What is Dysautonomia?
Dysautonomia (autonomic dysfunction) is a broad term that describes any disease or malfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The autonomic nervous system controls many of the functions in your body that are automatic (not consciously controlled) such as your blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, body temperature.
The autonomic nervous system is made up of two sub-components:
The sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the 'fight or flight' reactions, such as increasing heart rate and releasing adrenaline and the parasympathetic, which is responsible for rest and digestion. In healthy people, these two work together in harmony but in dysautonomia, the natural balance no longer works- resulting in dominance of one or the other, and malfunctioning of the body's natural mechanisms that we all take for granted.
A good analogy is if you imagine the body is a car with the symapathetic as the accelerator and the parasympathetic the brake- with dysautonomia, often (but not always) the 'accelerator' is on overdrive, whereas the 'brake' isn't working properly- which leads to fuel (energy) being used up much more quickly than driving economically. It could even be likened to the car being parked with the accelerator needlessly revving up all the time, exhausting the fuel and wearing out the inner mechanics!
Symptoms of dysautonomia
The symptoms a person with dysautonomia can get are many and varied- this is due to the fact that the ANS controls so many different functions in the body.
Problems can occur with:
Regulation of heart rate
Regulation of blood pressure
Regulation of body temperature
Digestion
Each individual is different and will have a different presentation of symptoms, making it harder to diagnose and treat dysautonomia. The primary symptoms most often reported are:
Excessive fatigue
Excessive thirst
Lightheadedness, dizziness or vertigo
Feelings of anxiety or panic that are NOT mentally induced (but due to sympathetic overactivation)
Rapid heart rate (tachycardia) or slow heart rate (bradycardia).
Low blood pressure upong standing, sometimes resulting in fainting (syncope).
A full and extensive list of symptoms (and even explanations of why those symptoms are felt) can be found here: https://www.dinet.org/content/information-resources/pots/pots-symptoms-r96/
Types
Types of dysautonomia include Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST), Vasovagal syncope, Neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS), Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH), mitral valve prolapse and Shy Drager Syndrome. Dysautonomias can also overlap, so someone with POTS may also suffer with NMH.
The autonomic nervous system is made up of two sub-components:
The sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the 'fight or flight' reactions, such as increasing heart rate and releasing adrenaline and the parasympathetic, which is responsible for rest and digestion. In healthy people, these two work together in harmony but in dysautonomia, the natural balance no longer works- resulting in dominance of one or the other, and malfunctioning of the body's natural mechanisms that we all take for granted.
A good analogy is if you imagine the body is a car with the symapathetic as the accelerator and the parasympathetic the brake- with dysautonomia, often (but not always) the 'accelerator' is on overdrive, whereas the 'brake' isn't working properly- which leads to fuel (energy) being used up much more quickly than driving economically. It could even be likened to the car being parked with the accelerator needlessly revving up all the time, exhausting the fuel and wearing out the inner mechanics!
Symptoms of dysautonomia
The symptoms a person with dysautonomia can get are many and varied- this is due to the fact that the ANS controls so many different functions in the body.
Problems can occur with:
Regulation of heart rate
Regulation of blood pressure
Regulation of body temperature
Digestion
Each individual is different and will have a different presentation of symptoms, making it harder to diagnose and treat dysautonomia. The primary symptoms most often reported are:
Excessive fatigue
Excessive thirst
Lightheadedness, dizziness or vertigo
Feelings of anxiety or panic that are NOT mentally induced (but due to sympathetic overactivation)
Rapid heart rate (tachycardia) or slow heart rate (bradycardia).
Low blood pressure upong standing, sometimes resulting in fainting (syncope).
A full and extensive list of symptoms (and even explanations of why those symptoms are felt) can be found here: https://www.dinet.org/content/information-resources/pots/pots-symptoms-r96/
Types
Types of dysautonomia include Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST), Vasovagal syncope, Neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS), Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH), mitral valve prolapse and Shy Drager Syndrome. Dysautonomias can also overlap, so someone with POTS may also suffer with NMH.