Woke up with pounding heart

[31WithAfib]

I woke up last night and could feel my heart pounding. Rate was 100-120... this morning I feel fine. I don’t usually have symptoms but when I do this is usually what happens. Anyone else have this happen? And is it serious?

[The_Lord_is_with_Us]

My first AFIB was standard no-frills AFIB. However, my recent return of AFIB had the pounding, high-rate sinus component to it (you describe). They diagnosed it as AFIB with RVR (rapid ventricular rate).

So almost daily, I'd have episodes of pounding heart at 110 bpm ..... 120 bpm .... or sometimes as high as 130 - 135 bpm. It would last for 12 or more hours at times. They gave me some cardizem pills to bring the rate down.

They told me an ablation would resolve the AFIB and RVR. I had the ablation in OCT, and both seem to have subsided.

Cardiologist told me if the heart is structurally sound, then he's not worried about higher rate of RVR even for a few days or couple of weeks. Only if it gets quite a bit higher would he get concerned.

I also have a history of anxiety. Panic attacks can make the heart pound, too. Usually you will feel it in your chest, throat, and maybe up into the head. The attacks don't usually last all that long, unlike the rvr.

[secondtry]

AF can kick off when your system is at most at rest (i.e. middle of the night). This is connected to the Vagus Nerve, sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. Lifestyle changes may stop this, in particular reducing stress on all fronts & doing some relaxing exercises before bed. I like to use the analogy of the choke of an engine stuck out from coping with stress in the day and then through the night it is still calming resulting in the heart beat being slowed too much giving as one medic put it 'the little drummers chance to start up' i.e. the AF.

Loads to read up on these areas here. Lifestyle changes in the eyes of leading innovative medics are key and because it takes longer to change habits and rectify earlier poor choices, start now and be patient & persistent. In a few years time you could be much healthier all round!