Hello! Has anyone any history with this as a possible trigger for AFib? Most of my episodes since diagnosis 5 years ago have been triggered by foods, earlier on by alcohol (wine). But i believe two in the past few months might have been triggered by my sleeping posture - sleeping tightly wound up on my side, 'crushing' into my shoulder, potentially 'squeezing' my heart. Both times i've woken up from a deep sleep in such a posture.
I've had a bilateral mastectomy 19 years ago and very little padding/cushioning on my chest. Also skinnier than i've ever been. (It's that reduced diet - have cut out grain based foods, too hard to digest now)
Interested in any similar experiences, thoughts. Thanks!
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nominingue
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This has been spoken about a lot on the forum over the years. I can't sleep on my left hand side as this will trigger my AF and I'll feel my heart thudding. Right hand side and back are fine. Many members here are the same.
Yes, definitely sleeping on the left side is worse for AF. It compresses the lungs and you can feel your heart beating in the chest wall with the pressure. I have had AF a few times with laying on my left side.
I’ve noticed the same about my left side. It can in some put pressure on the heart and upper chambers making an AF episode more likely. Even flipping over way too fast in bed will do it for me.
I am naturally a side on sleeper, and a fairly restless one at that. I always start off on my right side but during the night I often end up on my left side and ultimately wake up. As far as I can tell when this has happened I've never ventured into AF .... but then I am described as being asymptomatic.
However, if I have managed to get onto my left side, close to day break and waking up time I have noticed that my heart is thumping and wallowing away and I get up feeling quite unwell .......... yet nothing I can put my finger on, I've even used my Kardia to try and capture the moment - but - no joy there.
Interestingly about a week ago I decided to take my BP about 1pm. Now my normal BP about that time of day is about 137/80. I had just put the cuff on my left arm and adjusted it and during the 'take' I felt a massive, massive kick in the chest. When I checked the readings from my Omron it said 106/71 ( with 2 wobbly heart icons next to it). A massive drop and again I felt unwell.
Happily next Tuesday I have my 6 month follow up appointment with my Cardiac Consultant.
I am a front sleeper up until; I broke my hip, now a back sleeper! Has it made a difference, no not really but I do know that nurses are told not to lay the elderly on their left hand sides!!!
A combination of the position and sensitivity of the Vagus Nerve coupled with digestion issues could be your issue. For me this has meant sleeping with 3 pillows and on my back.
For me the answer is most definitely yes. If I sleep on my left side an episode will start in 15-20 minutes, on my right side nearer to 30. I decided to try sleeping on my back, it took a lot of getting used to, but I have not had an episode at night now for around tw years. Now they start at random times, for varying lengths of time. My cardiologist said that in my case if they had not stopped within 3 hours then go to A&E.
I have a spinal problem as well and need to sleep slightly propped up so I have invested in a reasonable quality wedge pillow. This has solved both A.Fib and back pain,
Yes - another here who has to avoid / be careful about sleeping on the left side. Right side no problem. When my heart is in a calm state, not sensitised, I can happily go to sleep on my right and shift to my left later. Discovering this trigger was a great help!
I was like Ben Hall, I'd start on my right side but wake up on my left My AF has been permanent though asymptomatic for 7+ years. I have not noticed thumping on my left.
Since a fortnight ago I sleep with 3 pillows on my back and on my left. What happened a fortnight ago has stopped me from sleeping on my right. In the evening I put the right side of my face on the pillow and it felt as if a thousand wasps were stinging my face. It was the worst pain I've ever had. I sat upright and the pain drained from my face. A week later I had two more episodes at 2.30am and 6.30am, on a Friday morning, both times when I woke up to go to the loo. ( In my case the loo during the night are two screw -top plastic bottles designed for the purpose).
As I moved both legs over the edge of the bed that awful pain came again. Only for 15 seconds before I found the right head position.
I'd been trying all week to get an appointment via the medical centre's online system, so tried the other method of getting an appointment, turning up at the medical centre by 8 am. I turned up at 7.40 to find 6 people in front of me, but after the doors were open at 8am I was awarded an appointment.
The result is a twice daily tablet which can affect my heart and my INR ( I'm on warfarin and can check that whenever I need to). It has caused a daily headache until today. The illness/condition being trigeminal neuralgia.
I won't sleep on my right side again, as the pain can be set off by touching my face, shaving, eating, speaking, etc.
