Afib: What causes an episode? What if I don't notice?

I agree it is a blessing in disguise knowing when one is out of rhythm. I may be more uncomfortable but I am aware that "skippy" is not acting right. 🙂

@cadillac the Fitbit Sense watch

Ask a doctor, no one here can diagnose you.

@bigj The Fitbit watch which I own and wear 23 hrs a day will hopefully only pickup an episode of AFib if the duration is long enough to measure during it measuring period. And like any of the "smart watches" they aren't guaranteed to pickup every episode. All of this relatively new technology has presented cardiology with the question of what to do with many of these newly discovered short duration episodes and what real burden they represent plus is treatment even necessary. Think for an older population that you monitor 24 x 365 for any episode of AFib your going to find a lot of potential customers.

No one can diagnose here, but they can relate their experiences. And docs are trained to prescribe meds and treatments for every time you burp. There are changes to your diet and lifestyle that you can do to alleviate the need for drugs and treatments. And people on these blogs have gone to docs and told there was nothing amiss, when the person living inside their body knows there is something not normal. A doctor is not God.

I do not need any gizmos to tell me when my heart was jumping around like a ping pong ball. I personally think that constantly looking at a monitor you are wearing can cause stress and make things worse. But I am 77 and take no meds and walk up and down hills daily and eat more healthy than most people I know. And I DID have afib real bad. I off the couch also know 35 people who died, many 10 to 20 yrs younger than me.

Take responsibility for your health. Read up all you can on nutrition, get off the sofa and walk, stop drinking sodas and junk food and garbage cake and cookies etc. and eat more fruit, veggies and less anim al products.

Yes, the palpitations can happen any time. For me it’s usually at night and wakes me up. I’ve learnt that when I’ve had a high amount of sodium, or caffeine is when I have an episode. These days I avoid those things as much as possible. I’ve also had a couple of short episodes at night that did not wake me, but my Fitbit watch recorded them. I find the Fitbit is a good asset as it records the duration and the heart rate during an episode. My heart rate has been as high as 170 or 180 at times. I don’t worry about it any more. I take a beta blocker and a blood thinner, as prescribed..

@noofigal Yes I too need to stay away from Caffeine. Sodium

Alcohol, high blood glucose, and not just from sugar, some nice fresh sourdough bread kicked it off for me once. High altitude can do it, and stress can absolutely kick it off as well. It started when I was late for a plane one day, and when I lost my daughter.

Also, if I had a higher carb day that did not kick it off, sometimes when I’ve gone running or weight lifting the
next day it will kick off. I’m guessing that goes back to blood glucose. I even wear a continuous globose monitor these days to keep an eye on that.

Everyone is different, but those are all pretty much standard triggers.

@tanyawic CGM, continuous GLUCOSE monitor