Air conditioner and Afib

[Electricblue1]

hello all, can anyone tell me if being in an air conditioned environment i.e car or room for a few hours can trigger off an AFIB episode. I was on a long car journey yesterday and woke this morning at 4 am and it’s sat at 139 since then . I’ve taken 2 extra bisoprolol and 1 extra Flecainide but it’s not helped.

[BobD Volunteer]

No reason at all why it would. If anything staying cool should help!

You have AF you will get AF.

[Popepaul]

I agree with Bob above. I could see how a long hot journey with poor air flow might encourage AF.

Airtcon should have the opposite effect.

Travelling can disrupt diet, sleep and hydration, these factors are more likely to correlate with afib.

Regards

[Electricblue1 in reply to Popepaul]

thank you, aircon affects my chest as I have asthma and I get sniffles and my chest feels tight .

[Autumn_Leaves]

I use aircon in the summer and it’s a godsend. Hot weather makes the heart work harder ie beat faster as the body tries to maintain its normal body temperature, hence the hot weather warnings for vulnerable people. I can’t see how aircon would make someone more susceptible to AF if the overall effect is to reduce the ambient temperature. There’s always going to be something we’ve just done or just eaten etc but as Bob says if you’ve got AF you’ve got AF and we can’t pick and choose when it’s going to happen.

[Electricblue1 in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

thank you , aircon affects my asthma and chest gets tight so I thought it could have been responsible for AFIB, the only other thing I had was chips and I have read about the oil it’s cooked in could have an affect. Not sure that’s true though.

[secondtry]

Just could be air con if you had it on full ie v cold air, although I would expect it to have kicked in during the journey. My Paroxysmal AF is vagally mediated and I have caused an episode by gulping a cold drink. I also find v cold air con uncomfortable.

As one usually never knows what triggers an episode I have learnt slowly to exclude from my life any 'suspects' - so if you want to play safe, no more long car rides with air con on full blast.

[Electricblue1 in reply to secondtry]

it was only on low but I’m always cold because of the blood thinners. It’s a real pain always watching what you eat or wondering what has kicked it off. It started as soon as I woke up which is unusual for me as it’s usually evenings.

[secondtry in reply to Electricblue1]

Mmmmm..I would check for sleep apnoea. An interim measure would be to check out James Nestor 'Breathe' on YouTube and Patrick McKeowan Oxygen advantage. I have now gone to bed coming up for 3 years with a BreatheRight nasal strip and also a strip across the middle of my lips- I believe the science is we should breathe through our nose not mouth which then produces nitric oxide which strengthens the heart.

I also walk x2 per day briskly around 3/4 mile each time and at the same time practise slowing my breathing to 6 per minute with mouth closed.

Yes watching food and eating light and early in the evening is not very social but if it works I am more than happy. I have also found it helps to reduce gluten by 80% and sugar by 50%.

Make a start, lifestyle changes take months/years to perfect but worth it and I always tell myself they also reduce the chance of developing other chronic issues.

[Peacefulneedshelp in reply to secondtry]

I keep hearing about taping the mouth shut during sleep. Is there a special tape one uses? What about men with mustaches, doesn’t the tape pull out their hair?

[secondtry in reply to Peacefulneedshelp]

myotape.com/ I simply cut these into small 1cm pieces and put one piece over the middle of my lips. Works fine with a beard. On the first occasion I was apprehensive but then it is no issue. I sometimes have it for half the night, either I rub it off in my sleep or I take it over when going to the bathroom - but that is just me as I experiment to find the best way to sleep and avoid headaches as my nose/sinuses are usually part blocked.

[Barb1]

Air con helps my AF.

[Quest4NSR]

I'm car travel sick as a passenger so that can set me off, you were probably just very tired from the long trip. 2 extra Bis and a Flec should have helped but when I was on those and went bad the more I took the faster HR I was getting, like they were pro Arrhythmic so be aware

[Lucybod]

yes anything can. All sorts of things start mine off.

[DawnTX]

I would think it would help you not hurt you. I have to watch when it’s hot because my blood pressure drops even more and I black out. I lived in Florida for 20 years the last 2 1/2 years I’ve had a fib and a typical flutter. I think it may be coincidence and you could be overly tired, etc..

[Gumbie_Cat]

I wonder if it’s more to do with sitting in a car for a long time, and not getting to stretch out a bit, walk far etc?