heart banging after eating / morning

[Holly_lax]

Hi all,

Hope everyone is well.

Just a quick question…does anyone find their heart banging after eating? And particularly the morning after breakfast? Is this part of af?

I’ve noticed it for years after eating…everyone looks at me like I’m mad

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Holly

Yes, I used to find that moving around after eating was not a good idea when you have AF. May I ask what you are eating for breakfast?

I've discovered that if I have small meals and snack on fruit and nuts in between then my life is free from the heart thuds. After lunch was always the worst time for me to experience them. I'd eat out and then try to go shopping, my heart would make me feel dreadful.

Try the small meals trick and snacking. Artificial sweeteners and additives were a sure trigger for my AF attacks, so it may be an idea for you to avoid any food containing them.

Jean

[Iamfuzzyduck in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I always thought this heart banging around thing was normal until you said it wasn’t, Jean, so I asked my Husband and his heart doesn’t bang around!! Since I have had my ablation my heart is very quiet and I don’t know what it’s doing 🤣

[Holly_lax in reply to Iamfuzzyduck]

Glad your better…can I ask when you had your ablation?

[Iamfuzzyduck in reply to Holly_lax]

I had it on April 9 in Texas….

[Holly_lax in reply to Iamfuzzyduck]

Hope your doing well & it continues x

[Iamfuzzyduck in reply to Holly_lax]

Thank you, not 100% but functioning well enough!

[Holly_lax in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jean, thanks for your reply.

Glad it’s not just me! Thinking back it’s been a long time.

I eat well, also pair with protein , no bread , usually berries with nuts and whole Greek yog or kefir smoothies etc.

Funnily enough after dinner in the evening it doesn’t seem as much, yet I’m eating more?!

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Holly_lax]

Your breakfast sounds fine. I don't think I ever started any AF attack after eating my evening dinner. Though I must say that I do tend to sit still more in the evenings.

[Holly_lax in reply to jeanjeannie50]

That’s true! X

[Finvola]

My husband has the same problem - always after breakfast for about an hour. His normal rate is in the 50's but his heart speeds up to around 90. He didn't have AF when this started but we caught episodes of AF because he was monitoring BP medication which he blamed for his racing heart.

He changed BP medication from Amlodipine to Losartan and the AF hasn't recurred but the tachycardia is still there every morning. Apparently, it is a common occurrence amongst many people - according to Google.

[Holly_lax in reply to Finvola]

Yes that’s like me, it’s really uncomfortable especially when rushing round for school run.

Have to ask my cardiologist suppose. Not currently in any meds except pill in pocket bisopropol for af.

[opal11uk]

I think it has something to do with the Vagus nerve and it would be advisable to take small meals, eating little and often. I see your ablation was only a few days ago so you have a nurse assigned to you for assistant I would have thought so might be an idea to have a word with them so they can put your mind at ease.

[HGates]

Gosh yes - for years! Mostly not even in atrial fibrillation, just tachycardia & bad palpitations. I eventually worked out hydration plays quite a large part - at least for me. More to do with how hydrated I am before eating rather than any fluid I drink during breakfast. Also agree with another poster’s comment about the vagus nerve.

[Espeegee]

look up Vagal AF, comes on after eating, it's a recognized condition. I used to have it after an evening meal, some red wines seemed to be a trigger too.

[ninks01]

Yep after a large meal and sometimes for about 20 minns after breakfast , have changed eating habits ......smaller portions etc.......which enforces my suspicions in the vagus nerve connection.

[pusillanimous in reply to ninks01]

Yes, a 'heavy' breakfast such as porridge oats is a No, No for me - it sents my heart racing and AF for a couple of hours. I now find a banana sliced in double cream plain yoghurt followed by half an avocado with a generous dash of Worcester sauce is ideal for me.!

[Holly_lax in reply to pusillanimous]

Yum! Yes I’ve always found heavy carbs make me feel awful for a couple of hours really.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to pusillanimous]

I often have porridge for breakfast and find it to be ok. Could the palpitations be related to any sugar you might consume with the porridge? Or an accompanying tea or coffee?

