AF occurence

Posted by lcgh @lcgh, Oct 16, 2019

My AF always occurs at night after I am asleep. Does anyone else have this situation?

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I think lying on your left side helps;...as I recall. (same as with reflux). It's worth a try.

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Do you mean that you wake up with it? I discovered that if I get up at night, I was jumping up too soon to a standing position--that may have created the switch to afib. Because now I sit up slowly, let my heart get used to that, and then slowly go to a standing position. So far this has prevented morning afib after the alarm rings.

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thanks for your observations -- i don't know when the Afib starts -- i can feel it at night when i am trying to go to sleep.

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My cardiologist said that he medicates 1 in 10 who see him for 'skipped beats'. I was one of them. He told me that because I felt faint and had to take big breaths all the time (air hungry), I needed to be put on beta blockers. My daughter at about 22 years old had skipped beats and he said she was fine because it didn't affect her in any way...except that she could feel them. I think some people worry about palpitations and skipped beats when they don't need to. Of course, it should still be checked out to rule out anything more serious.

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The AFib that I have experienced actually caused me to wake up from a sound sleep.

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@lucky1038

thanks for your observations -- i don't know when the Afib starts -- i can feel it at night when i am trying to go to sleep.

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When afib begins for me in the evening, it means I've been working too hard. Then if I rest and go to sleep, it will be gone in the morning. But everyone is different.

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Somebody already said this, but we are all different and AFIB can act differently for all of us. But you are not alone.....I was woken up many times in the middle of the night by my AFIB. Since my ablation in March, I have no more episodes........KNOCK ON WOOD! I would talk to your cardiologist and let him/her know the ONLY time you feel the AFIB is during sleep. I'm guessing they will reassure you and have a reason why it happens that way for you. But this obvious anxiety it is producing is not good, so for peace of mind, ASK! Don't worry......they get paid A LOT more than you or me to answer a few questions! Best of luck!

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I didn't have afib but before transplant my issue was ventricular Tachacardia and yes it seemed to always be at night. Towards the end i was getting them so often right about midnight it would keep me awake. But like others said talk to your dr. I know mine was watching my magnesium levels and keeped them close to the high side. I know magnesium is real important for heart rhythm problems.

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My AF comes and goes, but it reoccurred also recently, maybe due to family issues. Stress seems to set mine off, as does getting too tired. I can keep it at bay for months if I'm careful, but lately it's back, and it happens at night too. I wake up in the middle of the night almost every night, and lately I can feel my heart miss beats. It feels like it wants to race, but I'm on Diltiazem which keeps it from going crazy. The doc said it's OK if I take magnesium, so I might test a low dose to see if it helps.
I don't think I'll ever get used to this. I was diagnosed in March and it still makes me anxious and sad. Other people who have had it a long time said I will get used to it, but so far I haven't. The worst part for me is knowing it's for life and I'll be on these expensive drugs for life and that I might die if I quit taking the drugs. I hate the dependency and I hate my heart not beating right. But, eventually I hope I learn to live with it all. My family still doesn't get that I have to be careful. They expect me to be as healthy as I was, able to do anything at any time, travel and keep all hours, stay up late, put a lot of stress on me, etc. I'm venting. I can't vent to them because they don't get it. Only people with afib get it.

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@afrobin

My cardiologist said that he medicates 1 in 10 who see him for 'skipped beats'. I was one of them. He told me that because I felt faint and had to take big breaths all the time (air hungry), I needed to be put on beta blockers. My daughter at about 22 years old had skipped beats and he said she was fine because it didn't affect her in any way...except that she could feel them. I think some people worry about palpitations and skipped beats when they don't need to. Of course, it should still be checked out to rule out anything more serious.

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That's weird that your doc had that reaction to missed beats. I was told that missed beats are very serious because the blood stagnates in one ventricle and forms clots which can break loose when the heart starts beating regular again and then they can cause strokes. The ER doctor didn't mess around when I went in for my tachycardia. He put me on blood thinners and told me I'd be on them for the rest of my life. Every doctor I've seen since then has said the same thing. Missed beats are nothing to mess around with.

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