Arterial fibrillation

[Stupidtwat]

Anyone out there I feel really jiggery at night my heart is pounding I have served anxiety and I'm scared and petrified I can't stop these feelings 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Paulbounce]

Hello ST.

It's pretty normal to feel anxiety when your heart goes into overdrive and starts pounding. I suggest deep/slow breathing techniques. Not only will this possibly help to slow down your heart rate, but it may help with the anxiety, too.

Rgds Paul

[Lizziedoodle89 in reply to Paulbounce]

Deep breathing helps me and I take rescue remedy, af units self makes you feel anxious but I really think deep breathing helps,good luck 🤞

[Terriersgalore in reply to Paulbounce]

It is pretty frightening. I have tried deep breathing where your stomach goes up and down (not your chest) for a while, and it works; but do it sooner rather than later. Works for me. Hope it does for you. I think it’s probably the concentration that’s needed to do this that does the trick. Good luck. ☺️

[jeanjeannie50]

I know just how you feel.

The way my heart used to pound at night, it was as though it was in severe distress and trying to get out of my chest. I honestly thought that I would be found dead next morning. I'm now 20 years on, still with AF and think back and realise that all that anxiety was a waste of time because I'm still here alive and kicking. I don't know if you are aware but people very rarely die from having AF.

Anxiety is like fuel to AF, the more anxious you are the more it feeds an attack. Easy for me to say now I don't have those awful attacks but honestly it's true. It took years for me to understand that. So do your very best to ignore it. If it strikes at night, bend your arms above your head and stretch up from shoulder to elbow. Some people find that sleeping on a certain side of their body when in bed can start their hearts off thumping. For me I can't sleep on my left side. I would sometimes get my mobile phone, find a slow heartbeat sound on YouTube and listen to that.

Certain items eaten or drank by you could cause an attack, that is foods containing artificial additives or sweeteners. Also sulphite/sulphides (a preservative in wine and other drinks) can set off an attack. I guess you may have read on this forum how artificial sweeteners were a sure trigger for my attacks.

If I cant sleep I set a little scene in my head. I imagine I'm walking down a leafy countryside lane in the warm sunshine. I see a gate, go through it into a field and after observing all the wild flowers, birds and bees, slowly walk down to a river. I sit and watch the ducks in the water gently floating by. I become one of the ducks and find myself floating down the river too. By this time I'm often asleep.

Hope this may help you.

Jean

[Stupidtwat in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you for your kind words I was so scared last night I woke up with the feeling of blood in my mouth and a burning taste but I figured it was the tikka chicken I had for supper and I had sweet chilli sauce so I think the burning was. From that. But honestly I was terrified

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Stupidtwat]

An atrial fibrillation attack can be worrisome but look I'm still here and you will probably be saying the same as me years ahead. Strange how in the middle of the night our thoughts and emotions can be so much more heightened. When having one at night I would text my daughter asking her to check on me in the morning. Which she would do after switching on her mobile phone. It made me feel better to know that someone would be aware that I felt so dreadful and check I was ok.

[Stupidtwat in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I'm so scared when they do tests this afternoon at cardio they.ll say I have a blood clot

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Stupidtwat]

How did your tests go this afternoon?

[Stupidtwat in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Good no AF

[Stupidtwat in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Yes the tests went good the nurse who did it said that there was no sign of AF could have just been the stress I was under so hoping for a clean bill of health from the cardiologist

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Stupidtwat]

That's great news.

[foxglove1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

And I’ve done that too. Asking my sister to call me the next day to check!

[ozziebob in reply to Stupidtwat]

As jeanjeannie50 mentioned above, various foods and additives and preservatives and sugar and artificial sweeteners can be precursors to an agitated heart.

In the light of this, can I state one obvious concern is the "tikka chicken I had for supper" accompanied by the "burning taste" "sweet chilli sauce". So I would be checking the ingredients list of any commercial product contained in your supper.

[Stupidtwat in reply to ozziebob]

Yeah I won't be having chilli sauce again

[Czech_Mate in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Jean

Don't forget to shut the gate after you, the wild flowers might escape😉

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Czech_Mate]

😅😂🤣

[Stupidtwat in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you for the advice apparently when I went for a echogram of my heart she said there was no sign now of my AF I think it was down my stress so now this is a wake up call hopefully now when I get the cardiologist to sign me off I can ditch the medication as I don't want to be on them any longer than I have too

[Myya in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you for tha Jean Jean, I am in permanent AF and I too, feel I’ve wasted much of my life thinking of thr “what ifs” at night. Your words are always encouraging! I am 91 and Canadian, in Canada!

[foxglove1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I like your posts jeanjeannie and find them inspiring when anxiety hits

thank you!

[TracyAdmin Partner]

Welcome to the Forum, I am certain many members will offer their advice and support based upon their own symptoms and experiences. In our experience from the many patient enquiries we receive symptoms can vary on an individual basis. You may benefit from downloading the 'AF & You' booklet for an overview of AF: api.heartrhythmalliance.org...

May I also take this opportunity to invite you to attend our Patients Day on Sunday 05 October, ICC, Birmingham, UK.. We are currently offering an early-bird price to attend! To take advantage of this one-off opportunity, visit: heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...

Alternatively, if you prefer, please contact our Patient Services Team via our dedicated Patient Helpline; [phone] or via email: heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...

The team are always here to help.

