Af and exercise

[chrisevans8]

I have infrequent af which has always happened at night, never caused by exercise so far anyway. So here is my question - how severe can the exercise be before it becomes a risk of causing an episode of af?

[Clareowenpearcy]

Exercise tolerance just like Afib tolerance (or intolerance)

is different for everyone! Exercise comes in lots of shapes & sizes no one fits all. If you feel comfortable doing it then do it! If it becomes uncomfortable then moderate it. I personally have no problem exercising while in Afib but that's me. If you fear Afib it may hold you back from a lot of every day activities. I have lived, worked and exercised with Afib for years and have a high tolerance of it. I'm fortunate that I never have suffered long episodes of it! The longest I can remember was 12 hours and I have always reverted to NSR on my own. I have and did have numerous episodes daily however until my last ablation 6 weeks ago.

[Clareowenpearcy in reply to Clareowenpearcy]

I don't take any meds other than the anticoagulant Xeralto

[Luludean in reply to Clareowenpearcy]

Every one is different. Night time AF is more noticeable it bangs around. . Then the mind goes into overdrive!

Usually keeping busy during the day takes one's mind off it.

I have had persistent AF for 8 years , Digoxin keeps it controlled, the more occupied I am the less it controls my life..

Ablations and cardio versions have all failed. But that is just me , we are all different and , different in the ways we respond to our condition.

A sense of humour and, knowing we are not alone in dealing with this is the best medicine.

[Clareowenpearcy in reply to Luludean]

Yes definitely night time is more noticeable! I was often woken up in the middle of the night with Afib. I started drinking coconut water 1 hour before bed and noticed a huge difference! The potassium really seemed to help😄

[dedeottie]

I dont think there is a definitive answer to that. It may well be different for each of us. I have to have an exercise stress test every year to check that my medication isnt causing any problem at high heart rates. I have to work much harder that I would normally do when I exercise and so far I have never gone into AF. This is because My AF is well controlled at present by flecanide and bisoprolol. However before I was medicated a simple act such as walking upstairs could tip me into AF. Even the extra effort of singing in the choir could bring AF on.

Everyday, I say a little thank you that my medication has given me back such a good quality of life and on a bad day I cant help worrying that it will stop working and then what next? Never mind I will just deal with that if it happens ( thinking positively). X

[doodle68]

Hi Chris we are all so different, exercise doesn't seem to trigger AF in me.I dug out half a ton of soil earlier this year and moved it to another spot with no problem at all.

Exercise is important for our health and well being, I guess if you are not sure if it effects you don't over do it.

[rosyG]

it may be you have vagal AF ( happens at night and after large meals) and this is common among athletes- wonder if you would be classed as athlete??!! If so you may need to de train somewhat to help your AF

[secondtry]

Hi Chris, it sounds like your Vagus Nerve needs de-sensitising. The more you push exercise to extremes (or put yourself under work/personal stress) the more likely you are to have AF in the evening when relaxing or in the night. So de-train and de-stress and start reading here and elsewhere about supplements/other lifestyle changes and see if it helps for a test 12 month period.

Right now you may think all these precautions are too much fuss and if so that is good news as it means you are not too troubled by AF yet. Don't be complacent though, I have always done something today to make tomorrow easier and so far it has worked with AF. Good luck.

[Hidden]

AF triggered by exercise will depend on how cardiovascular fit you are. Rowing 5km in 22 minutes at a setting of 10 on a Concept 2 sets it off in me. As Andrew Marr had a stroke aiming for 20 minutes, I no longer work that hard as surviving one stroke is good enough for me!

[Jans5]

I think the important thing is to exercise not over exercise and from what I've read it's the high endurance or professional athletes who pushed themselves to their limits who are at a higher risk of developing afib. My af like you only occurs at night and never after exercise. I currently do 40 mins interval training 3 times a week following watching a video posted by Dr Sanjay Gupta on exercise. I also try to swim a couple of times a week. Over exercise was definitely not the cause of my afib, more likely a genetic predisposition. I only push my heart to 90% max heart rate for 4 mins at a time during the interval training. It's working for me never been fitter and my symptoms feel better, and hopefully along with other lifestyle changes I'm reducing my risk of other non afib related of strokes or developing other comorbidities. Only time will tell!

[AFCyclist]

My AF always comes on when I relax and often 24 hours after whatever caused it. Stress, alcohol, and an overhard cycle are all triggers. I have modified my cycling accordingly.