I found that if I lay on my left hand side it could trigger AF. I don’t do that any more. I’ve had an ablation now. but still wouldn’t risk sleeping on that side. I tend to sleep on my back now.
Historically my AF only came about during exertion, or paradoxically while sitting peacefully but never while sleeping. Now, 3 years on from ablation I get palpitation "storms',....PAC's and PVC's if I try to sleep too soon after a meal or drinking liquid (say within 2 hours of bedtime). Thing is it only happens if I am on either side. I feel it more on the left side presumably due to the tilt of the heart and routing of the Aorta. For me, it tracks directly to digestion and autonomic nervous system agitation. I can track/feel the contents of my stomach on the top end as it drains, resulting in belching. And on the bottom end, I can feel each curve in the large intestine as gas works it's way to through. Once that resolves everything quiets down and I can sleep. On my back is fine, but I have sleep apnea so I try to avoid that position. Focusing on one side all night long leads to soreness and discomfort.
One thing you might try that I'm considering as well is one of those side sleeper pillows that builds in neck support and has arm cutouts so it raises you somewhat and gives you a more favorable shoulder position. I'm sure you can't go wrong lengthening and stretching out from a 'scrunched position as well. Congesting the chest or torso could kick off lots of issues from digestion to breathing to nervous system. Best of luck tracking it down.
Hi. Yes, I was recommended a side sleeping pillow a few years back at a bed/mattress supply store. it makes sense, as my bony shoulders don't appreciate being 'scrunched' any more than my torso or other organs, digestive and otherwise. Thanks for reminding me. I've certainly been through my share of pillows over the years, usually trying to find one that supported my neck whilst being somewhat giving. Cheers!
I can't sleep on left side -- only on my back and right side. I can go into a modified fetal position, but not too much so or else my stomach pushes my diaphragm into my heart area and I can feel constriction which could trigger a-fib. Oh, what we go through!
I have no issues with AF sleeping on either side. However, I always start out sleeping on my left because it prevents me from having acid reflux during the night. Sleeping on the left allows to stomach to empty more efficiently. Acid reflex besides being uncomfortable always causes me to have a large number of ectopics. That is no surprise since vagus nerve irritation affects both heart and digestive issues.
I have always slept on my left side actually I used to be a stomach sleeper, even when I was pregnant. Right side is the uncomfortable side for me. I hope to get answers for that. a possibility that my might have a little too much room in it because on my my pacemaker and I can actually see the bump whereas otherwise I do not have a bump. In fact, I barely have a scar. If I lay on my right, I need to put pillows to prevent this from happening or wear a bra. The good thing is my dog sleeps to the right of me so now I use him for a pillow half the time lol everything I’ve seen has suggested not to lay on my left side, but it sure is hard to change after all these years.
if I’m in bed and have an episode usually I’m laying on my back reading or something. The majority of the time I have either eaten too much or sipped on wine which I enjoy ice in. oh and also ice cream definitely something about cold things. I swear I can feel it hit the middle of my chest lol
once again we are all different. I am not really a drinker. I like my sangria with my Mexican food. I’m not a big ice cream eater unless my cousin has brought home something good from a specialty shop near us once again I’m just a believer that a fib does what a fib wants to do.
Interesting topic for me, 70% of my Afib incidents began while I'm in a deep asleep on my left side. I fall asleep on my right side but always roll to my left side while asleep.
I used to always have Afib episodes when laying down - I have a pacemaker on my left and I sleep on my left but I found that laying in a recliner (my head is then raised ) until I fall asleep. When I wake I now go to bed and have had no afib since.
100%. no left side sleeping for me either. I can also trigger AF with a large meal, some wine and a hunched up posture watching TV (really - and I can feel it coming). I have a hiatus hernia which I also think contributes as my first signs of AF were in bed with acid reflux. I think the mechanical triggers for AF are a little under played by the EPs......
Can you tell me how you know you have a hiatus hernia? I will be having an endoscopy soon i hope as I am having trouble with my digestion. Something seems to be narrowing my upper digestive tract. I can't eat grain based food now, including white basmati rice, without triggering an AFib episode.
I've also thought that my hunched posture, maybe especially when eating, may be hindering the whole apparatus.
I think they don't much time at all researching triggers, don't seem to care, including the mechanical ones. The industry/profession seem content with prescribing or operating.
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