October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month

8 Oct 2025

Dysautonomia often appears invisible, but it has a significant impact on daily life.

October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month.

Many people with ME/CFS also live with Dysautonomia. 

Dysautonomia is an umbrella term form for a number of conditions that affect the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls functions our bodies should regulate automatically, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion.

Some of the Dysautonomia conditions are:

Orthostatic Intolerance, (OI) Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST), Neurocardiogenic Syncope (NCS) / Vasovagal Syncope, Orthostatic Hypotension, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Familial Dysautonomia and Pure Autonomic Failure (PAF).

This can mean:

✦ Rapid heart rate when standing 

✦ Problems with temperature regulation

✦ Needing to sit or lie down to avoid fainting, headaches, nausea and other symptoms

✦ Feeling worse in the heat ✦ Needing to pace carefully to avoid crashes

Dysautonomia often appears invisible, but it has a significant impact on daily life. Raising awareness is the first step to better recognition, care, and support.

MANAGEMENT APPROACHES:

OI symptoms are one of the most treatable symptoms associated with ME/CFS and it is usually possible to increase functional capacity through the following management approaches:

Increase blood volume by drinking water and consuming more sodium (if safe for you to do so).
Provide mechanical support by using compression garments and postural counter manoeuvres (movement that moves the blood up the legs to the heart).
Make lifestyle adjustments such as avoiding overheating, alcohol, large meals.
Introduce movement or gentle exercise done in a lying down or recumbent position first.

#DysautonomiaAwareness #MECFS #InvisibleIllness #POTS

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October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month

Ngā mihi, Thank you

Ngā mihi,
Thank you