Dysautonomia: Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction- What is it and what causes it?
In short, dysautonomia is when the autonomic nervous system doesn't function properly. Your autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling all of your automatic, involuntary functions. This includes but is not limited to heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, bladder function, digestion, and more.
When some has dysautonomia...
The autonomic nervous system is unable to adapt approproately. Caused by many reasons- some known, some still being researched, and some yet to be discovered. Because the autonomic nervous system controls so many functions, someone with dysautonomia can experience 20-30+ symptoms at a time (and no, they aren't just "being dramatic").
Symptoms of Dysautonomia
Blood pooling in the extremities (most commonly in the legs when standing) reduces blood flow to the heart and the brain. Some studies show that some people who have had autonomic function testing have as drastic as a 30% decrease of blood volume in their brain compared to the rest of the body when in an upright position.
This forces the heart to compensate by pumping faster (tachycardia), which can lead to more symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, and more.
Speaking of symptoms in an upright position, it is common for dysautonomia patients to have orthostatic intolerance. This is when someone has worsening symptoms in an upright position- even sitting upright in a chair can be a challenge. Their symptoms are relieved when laying down. This is because being upright requires more effort for the body to pump blood where it needs to go. This can also be caused by blood pooling like we talked about above.
Orthostatic intolerance is very common in people with ME/CFS (Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome). People with ME/CFS can only tolerate 2-4 hours a day in an upright position compared to healthy individuals who can tolerate 14-17 hours a day in an upright position.
Other common symptoms of dysautonomia include: lightheadesness or dizziness, fast heart rate (tachycardia), fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, brain fog, vision problems, nausea, trouble sleeping, digestive problems, frequent urination, and more.
Who has it?
Anyone can have dysautonomia. It can be primary, but most cases are secondary, meaning that it is caused by another underlying condition. Dysautonomia is common but under-researched and under-diagnosed. It is often mistaken for depression and anxiety. Symptoms also commonly overlap with ME/CFS, Long Covid, Lyme disease, Fibromyalgia, and more.
Do not give up hope, that are many things you can do to manage your symptoms and even put them into remission completely. Utilizing functional lab work and a personalized approach can help you start your journey to healing from dysautonomia. Book a consult with me today to learn more!
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