3 min read
POTS, Long COVID, and ME/CFS: How They Connect
POTS often occurs alongside Long COVID, ME/CFS, and hypermobility disorders, but each is a separate diagnosis. The exact combination determines whether structured exercise helps or harms you.
Living with POTS
Your heart rate has a lot to say. Sam helps you listen.
With POTS, your heart rate jumps sharply when you stand up - often felt as a racing heart and dizziness. People living with POTS tend to know their heart rate better than most. Sam puts your wearable data into context: How is your resting heart rate trending? How are you sleeping? What's changed this week, compared with your own baseline?
Works with Apple Watch, Oura, Whoop & GarminGDPR-compliant, built in Europe
Your data
The metrics that often come up in everyday life with POTS.
Your wearable already captures them. Sam reads them from Apple Health and shows you how they shift against your personal baseline.
Heart Rate
Resting Heart Rate
HRV
Sleep Duration
Stress Level
Symptoms
Heart Rate
Resting Heart Rate
HRV
Sleep Duration
Stress Level
Symptoms
Heart Rate
Resting Heart Rate
HRV
Sleep Duration
Stress Level
Symptoms
Heart Rate
Resting Heart Rate
HRV
Sleep Duration
Stress Level
Symptoms
How Sam accompanies you day to day with POTS
Sam reads the data your wearable already writes to Apple Health and compares it to your personal baseline - understandable, not a wall of numbers.
1
Trends, Not Single Readings
With POTS, heart rate can swing widely throughout the day - a single reading can be misleading. Sam looks at the bigger picture over weeks: resting heart rate, HRV, and sleep compared with your personal baseline.
2
Everyday Factors, in Context
Sleep, heat, stress: many people with POTS notice their circulation responds to these everyday factors. Sam's weekly overview helps you spot your own patterns and bring them to your doctor.
3
Objective Data for Doctor Visits
POTS can be hard to explain, even to your care team. Instead of relying on memory, Sam's monthly PDF report shows concrete trends from your everyday life.
Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness and does not replace medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical decisions.
Understand, don't guess.
Sam translates your numbers into clear answers and a report you can take with you.
Ask Sam about your data
Instead of interpreting charts, you ask questions - Sam answers from your own numbers. For example:
How has my heart rate looked throughout the day today?
This morning averaged 88 bpm - about 9 bpm above your usual range.
What about on calmer days?
A report for your next doctor's appointment
The monthly PDF report sums up your weeks objectively - for appointments, applications, or simply your own record.
Monthly Report - June
Your Health Overview
Schlaf
07:20Schnitt
23:40Einschlafen
68Score
Gesundheitsstatus
3Kranktage
27Gesund
4Symptome
Created by Sam HealthPDF
Beispielwerte. Dein Bericht basiert auf deinen eigenen Daten - automatisch, ohne Tagebuch.
Articles about POTS
Further reading: what wearable data can show about everyday life with POTS - and where its limits are.
2 min read
How to set up Apple Watch for POTS: tracking standing heart rate
See how your pulse responds when you stand up, using Apple Watch, learn which values are worth bringing to your doctor, and see how Sam makes your daily heart rate, sleep, and activity data easier to understand.
2 min read
Living with POTS: exercise, salt, and compression as first-line therapy
Structured exercise programs, increased salt and fluid intake, and compression clothing are evidence-based first-line treatments for POTS. Here's what that means and how it differs from PEM.
2 min read
POTS diagnostic criteria: what your standing heart rate means
POTS is defined by your heart rate response when you stand up. What the Schellong test and NASA Lean test measure, which heart rate values count as indicators, and what a wearable can actually tell you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Sam detect POTS or replace a stand test?+
No. Diagnosis belongs in the hands of a doctor - typically using a stand test or tilt table test. Sam doesn't provide diagnoses; it shows you long-term trends in your wearable data.
What signals does Sam track for POTS?+
Sam reads data like resting heart rate, HRV, sleep, and activity from Apple Health and compares them with your personal baseline from recent weeks. Sam doesn't capture the momentary heart rate spike you get right when you stand up - your watch's real-time display is there for that.
Does Sam work if I'm taking beta blockers or other medication?+
Sam analyzes whatever data your wearable measures, regardless of medication. Keep in mind that medications can affect heart rate and HRV. Your baseline reflects you as you currently are; any changes to your treatment should be discussed with your doctor.
What are the typical symptoms of POTS?+
A racing heart (tachycardia) on standing is the core symptom, often accompanied by dizziness, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, headaches, nausea, brain fog (trouble concentrating), heat intolerance, and pronounced fatigue. How severe the symptoms are and which ones show up varies a lot from person to person - whether it's actually POTS is something only a doctor can determine.
Which smartwatch is best for tracking heart rate with POTS day to day?+
For an active stand test, any watch with a real-time heart rate display will do - that works independently of Sam. For everyday tracking with Sam, any wearable that syncs with Apple Health works well, such as Apple Watch, Oura, Whoop, or Garmin, paired with an iPhone.
Can I still work or exercise with POTS?+
Whether and how you can work or exercise with POTS is highly individual - it depends on severity, any co-occurring conditions, and your personal situation. For uncomplicated POTS, structured exercise is considered an evidence-based first-line therapy that can help you gradually build up your tolerance together with your care team - more on this in the article 'Living with POTS'.
Understand what your body is telling you.
Download Sam for free, connect Apple Health, and see what your data says about everyday life with POTS - compared to your own baseline.
Free for iPhoneGDPR-compliant, built in Europe
Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. Sam does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness and does not replace medical advice. For health questions or concerns, always consult a qualified medical professional.