Caffeine as a trigger?

Can caffeine be a trigger if you have a cup of coffee in the early morning and you go into afib later that night? ....10-11 hours later? Do most people go into afib immediately after caffeinated coffee?

Quite the contrary for some vagal afibbers. Some vagal afibbers find that coffee actually helps stave off an episode as it increases the typical slow heart rate that triggers night time events. Before stopping coffee I used to have coffee in the evening to do just that. So I don't think the morning cup of coffee will have any effect on your night time events. But many will disagree. Try skipping it for a few days and see if it makes any difference to you. However, if it does stave off AF it will follow at a later time. These self medicating techniques only work short term.

Fran

FRAN,

ARE YOU SAYING THAT COFFEE IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR VAGAL
AFIBBERS???

Some vagal afibbers have found that caffeine can help. But as I said it is only short lived, avoidance of coffee for a vafer doesn't stop the AF, a cup of coffee at the right moment can stave it off. The trigger for vagal afibbers seems to be when the heart rate goes too low at rest. Coffee keeps the rate up so the slow rate does not trigger an AF reaction. I'm not saying it is the case for all, but it certainly works for some - along the same lines as exercising to keep stave off an episode.

Its a matter of learning how your body reacts. We do not all react the same so whilst we can read advice on what works for others, it has to be tried and tested on the individual. Coffee was a short term self medication for me once upon a time. But it is not a long term solution.

Fran

Organic coffee causes no problems for me at 2 cups per day.
I could not drink the common coffee.

William A 65

You're absolutely right about organic coffee, William. Coffee is one of the highest containing chemical products on the market. My wife tried Boyd's coffee in the hotel once and broke out in rashes and welts all over. Now only organic for her, and none for me. Wahhh!

Richard

Doug - I stopped all caffeine for about one year and I still had afib & or flutter.

Another time when I knew I was in sinus and was going for an EKG, I drank a medium Starbucks cup of regular coffee. The EKG showed NSR.

I think I have(hopefully had) the mixed type of afib/flutter.

Nancy

Being diagnosed in August, my cardiologist told me to get completely off caffeine, which I have done. However my afib episodes have not decreased a bit. Still have them about 3 times per week lasting from 6 to 36 hours. So as I see it, I'm now missing my morning jump start, and still feeling the same old thing. Go figure.

Cathy in PA