Breathing and relaxation techniques

[Kbuck1234]

Hi

Does anyone have any good breathing or relaxation techniques to take away thoughts and anxiety about ones heart and heartbeat?

[Dave1961]

Hiya

The following is a copy and paste from a post I made a few months ago talkinga bout something very similar....

"Woke up around 1 a.m. with my heart fluttering around like a beautiful butterfly in spring ... or maybe a drunken moth banging around an old streetlight

Wasn't a BAD attack but enough to keep me awake. Decided to have my morning metoprolol early at 3:00 instead of 7 and hoped for the best.

Eventually fell asleep but woke up 2 hours later with no change and probably a little worse. Not hospital AF by any means just that kind of AF where you assume your whole day will be spent listening to your heart having a party in your chest.

Remembered reading somewhere about using the sound of a normal heartbeat to bring your own heartbeat back into rhythm. Found a heartbeat sound on the net and tried listening to it but it seemed too fast and I could vaguely feel my heart speeding up. Finally found one that was round my own resting heart rate (55-60 bpm) that would play for 8 hours.

**Everytime I put in the link here it just converts straight to a screenshot for you to play. If you want to get the link click on the "YOUTUBE" logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screenshot and that will take you to it on your browser and show you the link**

youtube.com/watch?v=HYygVj_...(Not working as expected?)

Put in my earbuds and within 5 minutes I started to feel my AF starting to decrease and by the 8 minute mark I was in normal sinus rhythm. Lay there listening to it for another 20 minutes just to be sure, got up and went on with my day!

I tried this once before listening just through normal speakers but i think having headphones or earbuds on makes a big difference.

I have no idea if it would be effective for a more severe AF attack but I was really happily surprised - and it was quite soothing after getting used to it."

This has since worked for me a couple times.

Had one attack which didn't respond to it but its worth a try.

[Bev999]

Hi, I find Mindfulness to be helpful. Odly enough, it's about focusing on your passing thoughts and experiences in a non-judgemental and accepting way but it does help me although you need to practice it. There are lots of books and apps etc. on Mindfulness, so maybe have a google? Good luck.

Bev

[cat55 in reply to Bev999]

Hi, Have a look on you tube there is lots of stuff on mindfulness on there. It does help me to stop being heart beat obsessed and calms it down. It takes a bit of practise but might be worth it. Hasn't helped with the pulse I hear in my left ear though. Best wishes Kath

[Hidden]

Qigong might be useful - one exercise has worked well for me. Don't know what its called, I will try and describe it:

Stand legs apart a little, then bend the knees and drop your bum as if sitting on a pony, hands up to heart level, breathe in and imagine the breath coming in in a circular motion and then breathe out again imagining the breath leaving by being poured out of a small milk jug down a silver thread running through the middle of your body. Ideally do this for 5 mins + building up the time slowly.

Sounds a bit weird but after practice you get better and you really know when you do a good one as the sense of relaxation inside is very obvious. A side benefit is I don't get any lower back pain, which had been a problem. If you consult an experienced practitioner like I did they will make it easier.

Good Luck!

[01maxdog]

I do yoga and yogic breathing and find it helpful . Calms the mind and the body . Look on you tube , very easy to do

[kaziD]

I do a thing called HeartMath I practice it daily for around five mins each day. It involves;

1. Focusing on your heart area

2. Breathing in for approx five or six seconds and breathing out for five or six seconds - all the time focusing on the heart.

3. When you have the hang of the breathing and focusing then introduce a feel good memory - keep this memory in your mind during the five minutes you do this excercise a memory could be thinking of a loved one or a favourite walk or a good holiday - anything that makes you feel good

I also do yoga and find this helpful too. Good luck!

[terryw]

I agree with the comments about YOGA Relaxation and Meditation.There are plenty of classes and books about.The postures themselves can help to relieve tension. Since my 40's I have tried to do 15/20 minutes of YOGA a day. I lay on my back on a YOGA mat with a pillow under my head, my legs a little apart like a 'V', my arms at my side but slightly away from my body, and my eyes closed

. I start by taking two deep breathes from my stomach and in and out through my nose. I then focus on reducing tension throughout the muscles in my body by concentrating on each e.g. feet, legs, arms etc. and thinking 'relax feet etc'. All the time I am breathing slowly and gently from my stomach and in and out my nose. From relaxation I move on to the meditation element. There are many options e.g. watching the breath in the stomach going in and out, focusing on soothing classical music, continually counting the out breathes up to ten, counting the out breathes backwards from 100 etc. The mind constantly wanders but do not worry and just gently bring it back to the task in hand.It works for me! I had a pressure job and used to view these techniques with a cynic's eye - no more!

Strictly meditation should be done sitting, because there is a risk of sleeping lying down, but I like my way!Finally the breathing, muscle relaxing and focusing can be done anywhere e.g. sitting in a waiting room. Terry.