AF worse in heat

[Peakoverload]

I have persistent AF and for the most part my HR is below 100 and whilst irregular my pulse isn’t too erratic. I’m on bisoprolol which seems to be keeping things in check.

However, the past couple of days have been very hot and I’ve noticed my HR has increased, not sure exactly what it is but feels like it’s around 130 but does come down under 100. The thing that I feel the most though is the change to my heart rhythm which is generally very erratic, much worse than ‘normal’.

I can generally do everything as normal but I feel a bit ‘shaky’ and not quite myself, almost like a low blood sugar feeling. I don’t really get out of breath and yesterday walked 2.5 miles in 40 mins in the heat and was fine but did struggle to stay awake when I got home.

Does anyone else feel like this? Other than staying hydrated and trying to remain cool, is there anything else I can do? I’m assuming I shouldn’t take more bisoprolol when my HR goes up.

[lizziep]

Hi. I find hot weather always makes my AF worse I too feel shaky. My ankles swell and I generally feel very unwell. I am not on medication so not sure if to go back to gp. I think you should consult your doctor with regard to dosage during the hot weather. Last year in the heat I had a collapse whilst out at the country show which was when I was first diagnosed.

[Swimsyroke]

Yes. I too have felt shaky this last few days and my heart rate is elevated and more so than usual when I exercise. Also I have to rest after exercise as I feel so tired in the heat.

I just hope we don't get any extreme weather. At least I live by the sea which keeps the temperature down a bit.

I have persistent afib and take edoxaban and a small amount of bisopropol.

[DawnTX]

absolutely in fact you should’ve been with me yesterday you would’ve seen just how hard it hit me and I have a pacemaker. I’ve been told to watch the heat because my blood pressure drops. My problem is I don’t perspire and I like the heat. Yesterday it was in the high 90s with feels like 110 which is pretty normal here in Texas this time of year. To make matters worse, I sat in the car waiting for my cousin. I realize the AC was not doing much but I just sat there. By the time he came out of the store I was barely awake. We had gone out to lunch and I over ate but it was so good and I haven’t done that for quite a while in fact, not since I had the pacemaker on top of it I had a glass of sangria. I’ve done that before, but did not mix it with the hot weather and the meal. by the time we got home, I made it to the chair and to my bed. All I could do was sleep. I slept almost around the clock if you can believe it. I felt my flutter. The good about a pacemaker is you don’t get the damage to your heart, but be aware you are still going to feel your flutter and a fib. I only have flutter now, but it’s atypical.

Before I had the pacemaker I was living in South Florida, and I had several issues with the heat there twice I blacked out outside of the house. I didn’t even feel it coming.

Please don’t be foolish like I have been. I sometimes get caught up playing with my dog or whatever and we always have a bit of a breeze so it doesn’t feel that bad but I can still go down on my face. Make sure you stay hydrated. All I drink is water or a hydration drink if I must. even that is not enough sometimes so be careful.

[Ppiman]

Snap - I think mine is worse with exertion and that is made worse by this awful heat. I appreciate many love to feel the sun but not me!

Steve

[Buffafly]

I learned the hard way that heat and AF do not go together. Last year I was forced to exert myself regardless and had long episodes of persistent AF which took me months to get over. This year I have decided that I will not exert myself more than absolutely necessary in hot weather - I have plenty of paperwork and other sedentary pursuits that need doing. You are simply asking for trouble if you deliberately exercise when your heart is already under strain from the heat. The last great thing Dr Michael Mosely did was to demonstrate the dangers of heatstroke.

Please put your feet up 🩵

[pusillanimous in reply to Buffafly]

Have the results of his PM been published now, because last I read that his cause of death had not been confirmed?

[Buffafly in reply to pusillanimous]

Last I read was that the state of his body made a PM difficult so the assumption was that he died of heat exhaustion. He was supposed to have ‘beaten’ his diabetes through diet but being on holiday maybe he relapsed. I suspect he may have already been slightly confused before setting off because otherwise why would a doctor behave so foolishly?

[Auriculaire in reply to pusillanimous]

Even so it is NOT sensible for a 67 year old man no matter how fit he is to go walking in 40° heat . We have thermometers on our south facing balcony in south west France. On Tues around 2pm the one in the shade said 31° and that is not a true shade temp as it gets some morning sun on it. It was probably 27-28° . The one in the sun said 50° but it might have been even hotter as it will not register more than 50°. I do garden in these sort of temperatures but I am used to them. Having said that the heat this year has come late and suddenly and is harder as a result. I would not dream of going for a walk in the afternoon in summer and it rarely gets above 35° in the shade here. But anybody sensible should realise that sun temperatures are much much hotter.

[cassie46]

I used to love the sun when younger but the last ten years since AF I treat with caution. I just do a little as possible, keep the sun out of the house as much as possible, just try and stay cool. I did venture into the garden yesterday to do some watering but that was late evening and there was a cool breeze. Once I get hot I find it hard to cool down so just potter and drink plenty of fluid.

I dread it when the temperature gets into the late twentys and over thirty, because I have asthma as well breathing gets very difficult. In our last heatwave it took days to get back to normal. Take care all.

[pusillanimous in reply to cassie46]

How we acclimatise in different ways - I'm English and survived English weather until I married and came to live in South Africa. My house has higher than normal ceilings, so is always cold, until my computer is showing over 25C, I have to have some form of heating on. As I type, it is only 13C and I'm in my study wearing a thick jumper and trousers and a fleece hoodie. I have small electric heater on as well !!

[Auriculaire in reply to pusillanimous]

Too true. I am cold if it is less than 21-22°! I like it between 25 and 30 .

[Tomred]

Hot days whilst in afib, i find particularly uncomfortable.

[Cavalierrubie]

Yes, the heat was a trigger for me today. I have been particularly busy today, so the heat and exertion together did it. My AF episodes always make me feel shaky and weak. Perhaps slow down a bit while this heat is on? I shall be doing the same!