The following article was on Medscape and you most likely need to create a log in, but I thought it very interesting and a good update on the recent post about alcohol and Afib on this forum.
It's entitled: "Even One Drink Doubles Risk for Afib Within 4 Hours".
This paragraph was especially intriguing: "The majority of the afib episodes did occur at night, interestingly, which would be consistent with that idea," he said. "Alcohol is thought to have this fairly near-term sympathetic effect and more of a parasympathetic effect over time and the fact that there does seem to be this delay may suggest that the parasympathetic tone is especially important."
I am curious if this means if you are too relaxed or calm, A fib is more likely at this 3-4 hour mark after drinking alcohol. Hmmm. I have always thought that meditation, relaxing breaths etc. was most beneficial for reducing a fib burden. However the last sentence above does speak of the parasympathetic tone. So perhaps it is the "tone" of the system that is important. Rather confusing.
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dmjtanner
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I think it was possibly 2008 when Richard Schilling told me AF was more likely "when the vagal tone was low. " In other words after a large meal or whn resting. The pre supposes vagal AF which not everybody has.
Yes, thanks BobD. It's a conundrum because mostly one would want to be in a parasympathetic state rather than a sympathetic state from most of the reading I have done.
Sympathetic is the part of the ANS which reacts ie: fight/freeze/flight and Parasympathetic is the Rest&Digest mode. And therein lies the paradox as alcohol initially has a sedative affect and later an acts as a stimulant.
Yes, thanks CDreamer, as a nurse and former yoga instructor I know the ANS pretty well and try to keep my parasympathetic system turned on. That article just confused me. Taking alcohol out of the equation, it made me concerned that maybe a person could have too much vagal tone. 🤷♀️
The iWatch tracks HRV which is an indicator of vagal tone - I am most happy with an HRV of around 30-35. There is also a lot you can do to improve vagal tone - which is more an indicator of how you respond appropriately to stimuli rather than being in Sympathetic or PS.
Hence when you take alcohol after noon you are more likely to have nocturnal AF.
I find that confusing too. I've been meditating during the Afib 'journey' of the last 18 months but mine comes on at night so presumably when HR drops low. So is meditation the wrong approach?!? I believe/feel it is beneficial overall, but I understand your point x
Meditation is wonderful - relaxation = Rest&Digest mode PS whereas anxiety = stress = Sympathetic response of fight and flight BUT we need some reaction to alert us to something amiss so it’s all about keeping the 2 sides in appropriate balance - that is vagal tone and the HRV is a good measure of vagal tone. Too relaxed is not good, over reactive = not good.
No worries - HRV = heart rate variability ie:- the very tiny time differences between the spaces of each heart beat. If you have a smart watch which tracks your HR you should find a function on there which will give you an average over a day/week or longer. iWatch certainly does. I started working with HRV when I was first diagnosed in 2007 through this organisation and bought one of their ear lobe sensors and managed to be able to get myself into a state of coherence through using their app, often able to stop an AF episode.
Thanks CDreamer, that makes perfect sense...finding that balance. I think that’s why just a half cup of coffee does seem to help but not too much coffee. I have that tachy-brady syndrome also and a little coffee raises my heart rate a little, which I need sometimes.
Thanks, that is my point exactly. Could I be toning my vagal nerve and parasympathetic nervous system so much that ectopics kick in more than if I had a little more balance there. Geez!
Ps I did read somewhere that vagal tone is like Goldilocks' porridge... you don't want it too high or too low.So like everything in life, moderation is key. Trouble us, one person's moderation is another's gluttony!
apparently alcohol pushes up sodium and potassium which can trigger AF in some people . I have a friend who is ok with a couple of drinks but if he has more he gets AF . His only trigger
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