Problem sleeping on stomach?

Does anyone else get Afib if sleeping on their stomach? I am not overweight, and do not have a protruding stomach, but I've found if I lye on my stomach while sleeping I have more tendency to get Afib in the middle of the night. I had Afib in 2000 at age 39. This was a real surprise to me, as I was a competive athlete with 25 years of daily hard training and I was in top physical condition with extremely low bodyfat... It was fixed in 2000 with an Ablation, but it's now starting to show up again. I have recently been on Prilosec for a few years (2009-2016) and got off of it about a year ago with the use of DGL, which my GI Doctor agreed was a good remedy,...My RBC-Magnesium has been on the very low end of the "acceptable lab range" and I'm diligently working on raising that, last week it was 5.2, so its going up. 11 days ago was in the ER with a heart rate of 135 and while there it went to 185. They gave me intravenous Diltiazem and it reverted back down to 77 in about an hour...total time there was 3 and half hours....according to the ER Dr. My labs "alll looked perfect" and my EKG and chest X-Ray perfect, nothing abnormal..I requested a copy of the labs and compared my Potassium to my April blood work. Potassium had dropped from 4.7 ( no symptoms back then ) down to 3.8.(lab range: 3.6 to 5.2) .... They prescribed me Diltiazem 120mg time release along with another Diltiazem 60mg regular tablet for instances where I might start to go into Afib.....Been sleeping on my Recliner chair flat, but obviously on my back...if I go into bed and lie face down, the Afib starts....I have a great regular Doctor who treats mostly older athletes....he thinks my low end Magnesium and low end Potassium is the cause and has reinstated my old prescription of Chlor-Kon Potassium...which I used to take when I was athletically active because my Potassium always tended to drop very low....I follow a very, very low carb diet, always have, some doctors in the past have felt this contributed to my low potassium levels....My regular Dr. agreed with my request for a standing order to check my RBC-Magnesium and my Potassium and electrolytes....on a weekly or every other week basis, to keep a close check on them...I've noticed with the reintroduction of the potassium, it has made a big difference....the goal (which my regular Dr. agreed with) is to get the Potassium and Rbc-Magnesium to "Optimal" levels....not just "barely in the lab range" .... and then wean off the Diltiazem...because that is making me very tired.....So my original question: sleeping on the stomach? anyone else have that problem, and if so, are there any solutions?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2017 10:47AM by George77.

As a Physiotherapist let me say - don't sleep on your stomach! It will, over time, cause you serious neck problems.

Hello George 77 -

Just a quick response - but my experience is that if my serum potassium dropped below 4.0, I was much more prone to afib events. Avocados are a good low carb potassium source if you like them; but you'll probably need to continue supplementing if you can't get to the 4700 mg RDA from food... often considered a minimum... but you can over-do as well. You should test frequently, and you may want to consider the CardyMeter so you can monitor yourself. See this report in Conference Room Session #74 [www.afibbers.org]

Also, stomach sleeping torques the cervical spine area. It's a very unfriendly position for healthy spinal alignment and, moreover, the vagus nerve (Tenth Cranial Nerve) comes down through your neck and if your sleeping position irritates or impinges that nerve, it can stimulate afib since the Vagus also innervates the heart. I've heard many doctors say that stomach sleeping causes a host of problems.

Jackie

Thank you for the response. I definitely was aware of the vagus nerve involvement, and you confirmed it for me. Thank you...Unfortunaley I can not eat avocados without a laxattive effect, and I'm having enough of that from the magnesium....I believe I am a "high histamine" type as certain foods have always caused me stomach issues even as a young boy, hence the diet of mostly protein and salads and a few green vegetables, and the occasional meal of pasta for the glycogen recharge. That type of eating has always worked well for my stomach, and my energy levels. I've tried every form of magnesium there is, my wife losing her patience with all the different types of magnesium I have on the shelf....I've had the least stomach issue difficulties with Remag by Dr. Carolyn Dean, mixed in a mason jar of 24 ounces of filtered water, with a bit of Himalayan salt. I have been trying Liquid Mega-Mag, placing a 1ml dropper under the tongue for quick absorbtion....that, along with 1-2 potassium orotate capsules and 1000 mg of Taurine, seems to be working lately to divert any flutters from turning into an Afib episode (along with 120 mg Diltiazem recently being introduced daily into my system) ... Thank you again for your time and help....it is very much appreciated!

Sam, thank you for your response, I guess sleeping on my back is the way to go. I'm a carbon copy of my father, and before he passed from lung cancer, he always slept on his back, because he said if he didn't, his back would "not feel right" .... so I guss the best physiological position for sleeping, is on my back...Thank you !!

