Is it the caffeine in the coffee or something else?

[Jfbould1]

I find I can count on going into afib within 24-48 hours of having a coffee. So as an alternative I have some type of tea each day, usually an oolong or jasmine. Both obviously have caffeine.

On occasion I’ll have a decaf coffee and then I feel that on occasion I also have afib within 24-48 hours. This is quite anecdotal and not a rigorous observation as I don’t have a decaf very often.

So a long-winded wondering whether it’s the caffeine or another chemical in a coffee that’s the culprit?

Welcome any musings anyone may have.

[BobD Volunteer]

I stopped drinking strong coffee and switched to de caf tea many years ago when first diagnosed with AF. Since my last successful ablation ten years ago I do maybe once a week have coffee if we are out somewhere but it does accelerate my heart.

To be honest though anything that used to start my AF events did so withing minutes not a day or two so probably in your case it is not connected.

[Jfbould1 in reply to BobD]

Thanks for sharing Bob. I know the lag seems odd, but it seems to happen w alcohol as well. These two drinks seem to be triggers for me but not immediately, only on a delayed basis. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any clue how to correlate my episodes w my behaviors.

[mjames1 in reply to Jfbould1]

I also have delayed triggers both with food and exercise. We are all different.

[CDreamer]

I would agree with Bob - if coffee were a trigger you would know immediately - that’s always been my experience. AF is a funny beast - I thought coffee might have been a trigger for me so I stopped drinking it and still AF appeared whenever it wanted so now I drink with impunity but restrict myself to one good quality coffee per day. Made no difference to my AF either way. The only way of knowing if a beverage or food is a trigger is to keep a very exact food/symptom diary.

You could refrain from having any kind of tea or coffee for at least 3 months and see if that makes a difference? I did that and only drank herb teas or hot water and lemon and helped me feel better generally I think but had absolutely no affect on AF.

Studies on the affect of coffee with or without caffeine as an AF trigger are inconclusive and different advice from doctors as well so it’s really up to you on how much you want your coffee.

[Jfbould1 in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks CDreamer, appreciate your thoughts. It IS a funny beast. I can be on my best behavior and still have runs where it’s popping up and taking my day over., despite the meds. These observations are my best guesses at correlation. Who knows what’s really happening.

[Rosie1066]

I hate to admit it but I am a big coffee drinker, but honestly I don’t find it makes much difference to me as my AF was due to Aortic Valve replacement many years ago. I’ve tried decaf coffee but made no difference as I still get the occasional bouts of AF without any warning. My HR is always low too and my coffee drinking certainly doesn’t increase my HR. After all the coffee I drink I’m probably immune to coffee!

[Jfbould1 in reply to Rosie1066]

Thanks for your sharing, Rosie1066. I’m similar: despite not drinking coffee, I also get the occasional bouts, about every 2 weeks, it seems.

[Autumn_Leaves]

It’s certainly possible but the only way of knowing for sure is to do a complete elimination period of a few weeks, but if you can keep a diary of all AF episodes, ectopics and palpitations in general. Then try introducing just one cup of coffee and wait for a few days — as you say you observed AF up to 48h afterwards — and record what happens. If you don’t notice anything, try one cup of coffee again and wait for another 48h or so. You could start off with a decaf a few times then try caffeinated if you feel brave enough.

You’ll need to have a few weeks without coffee (the elimination phase) to establish your baseline symptom level. The only caveat is that abstinence can make one even more sensitive to caffeine. That’s the risk. If caffeine affects your sleep then don’t consume it after midday. It’s better to get it out of your system completely by bedtime. I quit caffeinated filter coffee several years ago when my ectopics were revving up and I only quit because GPs were forever asking me about it. Well, I quit just to shut them up but guess what? My ectopics just carried on and I then I progressed to AF. Now? I can’t risk caffeine because I won’t sleep well if I do. But I suppose we don’t want insomnia because sleep disruption isn’t good for us, whether it’s AF or lots of other conditions. Good luck with any trial-and-erroring! (Let’s hope no errors!)

[Jfbould1 in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

Thanks for your suggestions, Autumn_Leaves. I guess a good scientist would have me also stop the daily tea as well to get a clean baseline. Yikes!

[secondtry]

I would simply take out all coffee & tea decaffeinated or not for 3 months. You can then slowly introduce back, in the morning one cup only, and diarise the result.

If that test is inconclusive, I will repeat my mantra (just a personal experience based theory) that you are probably too near the AF threshold such that various common triggers ( eg stress, late meal, caffeine etc) could all start an episode. So the suggestion would be double down on lifestyle changes.

[Jfbould1]

Hi second try. Thanks for your suggestions.

[Jfbould1]

Just saw this post from the good doctor: theskepticalcardiologist.co...