Hot flashes & Afib

[Slattery]

I am 68 years and I still get hot flashes! Can hot flashes bring on an Afib attack?

Shannon

[jennydog]

Not I my experience. I am slightly older than you and I still get hot flushes, especially when I'm stressed or the weather is too hot for me. I have never linked hot flushes to episodes of AF (so far)

I always carry a fan in my bag - and it has proved its worth many times.

[Slattery in reply to jennydog]

Thank you all for your good advice! This is a wonderful website.

Shannon

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

Not specifically the hot flashes themselves, but the hormone fluctuation and the stress that often precipitates them can certainly be a trigger for A.F. This is a good time to do things like yoga, meditation, and great stress management to help with both situations!

[CDreamer]

I have an autoimmune disease and one of the warning signs that I get that I am about to weaken is hot flushes/flashes regardless of ambient temperature. I have come to realise that this the signature of inflammation in my body which my immune system reacts to overly aggressively and I have a 'flare up'. Interesting the words we use isn't it!

This is pure speculation - no evidence whatsoever - but I wonder if inflammation in our body can trigger vagal AF?

My first autoimmune disease was ulcerative colitis, they are like that game you play - bat the rat at country fairs - every time you bat one into oblivion another pops up in a different area!

So for me nothing to do with hormones, interestingly I never suffered any menopausal symptoms and I went through traumatic menapause in my early 30's.

Like the others I have never linked hot flushes directly with AF though.

[Gracey23 in reply to CDreamer]

Very interesting, recently I had the flu with fever and bad cough. I have PAF and suffer an episode every few months. While having the flu I was in AFib for three days. My Natural Dr said there is a link with AFib and inflammation. I have no medical training but I do think a healthy lifestyle of getting proper rest, exercise , eliminating processed foods and having a positive attitude will help keep the mongrel away!

[VeeT]

One of the side effects of afib are face and head sweats. No one told me about this but found out by googling. It was so embarrassing walking anywhere in hot weather or gardening but it's been so much better since my ablation.

[seasider18 in reply to VeeT]

I'm a male who gets hot flushes and sweating when walking that I put down to being in AF. They were much worse before I got my pacemaker and stopped Bisoprolol. My GP also associates them with Losartan but I was taking that problem free for years before AF.

[PeterWh in reply to seasider18]

AF does often do that and the weather can be cool to cold and on some occasions I am sweating. If you start sweating heavily then you should stop what you are doing and have a rest.

[seasider18 in reply to PeterWh]

It tends to happen more in cold weather. It can take more than half an hour to cool down when I get home.

[PeterWh in reply to seasider18]

I am in persistent AF but not only do I get the sweats sometimes but the heart becomes more active. One of the bad occurrences a couple of months ago when it was quite cold (say around 5oC to 8oC) I was walking the dog and an "attack" started. I had to take my jacket off then my sweatshirt and still I was sweating like mad!!!! Fortunately I was not to far away from home that time but when it happened a week later I had to sit on someone's wall for 20 mins.

[seasider18 in reply to PeterWh]

The problem is sitting down outside if it is bad weather or like last week when there was a sudden heavy shower. If you don't quickly have a shower and change you can get a sweat rash.

When I mentioned the sweating again to my GP recently he said that his wife does not need to walk far before I'd better say perspiring heavily. I assumed it to be age related rather than AF. I hope not when working as she is a physio.

[PeterWh in reply to seasider18]

Sweating is one of the key 6 symptoms.

[seasider18 in reply to PeterWh]

What are the other five in case I'm overlooking one!

[jennydog in reply to seasider18]

Horses sweat.

Men perspire,

But ladies merely glow.

[seasider18 in reply to jennydog]

So long as they don't sweat up before the race.

My wife still get hot flushes at 81. Her doctor once said that one of the BP medications can help it. Was it a beta blocker ?

[Suzieblue in reply to jennydog]

I wish it pours off my head but never connected My Af with it. Is that true?

[jennydog in reply to Suzieblue]

No, I hadn't connected hot flushes with AF but I was all of a lather the first time I saw my new (excelllent) cardiologist. He immediately ordered an ECG which showed that I was in full blown AF.

[Ruthelaine in reply to VeeT]

I thought the sweating was like a kind of shock because of reduced circulating volume of blood due to erratic heart beat. Someone correct me if I am wrong please

[Elaine1951]

I have had hot flushes for about fifteen years. I am 65 and female ! Coupled with pregnancies and child rearing it means I've not had a full nights sleep for about forty years !

I have had AF and regular ectopicd snd dread the return of an AF attack. I run regularly and am slim. I have done regular yoga classes for past 6 years. I eat healthily and drink wine. I also believe that itge hot flashes might be an immune response as I have arthritic fingers. so v interested to read the comments. I agree this site is so helpful. Good luck everyone

[Buffafly]

I used to complain that my thermostat was broken because I felt hot then cold regardless of the ambient temperature, but since I was zapped with five different antibiotics when I was in hospital with a severe infection that has gone, so I think the inflammation theory is correct as I am sure I had a low grade infection all the time.

[foxglove1]

I cannot say a hot flush brings on an AF attack per se. However I am also 68 and still get hot flushes and have noticed that although my heart does not go into full AF mode, it does jump around a bit just before and during a hot flush and then settles.

Im trying hard with my breathing exercises.

good luck!