HI George,

Carolyn Dean MD, who does a lot with magnesium suggest an RBC level between 6 & 6.5 (I actually run mine somewhat higher).

Don't know what your activity status is now, but hard training is a known pathway to afib for those with a predisposition. It was my path and detraining - especially endurance training & activity as well as high magnesium intake have kept me in excellent remission for nearly 13 years. After having a 2.5 month episode in the first 4 months, my record in the last more than 4 years is 3 episodes totaling 2.5 hours out of rhythm.

I remain active, but know my subjective limits and am pretty successful staying within them. Also, getting my electrolytes in order which also means limiting calcium intake is important. If my electrolytes are balanced, then other triggers - like sleep position are not important.

George.

Thank you for your response....I would love to get my RBC-mag level up over 6. It's been bouncing between 4.0 and 5.2 for the last year, 5.2 being my recent highest since starting on this quest to follow my RBC-magnesium. I had a successful Ablation in January of 2000, and had been perfect until 2015. Back in 2010 I was put on a prescription NSAID for shoulder arthritis, no cartilage left in the shoulder joint from decades of training very hard...in February of 2015 I collapsed from internal bleeding, blamed upon the NSAID. My wife called for an ambulance and I was hospitalized for 5 weeks while I received 26 transfusions while they did countless endoscopic searches and colonoscopies....finally finding two separate bleeds and repairing them. Soon after my Iron (Ferritin) was found to be way down to 12, and I was started on Iron .... soon after beginning the Iron I began the old familiar Afib episodes....And because I had been "fixed" in 2000 they told me "you are fine, you are likely just having PTSD from the rough ordeal with the hospital and the blood loss"...(Wrong, it was Afib) Eventually in August of 2015 I got to a Cardiologist who said "it's Afib, you're otherwise in perfect health, so you only get drugs, Diltiazem and aspirin, because we only do Ablations on people with other severe health issues, of which you have none" ..... so because the Diltiazem was so exhausting, I embarked upon the Magnesium quest with the blessing and agreement of my regular Doctor. We found that in 2015 my RBC-Magnesium was 3.6.... so that was obviously a factor. I soon got the magnesium up to 4.8 and got off of the Diltiazem which was making me unable to stay awake during the day....I've been taking the magnesium supplements since then, (Summer 2015) always pushing to the point of diarrhea .....and recently ended up in the ER with a HR over 135 on the way, and it went up to 185 while in the ER...and they gave me Diltiazem through an intravenous and I converted back to 77 bpm, and they sent me home, referring me to another Cardiologist..(not available until September)...I checked my ER labs and saw my Potassium was 3.8 , but on my labs from April in a routine physical, it was 4.7 (no problems at 4.7) so I think the lax effect from the excessive magnesium created a potassium deficit.....still working on it, my regular Dr. Getting me back on prescription Chlor-Kon (which I had been on for over 20 years and recently slipped up on taking regularly) getting better. Thanks for your response....(My regular Dr. and I both think if I can get my RBC-Magnesium and my Potassium back up to the top end of the ranges, I won't have any more episodes...) Thanks again...

Dr Natale told me years ago before my first Ablation in Feb 2014 that laying on your back or left side or stomach was Not a trigger for AFIB.
I just point blank ask him and he basically said all that was not true.
I do know Stress is a big trigger for me or was.
Just "food for thought" from the Maestro Dr. Natale.

My previous PCP told me to stop sleeping on my stomach because I would often wake up with stomach acid creeping up my esophagus, not a pleasant or healthy thing. This even though I take a PI. When I stopped sleeping on my stomach, the reflux stopped also. After my Natale ablation I've been able to sleep on my left side again without being so self-conscious about the sound of my beating heart. And sleeping on your back is not good if you have sleep apnea, like I do.

Hi Smackman! Hope you are doing well. I have to laugh a bit about your comments from Dr. Natale.

In my early stages of afib... had he been there with me, he'd have noted that I could sleep on my right side and not have Afib... but all I needed to do was try sleeping on my left side and... Whamo... the beast was back! I was never a stomach or back sleeper can't attest to that, but I do know that for about 20 years, I slept only on my right side. No GERD issues either.

Now, 2 years after my third Natale ablation, I have begun to enjoy sleeping on the other side. Such a welcome change.... although I note the same as you... the sound of my heart beating is somewhat distracting but I love the sound of NSR!

Be well,
Jackie

I can only sleep on my stomach (and I am overweight). But it's never been a trigger. Turning onto my left side has been a couple of times, but not on a regular basis. My triggers can be standing too long, but sleeping isn't.
Nancy