Brain Blood Flow and CO2 Articles

Our team sees one problem under most POTS, dysautonomia and ME/CFS symptoms: the brain can't keep its blood flow steady when you stand. Your CO2 level, your posture and your neck all change that flow, and each one can be measured.

Your Brain's Secret Blood Flow Control System

How does the brain control its own blood flow?

Cerebral Hypoperfusion: Why Your Brain Isn't Getting Enough Blood
Neurology

Cerebral Hypoperfusion: Why Your Brain Isn't Getting Enough Blood

Cerebral hypoperfusion means too little blood reaching the brain. What hypoperfusion is, symptoms, causes, why normal blood pressure misses it, and tests.

Proof That the Brain Controls the Autonomic System
Neurology

Proof That the Brain Controls the Autonomic System

Proof that the brain controls the autonomic system, using eye movements, cerebral blood flow data, and real patient outcomes from targeted brain rehab.

The “Little Brain” That May Be Causing Your Dysautonomia
Neurology

The “Little Brain” That May Be Causing Your Dysautonomia

Cerebellar dysfunction causes dysautonomia and POTS. Learn how the cerebellum regulates autonomic reflexes and how eye movement testing reveals it.

What happens to brain blood flow when you stand?

Why Does My Heart Race When I Stand Up?
POTS

Why Does My Heart Race When I Stand Up?

Your heart races when you stand because your brain is losing blood flow, a measurable regulation failure, not anxiety. Here's what's actually happening.

Orthostatic Cerebral Hypoperfusion Syndrome: When Your Brain Loses Blood Flow but Every Test Looks Normal
Dysautonomia

Orthostatic Cerebral Hypoperfusion Syndrome: When Your Brain Loses Blood Flow but Every Test Looks Normal

Orthostatic cerebral hypoperfusion syndrome (OCHOS) is a measurable drop in brain blood flow on standing. Learn how it differs from standard POTS.

POTS vs OCHOS: Why the 30 BPM Line Doesn't Mean What You Think
Dysautonomia

POTS vs OCHOS: Why the 30 BPM Line Doesn't Mean What You Think

POTS and OCHOS share one core problem: reduced cerebral blood flow. The 30 BPM threshold dividing them is a 40-year-old artifact, not a biological boundary.

Blood Pooling in Your Legs, Hands and Feet: What Causes It
Dysautonomia

Blood Pooling in Your Legs, Hands and Feet: What Causes It

Blood pooling is blood collecting in your legs, feet or hands when you stand. What it looks like, why ankles swell, when it's normal, and its POTS causes.

POTS: When Your Brain Loses Its Balance
Dysautonomia

POTS: When Your Brain Loses Its Balance

POTS isn't just about heart rate. Learn why it's really a brain coordination problem, and why treating it as a heart condition misses the mechanism.

What does CO2 have to do with it?

Low CO2: Symptoms, Causes and What It Does to Brain Blood Flow
Dysautonomia

Low CO2: Symptoms, Causes and What It Does to Brain Blood Flow

Low CO2 narrows brain arteries and cuts blood flow. Here are the symptoms, the causes, how it's measured on a tilt test and what the research says about raising it.

Hypocapnia in Dysautonomia: Hypocapnic Cerebral Hypoperfusion (HYCH)
Dysautonomia

Hypocapnia in Dysautonomia: Hypocapnic Cerebral Hypoperfusion (HYCH)

Hypocapnia (low CO2) narrows brain arteries. On standing, that's HYCH: POTS symptoms without the heart rate jump. Here's how the clinic tests and treats it.

Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBOT) for POTS: Does It Help?
POTS

Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBOT) for POTS: Does It Help?

Our team found no trial of hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) in POTS. See what HBOT changes in the blood, why blood flow matters, what trials show and the risks.

Can your neck restrict blood flow to the brain?

Can Tight Neck Muscles Restrict Blood Flow to the Brain?
Neurology

Can Tight Neck Muscles Restrict Blood Flow to the Brain?

Tight muscles, posture and the bones of your neck can squeeze the arteries to your brain. What research shows, who gets symptoms, and how our team tests it.

Neck Problems and the Brain: 7 Ways Your Neck Drives Brain Fog, Dizziness and POTS
Neurology

Neck Problems and the Brain: 7 Ways Your Neck Drives Brain Fog, Dizziness and POTS

Neck problems can cause brain fog, memory trouble, dizziness and POTS symptoms. See the 7 ways cervical joint errors reach the brain and how they're tested.

Your Neck Might Be Part of the Problem
Neurology

Your Neck Might Be Part of the Problem

Neck stiffness with dysautonomia isn't random. Learn the neurological connection between your neck, vestibular system, and autonomic symptoms.

Ear Fullness and Popping in POTS: The Drainage Problem Behind It
Dysautonomia

Ear Fullness and Popping in POTS: The Drainage Problem Behind It

Ear fullness, popping, or a heartbeat in your ear with POTS? It often traces to how blood drains from your head, not just your eustachian tubes.

Can Craniocervical Instability Cause POTS?
POTS

Can Craniocervical Instability Cause POTS?

No controlled study has tested craniocervical instability as a cause of POTS. See what the imaging and surgery research shows and how our team reads the neck.

Can Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Cause Dizziness or POTS?
POTS

Can Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Cause Dizziness or POTS?

What the research shows about thoracic outlet syndrome and dizziness, why no study links TOS to POTS yet, and how our team checks for compression.

What does low brain blood flow feel like?

Brain Fog Causes: Why It Gets Worse When You Stand or Drive
Neurology

Brain Fog Causes: Why It Gets Worse When You Stand or Drive

What causes brain fog, why it can get worse when you stand or drive, and how to find which link in your brain's supply chain is weak.

POTS Brain Fog: Causes and What Helps
POTS

POTS Brain Fog: Causes and What Helps

POTS brain fog is slowed thinking and poor focus that often worsens on standing. See what studies show about brain blood flow and what our team tests.

You're Not Lazy: Your Brain Is Running on Empty
Dysautonomia

You're Not Lazy: Your Brain Is Running on Empty

POTS fatigue and brain fog aren't laziness. Dr. Keiser explains why reduced cerebral blood flow starves your brain of fuel and what testing can reveal.

Derealization and POTS: Why You Feel Detached From Reality
Dysautonomia

Derealization and POTS: Why You Feel Detached From Reality

Feeling detached from reality with POTS or dysautonomia? Derealization is often a blood-flow and vestibular signal, not just anxiety. What it means.

POTS Exercise Intolerance: Symptoms, Causes and What Helps
Dysautonomia

POTS Exercise Intolerance: Symptoms, Causes and What Helps

Why exercise feels so hard with POTS: the symptoms, what research shows about the heart and fitness, what our team finds in the brain, and what helps.

How is brain blood flow measured?

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Test: What It Shows in POTS
Dysautonomia

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Test: What It Shows in POTS

A transcranial Doppler tracks how fast blood moves to your brain as you're tilted upright, and shows whether it drops in POTS and by how much.

For how this plays out in each condition, see the POTS, ME/CFS and long COVID pages.

Get Your POTS & Dysautonomia Roadmap

A free guide to understanding what's actually happening in your brain, and what to do about it.

Get the Free Roadmap