Morning,
Can exercise trigger AF?
Just recently reduced Bisoprolol due to it draining my energy and have been building back my exercise. Yesterday, I took a longer walk of 4000 steps and slammed into AF a few hours later and the arrhythmia continues as I write.
Also, has anyone experienced dizziness and/or buzzing in the ears when they're fribbing?
I'm due to speak to my GP on Thursday morning so any feedback from the group would be appreciated.....
Yes and No. We are all different and for some exercise may bring on AF and for others stop it. What I would say is that any faint feelings MUST be investigated asap and form my experience that buzzing in the ears is a precursor to dropping to the floor. It is likely that your BP is falling too low when you are in AF which is not a great idea.
That's the curious thing...My BP is in the normal range (well, slightly elevated on the systolic scale) and when I mentioned the buzzing to my GP a few weeks ago, he couldn't make a connection to AF.
But, he's not a specialist and often, other peoples' experiences help to fill the gap.
He suggested it might be tinnitus but I'll push him to have ask the Cardiologist...
Thanks for helping.
Pulsatile tinnitus is the sensation that you hear your pulse and blood.healthline.com/health/pulsa...
You're a mine of information! I have that - far worse since I've had AF.
Gained, unfortunately, purely experiential. I hadn’t a clue what it was - and I can’t claim credit for that one as I hadn’t a clue until I think it was Jeanie posted something some years ago now.
Still haven't found out how my BP went for low (enough for the nurse to say - don't you faint a lot?) to high across the space of 8 years. Gotta look into that.
I used to play golf ,and while I was out on course although it drained me ,it wasn’t till I got back into clubhouse sat down my AF hit me hard ,,,it’s been like that for years now ,any feeling of light headedness of dizzy get checked ,,,
Thanks. Golf. They were the days......!
Yes to buzzing in the ears but thankfully only once. I do also get dizzy sometimes if I allow the episode to drag on. My ear blocked up and popped in one episode. I did panic on that occasion however so I'm sure that contributed too. Re exercise - no it doesn't trigger my AF. I can run for about 90 secs in interval training and get my BPM up to 120-130 and it all goes down nicely. I hated Bisoprolol for the reason you give. Perhaps you could ask for a different medication? I'm on Flecainide and much prefer it to Bisoprolol. But only a cardiologist can prescribe it and of course every case is individual.
I understand physical exertion can initiate AF.I used to go into AF when I started pushing it on my exercise bike, and when I play golf, I can't carry my bag for a full round as I end up in AF, so when the course is soft and trolleys are banned I can't play.
Moderate exercise though is fine.
Good luck
Hi Hannibal, yes to post exercise Afib, which I also get, especially if I have a hot shower too soon as well. It is apparently a well known (theoretical) aspect of vagal Afib, a by-product of the "rest and digest" operation of the parasympathetic nervous system.
I hope your episode has stopped now. I bet it started a few minutes after you sat down with a drink rather tired. I am 67 and have Lone PAF. My experience may be relevant, one AF trigger for me was the contrasts be it exercise/relax or high stress/relax. I have learnt to smooth these aspects of life out and I am no longer concerned. Your experience indicates to me you are too close to the tipping point for AF and therefore I suggest you reduce the walk to normal first and make other Lifestyle changes. Identifying beneficial changes can take some time both in reading up here and elsewhere with trial and error. After 6+ years doing this with 200mgs Flecainide daily I am healthier all round and AF has only occurred twice & stopped quickly.
I have found I just have to be careful when working out... I work out with weights 3 times a week now, instead of 5 times/week, and I do not push it as much during the workout. Lower weights, don't let heart rate get up as much. Not ideal, but this is life with afib, it gets easier to accept.
Don’t have the exercise trigger, but do have the buzzing in my ears. Horrible. Mine does go away quickly thank goodness. Feels like you’re going to pass out.
Yeah, its a real sod, isn't it!
Exercise never used to be a trigger but after being med free for 8 months, it kicked in again during a session on my exercise bike.☹
Sorry to hear that. Are you getting it sorted?
Yes. For the last 10 years 90 percent of my afub triggered during or after exercise. My EP and cardiologist were told about it but still never tell me to stop exercise.
Yes - had to stop playing tennis - I think that it was the stop start nature of the game which triggered it - now do more yoga which I love but still miss the tennis
I loved yoga (and Pilates) and always finished a hard gym session with "legs up the wall", "shoulder stand" and "candle". I stopped after a stroke, as my Consultant Neurologist told me that she had treated someone in London who had a stroke during a yoga class. That makes sense, as the neck is in flexion during shoulder stand, plough, and head stand. That could loosen plaque in the caroid artery that makes it's way to the brain. My stroke occured on a calm and quiet day, two days after a gym session.
Yes - that would be me then. Some us don't get any symptoms and carry on. I have to stop weight bearing cardio exercise such as running, but not a Spin bike or rowing machine. I don't recall kettlebells etc being a problem back in the day.
hello. in october 2020, i woke up in the early morning, and instantly felt heart flutter, and then, within seconds as i was still lying down, went into this severe vertigo, where the entire room was spinning like mad, so severe that i couldn't even dial 999 until it calmed down after around 10 minutes. ambulance came and took me to hospital where they did bloodwork, but said bloods looked okay. they weren't sure why the episode of the vertigo, and it's not something i have ever had, not like that, not that severe. very scary. i thought that was the end as it was happening. and since then, i get little bouts of dizziness and vertigo, but touch wood, nothing like it was that one time.
are you still getting dizziness?
and no, i haven't had buzzing in my ears since i was a kid.
Hi, thanks for responding.I think it was the effect of over medicating on Bisoprolol. The cardiologist had commented that he thought the dose (7.5mg) was excessive which is why I challenged my GP.
Since reducing the Bisoprolol, the events are now fairly rare and the buzzing (which has more or less disappeared) was suspected to be Tinnitus and due to theses Covid times has not been investigated. My energy levels are much higher since reducing the meds and I'm on the list for an ablation on the basis that my GP and Consultant who don't regard it as needing immediate action, seem to have decided that I might as well get it done....
Thanks again for responding.
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