I was treated for OSA but I did score quite high on the Epworth so was referred for overnight monitoring, I had mild-moderate OSA with 11-18 pauses/hour which was the most probable cause of nocturnal AF, which I had most nights. I’ve been on CPAP for just about 10 years now and never an episode of nocturnal AF. Still had episodes with other causes so didn’t ‘cure’ AF but the two things which have helped most are Pacemaker and CPAP. My AF burden reduced from 70% down to 2% - I take no medications at all for AF.
How much of the time that you are in AF for. It’s easy for me as I have a Pacemaker and an iWatch both of which tells me exactly how much AF I have, whether or not I feel it.
I have lost the links to what were many online studies, but I recall reading that OSA was one of the most frequent conditions to sit alongside AF (the others I recall were increasing age, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and thyroid conditions).
I think there was some evidence that reducing OSA did reduce AF frequency. The trouble with this condition, of course, is that it can come and go almost seemingly at will and measuring the effectiveness of treatments is not easy.
Thanks Ppiman. In my case I was completely unaware of any OSA problems until I had the test (eg my wife tells me I don’t snore much) - but it is encouraging to identify a possible cause of AF. I’m not keen on wearing a face mask whilst sleeping, but if a dental mouthpiece reduces OSA, and that reduces AF episodes, that would be a positive.
That would be the way I would go. A friend has used a ventilation machine and mask for years and swears by it, but I have read that the overall drop-out rate is more than 50%.
~I had a dental mouth splint made which came after my mask use with CPAP machine. The splint was amazingly expensive but felt worth the money over CPAP machine.
After 14 months of use it altered my bite considerably thus seriously impacting my teeth + jaw.
If I didn't want to lose my teeth I needed to cease wearing.
Straight back to CPAP - teeth have slowly settled down to certain extent with the unfortunate loss of two.
Most of us here can only draw on our personal experiences and try and develop that into suggestions.
My conclusion is that OSA resulting in AF is caused by a number of factors (eg age, individual physical make-up) but a principal one is likely to be stress.
I am 70yo male and have/had OSA long before my AF was diagnosed. Sleep studies showed the same mild OSA as yourself. After the first test the NHS offered me nothing and I took BobD's advice and used Breathright Nasal strips, which I continue to use; difficult to say how much they help but worth a try.
Poor sleep pattern and headaches on waking drove me to another sleep test and again 'mild' was the result but this time I was given a CPAP machine to try. To complicate things at the same time my AF (only twice in 11 yrs) changed to more frequent 'flutter' type feelings and I am just about to record this on a 48hr monitor. The good news though is that with the help of Ancient Minerals Magnesium lotion with melatonin and no computer/national news after 5pm my sleep is much improved and no headaches on waking, not sure if this means the OSA has decreased but it is a good enough result for me.
PS I have not used the CPAP much yet as need to identify with my cardiologist the latest irregular beat pattern first, as too many changes makes it difficult to attribute successes or failures.
The good news though is that with the help of Ancient Minerals Magnesium lotion with melatonin and no computer/national news after 5pm my sleep is much improved and no headaches on waking, not sure if this means the OSA has decreased but it is a good enough result for me.
Such a good plan. We don’t really yet understand the full value and importance of getting really good quality sleep for healing but my own experience is good sleep = better health, improved cognitive functioning, less fatigue and more energy to live a life.
CPAP for me is important because of my Myasthenia as much as OSA as it was obvious that my O2 says kept dipping which triggered tachycardia which resulted in AF during sleep so I could see a direct connection but that may not be the case for everyone.
I have OSA and a cpap, in fact it was my cpap nurse who first noticed an afib incident (before I was in permanent afib) I've used a cpap for over 10 years, So I can only say there may be a corrolation, but have no idea if it was the cause.
Hi Vernasco I was diagnosed with SA around 9 years ago b7t looking back I think it appeared in my 20's, my reading was 73 per 6 hours sleep I was recommended Cpap and now my episodes are between 0.5 and 1.8 per hour this has been since 2014 only problem I wake with a dry mouth even with the humidifier. I was diagnosed with Afib in 2021 I cannot see any corelation with SA and Afib.
Hi, don't think OSA can be cured. I was diagnosed about 8yrs ago but on reflection probably much longer and contributed to my AF. Mask only helps when you are asleep. If you have any problems getting to sleep, pain, noise etc then I've found mask esp on hot nights is counterproductive.
I was surprised to find out that I had sleep apnea because I didn't have the typical signs of snoring, open mouth etc. However I failed the test and recorded 18 times per hour of apnea. My pulmonologist told this combined with alcohol was a double whammy as to why I started getting AFib in the middle of the night.
I was skeptical but the CPAP machine actually helped quite a bit for me in holding off AFib. I think the percentage is high of AFib patients who also have sleep apnea (like 75% or higher). I use my CPAP faithfully because sleep apnea can not only contribute to AFib but many other serious conditions too.
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