[pusillanimous in reply to Samazeuilh2]

No, I don't have sugar with it and just a cup of decaf coffee, which I have every morning anyhow. I suspect, and there is absolutely no scientific evidence to back this, that because I suffered a compression fracture of my T8 vertebrae and declined to have cement put in to 'jack it up', that the area containing my stomach and heart is reduced and a heavy or large meal pushes my heart against the vegus nerve. This is purely a theory on my part and merely speculation !

[Camelotte in reply to pusillanimous]

I like your explanation. I feel the strong palpitations after eating, and often feel my stomach is somehow pressing against my heart, or there’s maybe no room for them both in my short midsection. So I’ll deffo check out your theory!

[Sixtyslidogirl]

Yes! It used to be really annoying. I have quite a large porridge breakfast with chia seeds, nuts, fruit, seeds, and I did experiment with different kinds of things to eat to little avail. However now, I get it only occasionally. Not sure why. Nothing has changed except that generally my levels of inflammation are lower than they were this time last year when it was happening more regularly. I have PAF and only take apixaban, waiting for an ablation.

[Holly_lax in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

I have the same , but also bouts of svt and then it goes between the two sometimes.

Only on pill in pocket unless worsens.

It’s so odd, I’ve honestly felt it for 20 years!

Glad your feeling better x

[Ppiman]

Yes - the heart bumping or palpitations I feel over breakfast is caused by ectopic beats (PACs and PVCs) rather than AF, though. Maybe yours is, too? They often set off while eating breakfast, and - you might like to try this yourself - are made noticeably worse by leaning forwards while sitting, thus pulling at the diaphragm area. I can show this effect directly on my Apple Watch. It can happen at all meals but is worst at breakfast time.

Similar palpitations also begin these days with any kind of emotional stress, such as even a mild confrontation or emotional upset involving another person. Again, I suspect this is linked to a tightening of the chest and diaphragm muscles. My theory is that these pull the heart slightly, since this is a known cause of ectopic beats (and AF).

I haven't noticed the palpitations setting off my AF, yet, but they must in some as they are known to do so. My own AF is much less frequent than are my palpitations and seems to start randomly but often these days in the morning after waking, or visiting the loo in the night. This week it began while sitting up drinking tea in bed.

You should be able to tell from feeling your pulse in your wrist if what you have is AF or ectopic beats, at least if your AF occurs with a faster heart rate, which is often the case than with palpitations alone. In that case feel for a racing pulse that is variably irregular, rather than a normal pulse punctuated by some ectopics (i.e. early beats followed by longer pauses).

Steve

[Vonnegut]

No- not me now or even before my paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was controlled with flecainide. We are all different and hope you find something that works to prevent your symptoms.

[Singwell]

Nope you're not mad. I've had it too. It's almost certainly a blood sugar response. I've had to change what I eat in the mornings. After decades of eating porridge oats or pre-soaked oat muesli with dried fruit, nuts etc. I've taken the dried fruit out of the equation, to help cut down on the sugar spiking and only use fresh fruit. I also mix and match during the week with savoury cooked breakfast

As a result my morning spikes have stopped. Check out glucose goddess book or any guest spots she's done on podcasts to find out more about potential sugar spikes. The Zoe podcasts and YouTube channel are also good and well researched.

[Ppiman in reply to Singwell]

I think you've hit a nail on its head to some degree. I am beginning to suspect that a protein based breakfast is better than a cereal based one.

Steve

[Charles1967]

Yep holly you're mad ....😊

[needlestone]

I used to get that after eating food with wheat as an ingredient. Also will still get it if I have any food with aspartame or sucralose in the ingredient list. My arrithmyias are absolutely caused by ingredient in some foods. I luckily figured it out. What are you eating for breakfast? Look at ingredients, especially those ingredients that cause inflammation. I would suggest one of them as the culprit. Look at both food and drink labels.

[Camelotte]

yes I do! After every meal I get strong and irregular heartbeats. Horrible and annoying!