POTSHow to Test for POTS at Home: The 10-Minute Stand Test
A step-by-step home stand test for suspected POTS: how to set up, what to measure, and how to read the result with your doctor.
The short answer
You can run a stand test at home: heart rate lying down, then heart rate while you stand still. Clinicians use the same measurement, and the published definition of POTS rests on it (Freeman 2011, CCS 2020). A home test cannot diagnose POTS. It gives you and your clinician a measured record to review together.
What the test looks at
The definition calls for a sustained rise of at least 30 bpm within 10 minutes of standing in adults (40 for ages 12 to 19), no orthostatic hypotension, symptoms for at least three months (CCS 2020), and other causes ruled out. A stand test checks the heart rate part. Researchers have compared standing measurements with tilt table testing, which makes the stand test a recognized bedside method (Plash 2013).
What you need
- A heart rate reading every minute or so: an Apple Watch, a fingertip pulse oximeter or a validated chest strap.
- A blood pressure cuff, if you have one.
- A wall or sturdy chair within reach, a quiet room, and someone nearby if you tend to faint.
How to run the test
LYING DOWN · MINUTE 1 OF 10
Lie flat, stay still and quiet.
- Prepare. Skip caffeine and food for about 2 hours. Take your usual medicines unless your doctor says otherwise, and write down what you took.
- Lie flat for 10 minutes, then record resting heart rate and blood pressure.
- Stand. Lean your shoulder blades on a wall with heels 6 to 8 inches out (the NASA Lean Test), or stand freely.
- Stay still for 10 minutes and record at minutes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10.
- Stop if you feel faint. Sit or lie down at once. A partial test still helps.
How to read your numbers
Minute 5: 104 minus 72 = 32 bpm (the largest, so this is the rise)
Tap a bar to do the subtraction.
A rise of 30 bpm or more in an adult meets the heart rate part of the definition. A smaller rise does not rule POTS out, and a larger one does not confirm it. Sleep, fluids, heat, caffeine, medicines and illness all move the number, so repeat the test under similar conditions. See why one reading is rarely enough.
What to bring to your appointment
Bring the dates, resting and standing heart rates, blood pressure readings, the stance you used, and when symptoms appeared. The visit checklist turns this into a printable list, and the POTS app can record it during each test.
When to get medical help first
Seek care before testing, or right away, if you faint, have chest pain, struggle to breathe, or notice a heart rate that stays very high after you lie down. Home testing never replaces an exam.
This page informs and does not diagnose. Only a clinician who can examine you and see your whole history can interpret your numbers.
- Freeman R, Wieling W, Axelrod FB, et al. Consensus statement on the definition of orthostatic hypotension, neurally mediated syncope and the postural tachycardia syndrome. Autonomic Neuroscience. 2011;161(1-2):46-48.
- Raj SR, Guzman JC, Harvey P, et al. Canadian Cardiovascular Society position statement on postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and related disorders of chronic orthostatic intolerance. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 2020;36(3):357-372.
- Sheldon RS, Grubb BP, Olshansky B, et al. 2015 Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on the diagnosis and treatment of postural tachycardia syndrome, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, and vasovagal syncope. Heart Rhythm. 2015;12(6):e41-e63.
- Plash WB, Diedrich A, Biaggioni I, et al. Diagnosing postural tachycardia syndrome: comparison of tilt testing compared with standing haemodynamics. Clinical Science. 2013;124(2):109-114.
- What Is POTS? A Plain-Language Explanation
- POTS Symptoms: The Common Ones and What They Mean
- How POTS Is Diagnosed: Criteria, Stand Test and Tilt Table
- NASA Lean Test for POTS: How to Do It at Home
- Do I Have POTS? What to Check Before You See a Doctor
- Tests to Ask For When You Suspect POTS
- Why Does My Heart Race When I Stand Up?
- POTS Heart Rate: How to Graph It with Apple Watch
- Orthostatic Intolerance: Types and How POTS Fits In
- Why Blood Pressure Matters in a POTS Stand Test
- What Is Dysautonomia, and How Does It Relate to POTS?
- What Causes POTS? Subtypes, Triggers and What the Evidence Shows
- POTS and Long COVID: What the Research Shows
- POTS in Teens, Young Adults and During Pregnancy
- POTS Treatment Overview: What Guidelines Recommend First
- Fluids and Salt for POTS: What the Trials Show
- Compression and Exercise for POTS: Two First-Line Treatments
- POTS Medications: What Each One Does and What the Trials Show
- Living With POTS: Triggers, Pacing, Heat, Meals and Sleep
Want a record to bring to your visit? The POTS app guides the stand test at home and graphs your heart rate. See the app