Kind regards

TracyAdmin

[opal11uk]

I totally endorse all of Jeanjeannie's comments, I too am over 20 years in with this most inconsiderate and inconvenient condition and She is right, all the anxiety and stress in the World will definitely not help it and is a waste of time and energy and I am still here at 81 sooooooo

[Magtogrid]

your reaction is completely normal. I was convinced I was dying. Now I just try and ignore it or undertand what I have done to trigger it. For me it’s food/alcohol or a virus. Lying down at night triggers my acid reflux which triggers my AF. No curry, less alcohol, no food after 8pm, slightly raised bed and voila! If I have a cold or worse I have to rest or I know I will start with PACs. I am sure you will have your own set of triggers but you will find them and your ways of avoiding or relieving AF. This forum is a great anxiety helper - so many good people who have been through the journey and having a good quality of life just managing the situation . Good luck

[OzJames]

you may have had a series of Ectopic heart beats which can be confused for AF. Ectopics are found in most of the population at one time or another and are mostly quite benign, The more we feed them stress the more they can jump around. Get used to the practice of controlled breathing through your nose and toss out sugar and sugary drinks and sweets and caffeine for a while and see how you go

[Onkaparinga]

Lots of good advice here so I won't repeat it but I also ask Alexa to play wave sounds and I find that helps to distract and relax.I eventually had an ablation and so far, that's done the trick but I've still got the sound of waves habit at nighttime!

[TootingBelle]

I listen to Music and Meditation on BBC Sounds. It calms me down and often sends me to sleep.

[southkorea]

Just remember that it is not going to kill you so relax and think of something nice. As others suggest deep breathing will help you . Breathe out for longer than you breathe in !

[Paulbounce in reply to southkorea]

Just remember that it is not going to kill you so relax and think of something nice ✅✅✅

[Stupidtwat in reply to Paulbounce]

Apparently I'm not in AF now it was caused by stress so I've learned my lesson the hard way I know I have to relax and hopefully next week I can come off the meds

[Cossington]

Hi, You have a lot of really good advice in the replies.

Not advice, but here's what helped me.... When diagnosed, my Doc asked me not the become a cardiac cripple, to carry on as normal, and foolishly I bought a smartwatch to monitor things.

I became obsessed.

And that made my anxiety worse. After a couple of years obsession, I knew that the medication was helping and that without invasive procedures, my AF would not go away.

I chose instead the throw the bloody smartwatch away!

The peace and tranquility!

That action drove the AF into the background. I still have it of course, but none of the rapid thumping, the anxiety has gone and even my BP is no longer a problem....

Hang in there, try not to let the damn thing take over.

Mike

[bean_counter27 in reply to Cossington]

It's great what you have done works for you.... and for many others. However, we're all different. I have several devices to identify and capture details of my paroxysmal AF episodes. Confirming what I am feeling is AF is actually reassuring that it's "only" AF. In addition they provide valuable info to share with my cardiologist about duration and frequency of my episodes, noting I only see him once a year.

[Sixtychick in reply to Cossington]

I sold my smart watch, it was making me anxious. I have a portable Emay heart monitor. If I get a funny heartbeat, I can take an ECG on it and put it onto my Iphone to show the Dr if necessary.

[Francis1899 in reply to Cossington]

GREAT Information! I too got into that “obsessive” routine - testing 2-3 times a day! Smart watch, blood pressure cuff, Kardia, WHOA! I finally put the brakes on too. My Afib was treated with an ablation a year and a half ago. No Afib episodes to date. BUT!!!I’m now experiencing multiple PVC’s - as shown on a Spider monitor I’ve been wearing for nearly two weeks. I have NO experience with PVCs and my EP will meet with me next week. I’m told they are benign UNLESS there are heart issues. Of course that’s me (tiny hole since birth and a small valve leak). ANYONE have any similar experience to share?

[Hanibal]

Hi, You have a lot of really good advice in the replies.

Not advice, but here's what helped me.... When diagnosed, my Doc asked me not the become a cardiac cripple, to carry on as normal, and foolishly I bought a smartwatch to monitor things.

I became obsessed.

And that made my anxiety worse. After a couple of years obsession, I knew that the medication was helping and that without invasive procedures, my AF would not go away.

I chose instead the throw the bloody smartwatch away!

The peace and tranquillity!

That action drove the AF into the background. I still have it of course, but none of the rapid thumping, the anxiety has gone and even my BP is no longer a problem....

Hang in there, try not to let the damn thing take over.

Mike

[Qualipop]

And the more you worry about it the worse it will get. Anxiety causes massive physical symptoms. Talk to your GP. Also try lying in a position where your ear isn't on the pillow so you don't hear/feel your heartbeat as much.

[skintsugi]

Hello there, I was diagnosed last December and treated initially with Bisoprolol and can really empathise with your experiences. I couldnt sleep, was very frightened at night, foggy brain, anxious constantly and started to get intrusive thoughts. I just thought this was part of living with AF. However, these can be a side effect of Bisoprolol. I am now on Diltiazem. I can still hear my heart pound if I sleep on my left side, but the other symptoms have gone. Apart from the pain in the proverbial that living with AF is I feel completely like my old self again.Sending you all best wishes.

[Stupidtwat in reply to skintsugi]

I get very frightened at night but I know I have to learn to relax I listen to music now on my phone

[Peacefulneedshelp]

Make sure you're not eating something that you are allergic to. Some of us can't handle the additives in the food. I stopped buying a lot of packaged foods for that reason. I do most of my own cooking and baking.

[Newtothis25]

This sounds odd but through breathing exercises I learned in yoga classes it has helped me to lessen the anxiety that comes with AF. I do this every morning, I make time for myself every morning and evening. My quality of sleep is better and people dont get under my skin, per say, as much. I wish you well in finding your inner peace sister.