Fleeting AF Episode

[SpritzerAce]

Hi! Hope everyone is well or at least trying to stay positive and feeling better or on a road to recovery. Just want to ask everyone in the forum if any one of you have had a very brief episode of AF .. like your heart rate jumps from 146 to a sudden 86 and will do the usual dance for about a minute or two. And Kardia will read you have a Possible AF. And then few minutes later you are OK and rhythm is back to normal. And then you feel occasional palpitations but it doesn’t go into AF. Well .. I did experience that today and I just want to know if this is normal. Does anyone know the possible cause of this? Fatigue? lack of sleep, dehydration, heat ? Or jus our ticker going crazy occasionally. Thanks.

[jeanjeannie50]

I would guess that it could be caused by you forgetting to breathe properly, perhaps you've been unaware of breathing very shallow and your heart is protesting. Next time as soon as you become aware of something odd with your heart rate, start doing deep breathing. I've found that doing this has really helped me and I've not had any problems now for over 4 months.

Every so often, even when your heart is in normal rhythm, think about your breathing and take a few deep breaths.

Jean

[SpritzerAce in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks Jean. Shall remember that. Sometimes when the AF kicks in I will automatically panic and I think that kinda makes it worse 😔.

[Buffafly]

My heart has a noticeable little wobble several times a day. That's now normal for me. Lots of wobbles usually means I'm not well and may also have an episode of AF later.

[SpritzerAce in reply to Buffafly]

Thanks for sharing your experience. What do you normally do when that happens?

[Buffafly in reply to SpritzerAce]

Nothing really, I just try not to get wound up about it as that makes it worse. I've accepted I have a sensitive heart so just try to keep healthy and calm. I don't think it's good to obsess about your 💓 heart if your symptoms are not very bad, generally looking after your physical and mental health is enough.

[jedimasterlincoln]

I call them wobbles or skips..... and yeah I think breathing has a lot to do with it - when I'm concentrating or moving/lifting I sometimes hold my breath without thinking. It ties in with stopping breathing in the night and having AF that some people experience.

[SpritzerAce in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

Thanks for the reply.

[secondtry]

I think breathing is the issue as well. Sometimes you can forget to breathe when on a keyboard typing important text. Like Jean, I have built into my daily routine (on my two walks) regular deep breathing to try and stop the shallow breathing habit. It's quite interesting as it then develops into taking deep breaths at random other breaks during the day.

[SpritzerAce in reply to secondtry]

Will remember this. I am always guilty of not breathing ‘properly’ or at times just ‘forget’ to breath. Thanks for sharing.

[Bucerias]

Yes, I’m in and out of AFib & A flutter daily, Often hourly. Never lasts more than a few minutes with a heart rate between 90-160. I’ve had 3 ablations over the last 9 years. Probably had AFib for 30 years at least.

[Rebma in reply to Bucerias]

What medicines do you take to help control these frequent Afib occurrences?

[SpritzerAce in reply to Rebma]

I am now on Sotalol 120mg x 2 daily.

[SpritzerAce in reply to Bucerias]

When that happens daily you just take a “rest” I supposed and then all will be OK again? What medications are you on?

[Horse57]

When I forget to breath which is a lot my heR does exactly that! Sometimes I do go into afib that’s just enough to set me off. Breath! 😊

[SpritzerAce in reply to Horse57]

OK. BREATH ... Thanks for the reply.

[Foxglo]

I cardiology physiotherapist helped me to achieve regular healthy breathing some years ago which has been a huge help as does going back for refreshers if necessary.

I also have found out my AF is more stable and I have less palpitations if my flecinide acetate stays the same brand.