TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month, which raises awareness about disorders affecting the autonomic nervous system.

One of these chronic illnesses is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS.

POTS is a relatively unknown disorder to both the people who suffer from it and the doctors trying to diagnose it. It is a chronic illness that increases your heart rate and can lead to fainting spells. Simple tasks, such as standing up or being in the heat, can have severe consequences.

“I actually have to have a handicap plaque in my car because I can’t walk far distances to class in the heat without passing out,” said Anne Kathryn Smith, a senator for the College of Health Sciences. “With POTS, a lot of the time you have intolerances to extreme temperatures. If I get hot, I will pass out.”

Although increased heart rate and fainting are the most common symptoms, many more can appear, especially if the condition is severe.

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“It’s not just heart rate and blood pressure,” Smith said. “It has a lot of other symptoms like appetite loss, weight loss, losing your hair loss and migraines. It affects everything in your body.”

Smith encourages those diagnosed and others in the community to actively participate in raising awareness about POTS and dysautonomia.

“You’re not alone. So many of us are getting that diagnosis,” Smith said. “Do your research, reach out to people, and there’s always going to be some kind of answer.”

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, one to three million Americans suffer from POTS.