POTS Friendly Desk Setup

In this blog post, we'll be looking at ways to make working at a desk more manageable for people with POTS or other forms of dysautonomia.

What is POTS?

First, let’s define POTS. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) falls under the umbrella of dysautonomia—a group of conditions related to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The term “autonomic” means “self-governing”, referring to the system that controls involuntary functions you don’t consciously think about. This includes breathing, digestion, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, sweating, and more.

This can make daily tasks—such as sitting at a desk for extended periods—challenging, due to the body's difficulty in maintaining stable blood pressure while upright.

POTS Friendly Desk Setup

Staying Supported

Using a footrest to keep your legs elevated can help reduce the physical strain on your body by reducing the impact on your blood pressure.

Another effective method is sitting cross-legged; you can do this on any chair, but there are models specifically designed for this purpose. Generally, any larger chair will suffice.

Continuing Your Regular Self-care

Keeping up with your regular self-care practices will keep your body in the best shape possible. If you've been living with POTS for a long time, many of these will already be part of your daily routine:

• Staying hydrated: Drinking three litres a day and making use of electrolyte tablets.

• Compression: Wearing compression garments, particularly on the lower half of the body.

• Temperature control: Staying cool is a great way of reducing POTS symptoms, as heat is a common trigger.

Click here for more self-care tips.

Set Time Limits

Set an alarm so you don't sit upright for more than you can handle comfortably. Learning your limits is a key part of self-care when living with chronic illness. Listening to your body will help you to avoid any crashes.

It's also important to move frequently; setting an alarm to remind you to get up from your desk every 20-30 minutes will help to avoid blood pooling.

Bed Setup

When sitting at a desk is too much, a bed setup is a great alternative. Making use of a laptop table can keep you connected even when you aren't feeling your best.

You can also use smart devices as wireless monitors if you typically require a desktop to work. This, paired with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, can create a seamless workstation—whether you're tackling demanding work tasks, socialising online, gaming, or working on creative projects.

Final note

I hope readers will find something useful in this post. The key takeaway is to listen to your body and avoid pushing yourself to stay upright for longer than you can comfortably manage—that limit will vary from day to day.

You'll find many more posts like this one in the blog section of our website, all related to living well with POTS/dysautonomia. Feel free to check them out!