Gargling triggered Afib

[Amelia123_usa]

Last night, I gargled briefly (with plain water), and it triggered an Afib episode. (Will it not leave me alone?!)

Has anyone else experience this?

[secondtry]

What stops and starts an AF episode can be the same.

I have heard here of gargling being one action to get back into NSR, I find humming more effective though.

However, I am quite surprised such a brief action tipped you over into AF and can only conclude, if it happens again, that more work is needed on lifestyle choices and possibly (as a last resort) an increase in medication with your cardiologist's approval.

[Bagrat in reply to secondtry]

Agree what starts an episode can end it as well. Was about to say, gargling good for vagus nerve as is retching and humming! When I had my gastroscopy I gagged for England, but actually didn't mind for some reason, doc kept apologising. At the end I mentioned this ( every cloud etc) and she had never heard that.I hum constantly and drive friends and family to distraction. Apparently it is a calming , self soothing response of which I am completely unaware!!

[Amelia123_usa in reply to secondtry]

Which lifestyle choices?

[secondtry in reply to Amelia123_usa]

A search here should bring up lots of examples but stress reduction and diet changes are probably the most common.

[Amelia123_usa in reply to secondtry]

Thank you. I lead a comparatively calm life and eat a healthy diet.

Did you get AFib from being too stressed out and eating in an unhealthy manner?

[secondtry in reply to Amelia123_usa]

Impossible to be sure but what I do know is AF forced me to change those poor choices and I am now better for it.

[Ppiman]

In some of us - me included - the food pipe or oesophagus, presses tightly against the left atrium. My guess is that gargling could induce a wave of peristalsis in the pipe and that this would cause it to mildly irritate the heart and perhaps have set off an ectopic beat which could have sparked your AF. Even lifting the head can do this as I find (leaning forwards over the table can also do the same).

Steve

[Amelia123_usa in reply to Ppiman]

Thank you. Yes, me too with even slightly leaning over the table, especially after I've just eaten.

[Ppiman in reply to Amelia123_usa]

It's a strange complaint we have - and a worrying and annoying one. It has been shown that the physical "pulling" of the heart can set off palpitations (as PAC ectopic beats), and that these can be a trigger for AF.

Steve