based on protein foods such as meat, fish, soya or beans and smaller amounts of wholegrain or lower glycaemic carbohydrates like brown rice or pasta, sweet potato or seeded bread.

In practice that can look ordinary. A slice of toast with an egg, a pot of yoghurt with fruit, a soup and a cheese scone at eleven, and a modest plate in the evening. Small and steady, rather than one large meal that finishes the day.

## Drinks, salt and your clinician

PoTS UK says adults are advised to have two to three litres of fluid a day, that you may need more on hot days or when you exercise, and that having a drink before getting up in the morning can help. It also says caffeine has varied effects: it can increase heart rate and affect sleep, but it can also raise blood pressure and alertness, which helps some people.

Salt is where your own team matters most. The NHS says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day, and that around three quarters of the salt we eat comes from packaged and everyday foods. PoTS UK says more salt is advised for most adults with POTS, and that if you have heart or kidney disease or high blood pressure you should ask your doctor how much salt and fluid you should have.

That is a good example of why the number on a public page is not the number for you. Nobody should change their salt or fluid intake on the strength of a website, including this one. Your GP or specialist decides what is right for you.

## Planning around busy days

PoTS UK says that symptoms are often made worse on busy days, when eating and drinking patterns change, and it advises eating and drinking regularly and keeping to your routine. It also advises pacing yourself, setting goals that are achievable, and planning so there is time to recover afterwards.

That is a planning problem more than a cooking problem. A rolling seven day board with the small meals already spread across it means a bad afternoon does not turn into a missed afternoon. The check-in on Today takes one tap, and a reminder can sit on your phone at the times you choose.

Nomeriu is not medical advice, and it is not a way of working out whether your symptoms are POTS. Talk to your GP or a specialist about your own situation, including anything to do with salt, fluid or medicines.

## Questions

### Should I eat more salt with POTS?

PoTS UK says more salt is advised for most adults with POTS, and that anyone with heart or kidney disease or high blood pressure should ask their doctor first. Your GP or specialist sets the amount for you.

### Why small meals?

PoTS UK explains that blood is diverted to the gut when you eat, which can lead to a small drop in blood pressure, so it suggests small meals and snacks through the day.

Sources

- [NHS: Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/postural-tachycardia-syndrome/) (What PoTS is, the symptoms, what makes them worse, and the lifestyle changes a GP or specialist may suggest first.)
- [PoTS UK: Diet and fluids](https://www.potsuk.org/managingpots/diet-and-fluids-2/) (Fluid and salt advice, the note about asking a doctor first, and their explanation of small meals and snacks.)
- [PoTS UK: General advice](https://www.potsuk.org/managingpots/general-advice-2/) (Pacing, realistic goals and their point about busy days changing eating and drinking patterns.)
- [NHS: Salt in your diet](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/salt-in-your-diet/) (The general advice of no more than 6g of salt a day and where most of our salt comes from.)

See what Nomeriu plans for this kind of week: [low energy](https://nomeriu.com/for/low-energy).

Open Plan in the app: https://nomeriu.com/app/plan

Source: https://nomeriu.com/guides/eating-with-pots
Last updated: 2026-10-23