I’ve written on here before about finding a trigger for the start of an AF attack. I still haven’t found the answer but have observed that mainly they start when I have been dormant for a while like sitting down in the evening watching TV or reading and end normally after getting up and doing something like going upstairs or such that increases the heart rate. Similarly if it’s when I’ve gone to bed it will last until I get up to go to the toilet and get back into bed. However it’s not a case of doing something straight away that doesn’t work but after say an hour of being in AF it seems to put it back into sinus rhythm.
I’m still clueless as to why one day I get an attack and the next day doing very similar things and eating/drinking similar I don’t but I understand many people are the same
Just an observation
Best wishes stay safe
Written by
Firstbusman
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I think heart rate drops and allows AF to kick in which is why sensible exercise during the day can help prevent AF as heart rate stays up a little then
If you are able to find a trigger then that is half the battle! I've never been able to find one. Those that have started my AF ( very fast..,) and needed admission include being woken up at 2am with my bedside phone ringing, being exhausted after sleepless night with 6 week old grandchild, sitting minding my own business reading, ditto at computer, eating breakfast and very frequently waking up usually within an hour or so of falling asleep with rapid irregular rate.
Stress is also a factor but not inevitably! I can be under a great deal of stress during which my husband will mutter " I know where this is going to end....😬"and then come out of it unscathed 😀.
I would guess that one trigger is not breathing deeply enough, which makes the heart protest. So many people say "I was sat doing nothing." As we get older our lungs are not quite as strong and shallow breathing can become the norm.
Next I would say compression of the stomach, tight around the waist clothing and eating large meals.
Hi! I tend to agree about shallow breathing. Sitting all day long in front of TV or a computer, we actually do not breath, we use only a small portion of our lungs. I would not know how much, but my estimation is maybe 10%. Compared to Yoga breathing, and many of you know about it, it is as good as nothing. Here one information, I could not believe when I first met it - we compensate breathing more intensely through our skin! I had no idea that we exchange gases through our skin at all! It is kinda similar to developing collateral blood supply in case of a silent infarction... Kind regards! P.
Hi. I find that eachh time I go to lay down it seems to kick in when horizontal, then if I sit up, after about less than a minute will go back ok to lay down again.
I had very similar experiences, sounds like your AF is vagally mediated. I agree with jeanjeannie50's reply.
Suggestion; I would start by 'evening your day out'. Very active/very stressful & then relax in front of TV for 2 hours or collapse into bed exhausted not a good plan! Make your day easier and leave some energy to do some light house chores in the evening.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. There is no such thing as 'triggers'. It's random.
However, I'll concede that certain lifestyle decisions and practices (getting dehydrated, for instance) will increase the chances of an attack happening.
This is my belief. I'm not qualified in any medical way though . . .
Triggers. We are all different, and yet a lot of us on here have the same affliction. But because we are incredibly complex physiologically and psychologically it's likely that we'll have different triggers - or maybe not. Anyway, it's my view that nothing is causeless. AF doesn't happen just out of the blue. We might not know exactly why it happens but there will be reasons. Identifying them/it is tricky.
I've got several fairly reliable short term triggers. Dehydration - the kind that sneaks up on me and leaves me unaware. Foods that are high in tyramine. Sudden extreme stress - esp on being wakened from sleep. Wind, especially when asleep. Too much calcium - too much chocolate, cheese etc., on top of my usual calcium intake. These can be avoided to some extent but not always - greed and carelessness get in the way.
Some that aren't so clearly short term but appear to be an issue: magnesium or potassium deficiencies. I take 300mgs of Magnesium citrate daily these days and that may have helped to reduce the incidence of episodes for a number of years - though this has been a bad year, with a dozen episodes so far. I've only recently started increasing my potassium intake (via more high potassium foods), and that looks promising, though correlation isn't causation.
Longer term? This is the one I don't really have an explanation for, frustratingly, because no matter what I do, once I get past a gap of a few weeks I know that the chance of an episode occurring increases daily. And as the gap between episodes increases the abovementioned triggers become more effective/immediate.
All of which amounts to not very much at all. After 14.5 years of AF I now have slightly more episodes per year and they tend to last between 8 and 14 hours, with the average duration being between 11 and 12. During the first few years they lasted only 4-6 hours. Staying active, slim and fit seems to help but isn't a cure, though I'd advise all three as the first line of defence.
I'm on bisoprolol (2.5mgs) and edoxaban (60mgs) The above, fairly inconclusive claims, which may not be relevant to anyone else, are based on well over 150 episodes and a longstanding but futile notion that someday I'd find the formula that would "rid me of this turbulent" condition. Never been ablated or cardioverted. It's said that AF begets AF. That would appear to be true unfortunately.
Hi I have not found my triggers and I think it can drive you mad trying to find out sometimes. But what really drives me crazy is my lovely supportive partner asking me 20 questions as soon as my heart goes off. Its 'what were you doing/thinking/talking about?' Or what have you eaten/drank?' Or 'what are you stressed about?' NOTHING IM JUST IN A flipping FIB! to be honest he has improved a lot, pitty my afib hasn't. Love that guy . 🌻
I’ve just finished the book (The Afib Cure) which many of you recommended on here — and it discusses triggers suggesting it’s individual but one thing we can all do to minimise attacks is (1) get your GP or EP to monitor the biomarkers listed in the book (2) follow lifestyle optimisation strategies (3) and wellness tracking. Can’t wait to start this program in hope my paroxysmal aFIB never becomes persistent
I find the same triggers as you. They seldom start when I’m active, always when I get up from the recliner after watching TV or in the middle of the night after going to the loo. A couple of times I had episodes when I was sitting down relaxed and the phone rang which startled me and immediately my heart went off. I had to change my ringtone to a more soothing one.
When I have a very heavy dinner, that can also bring on an attack in the middle of the night. Do you find that most episodes involve a lot of burping and also do you need to wee more often? Anyway the consolation is that we know it will end eventually. My episodes last from 4 to 9 hours 🙁
Not burping but defo needing the loo more often. However the loo symptom is one of the most common during an AF attack. My AF is monitored continuously by pulsating tinnitus. I can hear if in sinus or AF. I always thought when I heard what I thought was a missed heart beat in fact it was an ectopic beat an extra beat which the tinnitus does not sound. I find that that signals an attack when you get several ectopic beats.
For me the worst trigger is alcohol. I can go for a long time without drinking and if I do that I find I can easily 'get away with' one or two drinks with no adverse effects, but I was just on holiday with a friend and I was tempted into a drinking night where I had six drinks (one beer and five glasses of wine).
The next day, I paid for it. But then I find the heart seems to have a memory and after one of these 'events' I'm much more likely to succumb to lesser triggers like one cup of coffee, exerting myself like lifting or pushing something heavy, or a carb-heavy meal. But I feel it is the alcohol which is triggered that particular stream of episodes.
But I have also had episodes from nowhere like moving positions in bed...
I suppose all these activities are linked with what we do or don't put into our bodies and how we move.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Paf and it's triggers
stress triggers and total confusion
Fear or Panic as a trigger
Ectopics triggering Atrial Flutter?
