How to Survive a Florida Summer with P.O.T.S.

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If you have POTS, summer in Florida can feel less like a season and more like a personal attack. I thought I'd write up a few Florida heat intolerance tips from someone who lives and works on the Emerald Coast year-round

WHAT IS POTS?                                      
POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system and stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.  
 
It is often underdiagnosed and commonly misdiagnosed as anxiety, stress, dehydration, or simply “not tolerating heat well.”
One of the trademark signs is the heart rate jumping 30+ BPM shortly after standing up.
If you think you may have it, let your doctor know. There are many treatments and lifestyle changes that can help people maintain a very normal life.

*Image credit SouthWestern Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute

Once you get ahead of dehydration, it’s much easier to maintain.
For me, symptoms can include:

• feeling faint or shaky in the heat
• exhaustion after “normal” activities
• dizziness when bending over
• dizziness raising my arms over my head
• shortness of breath on stairs
• nausea in the sun
• the weird “why does everyone else seem fine and I feel like I’m dying?” feeling

The Florida heat, humidity, sweating, standing, walking through deep sand, and crowded beaches all stack up fast.
Living and working outdoors along the Emerald Coast means I’ve had to learn how to work with the Florida heat instead of fighting it.
These are the things that help me survive summer beach days, outdoor photography sessions, gardening, and everyday life with POTS in Florida.
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1. Hydration Is Not Optional
Not “drink more water.”
Real hydration.
One of the biggest mistakes I made was drinking only water while sweating heavily outside. I actually ended up in the hospital with dangerously low sodium after gardening in the Florida heat.
With POTS, electrolytes that include sodium and potassium matter just as much as water — sometimes more.
A few things that help:

• hydrating before feeling thirsty
• electrolyte drinks instead of plain water alone
• keeping cold drinks with me constantly
• avoiding getting “behind” on hydration

If you know you’re going to be outside for long periods, ask your doctor about hydration strategies. Some people with POTS benefit from IV fluids before vacations, events, or especially brutal summer weeks.
Once you get ahead of dehydration, it’s much easier to maintain.

2. Morning and Evening  Are Your Best FriendsIf you’re vacationing in the Florida Panhandle in areas like Destin, 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, or Panama City Beach and struggling with heat intolerance, changing when you go outside can make a huge difference.
Florida afternoons are brutal, even for healthy people.
Avoid the 11am–4pm heat whenever possible and stick to early mornings and evenings.
Added bonuses:

• fewer crowds
• cooler sand
• prettier skies
• many umbrella and chair services are discounted later in the day

Honestly, there’s a reason locals disappear midday in July.

3. Speaking of Umbrellas Shade changes everything.
Whether you bring your own or rent one, having a beach umbrella can be the difference between enjoying yourself and feeling awful for the next two days.
Direct Florida sun drains you fast, especially with POTS.
I know umbrella rentals can feel like “one more vacation expense,” but honestly, for people dealing with heat intolerance in Florida, they are absolutely worth it.

4. Cooling Cloths Are MagicCooling towels have become one of my must-have beach items.
I keep one around my neck and refresh it constantly anytime I start overheating.
One thing that helps a lot:
When you get out of the water, bring a small bucket of water back to your setup so you can re-wet cooling cloths without walking back and forth.
Small trick. Huge difference.
These are the cooling cloths I personally use:  https://amzn.to/4nrQzIS 
(I’ve tested enough random Amazon versions to know they are definitely not all equal.)

5. Sunburn Will Wreck YouSunburn doesn’t just hurt. It dehydrates you even more.
If you already struggle with POTS symptoms or Florida heat intolerance, a bad burn can knock you down for days afterward.
Things that help:

• UPF coverups
• hats
• sunscreen before you think you need it
• reapplying way more often than you think

Also:
You absolutely can get sunburned sitting in the shade.
Florida sun is aggressive. It does not care about your optimism

6. Stop Carrying EverythingTraditional beach wagons and deep Florida sand are mortal enemies.
I’ve found stand-up pull-along carts with giant balloon wheels work much better and take far less energy to drag through sand.
This style works much better for me https://amzn.to/4912tDK 
Also:
Buy a pick-up stick/grabber tool.
Seriously.
If bending over repeatedly triggers symptoms, this tiny thing saves an incredible amount of energy over the course of a beach day.
Grabber tool amzn.to/4tE7ud0
7. Compression Socks and Hose Help More Than You ThinkWithout compression hose, I sometimes feel like I can barely make it walking into a gas station, let alone surviving rainy outlet shopping days in Miramar Beach.
They’re not glamorous, but they genuinely help. https://amzn.to/42zuqir
Especially if:

• you’re standing for long periods
• walking a lot
• shopping
• stuck in crowds
• dealing with swelling or blood pooling

8. Listen to Your Body Earlier
This one took me the longest to learn.
If you start feeling:

• shaky
• weak
• dizzy
• nauseated
• overheated
• “off”

Don’t push through it.
Sit down.
Cool off.
Hydrate.
Reset.
POTS has a way of humbling the “I’ll be fine” mentality.
Having POTS in Florida can be frustrating, especially during the summer. But over time, you start learning the little tricks that make beach days, vacations, and everyday life easier.
And if you’re visiting Destin or 30A this summer, wondering why the Florida heat is hitting you harder than everyone else… you are definitely not alone.
Sometimes surviving a Florida summer with POTS deserves its own trophy.