Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 08:42AM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 09:35AM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 10:25AM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 10:45AM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 11:56AM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 11:58AM |
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Ghost
For me, this is absolutely the worst. And I don't even have a right to complain based on the posts I read here from time to time, as I don't really have it bad at all.
I'm literally losing my mind worrying about this. How do you guys cope with this?
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 12:57PM |
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Ghost
I'm 47, very active - jog every day, martial arts 4 times a week.
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 01:43PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 02:22PM |
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Ghost
I'm not sure that cutting back on jogging has anything to do with it. I feel great when I'm running and after I run. I don't run before sleep or anything.
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Ghost
If it is vagal induced, is there a strategy to apply to minimizing the effect? Ie, is it better to sleep in a particular position...etc? I've already cut out the idea of not over eating or eating too much before bed and allowing digestion prior to going to sleep (which isn't a bad thing for many other reasons). I don't really drink often, I just enjoy my red wine - a few glasses every weekend is the max. I'd hate to have to give that up.
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 02:54PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 08, 2019 04:39PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 09, 2019 09:11AM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 09, 2019 09:20AM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 10, 2019 07:53PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 10, 2019 07:56PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 09:38AM |
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wolfpack
I'm not sure that cutting back on jogging has anything to do with it. I feel great when I'm running and after I run. I don't run before sleep or anything.
I wouldn't stop the jogging. Just keep the "dose" where it's comfortable. Don't over do it, which it certainly doesn't sound like you are.
If it is vagal induced, is there a strategy to apply to minimizing the effect? Ie, is it better to sleep in a particular position...etc? I've already cut out the idea of not over eating or eating too much before bed and allowing digestion prior to going to sleep (which isn't a bad thing for many other reasons). I don't really drink often, I just enjoy my red wine - a few glasses every weekend is the max. I'd hate to have to give that up.
This is the tricky part for us vagal a-fibbers. You want something in the evening hours that is both vagolytic and a CNS depressant. This will run counter to everything you've probably heard, but you might try the red wine. Ethanol is vagolytic, depresses the CNS and actually works on the brain in the same way that benzodiazapenes do. If one glass in the evenings works, that's inside of the limit for long term harm. The downsides are that it's habit-forming (but so are the benzos), and it will deplete electrolytes (magnesium) so keeping on top of supplementation will become ever more important. It can also wreck sleep by causing middle of the night awakenings. So it's a huge double-edged sword but it's an experiment I've tried and found some benefit back in my active AF days. That being said, it won't work for everyone. I'm well aware of that.
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 09:41AM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 68 |
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ggheld
I'm with AB Page with additional suggestions:
1. Take a class in breathing and breath training. I'm sure when you awaken in anxiety you're breathing short rapid breaths and maybe doing the same worrying about going to sleep when you go to bed. Slow, deep breaths work wonders when you learn to use them. Any Qigong class will teach it or you can practice it yourself easily:
2. Also, Dr. Weil's classic 4, 7, 8 breaths works wonder for me and has for maybe 20 years.
3. Don't forget the non-prescription sedatives like L-Theanine and Chamomile tea, Neither are dependency creating nor do they leave a hangover. I keep a few Ambien around and a few Clonazepam but seldom need them. It's comforting and calming to know that you do have something that with get you through a rocky period if necessary. The longer acting benzos seemed to work better for me as they don't "whoosh" in and out like Xanax, Ativan, et. al.
4. I always found comfort knowing that, properly medicated, Afib will not be the cause of my ultimate demise.
5. For us vagal types first ablations have a high rate of success, particularly with the best ablationists.
Gordon
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 01:41PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 68 |
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 02:35PM |
Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 269 |
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Ghost
Here is one more question for the group.
I seem to be able to feel my heart beating regularly (when not distracted) and particularly as I am trying to fall asleep. Searching for this online comes up with issues with palpitations, but I'm not having palpitations. I've used the Kardia app/gadget and the EKG is just fine. I can simply hear and feel the heart beat. The pace isn't fast. My at rest pulse is around 55. But I can feel the beat - hear it when it is quiet and I am going asleep. This, of course, makes it difficult to fall asleep and is distracting (as I'm worrying about the afib, etc). Am I just losing my mind?
Is it normal to feel the beat like this?
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 02:41PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 02:44PM |
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Ghost
Here is one more question for the group.
I seem to be able to feel my heart beating regularly (when not distracted) and particularly as I am trying to fall asleep. Searching for this online comes up with issues with palpitations, but I'm not having palpitations. I've used the Kardia app/gadget and the EKG is just fine. I can simply hear and feel the heart beat. The pace isn't fast. My at rest pulse is around 55. But I can feel the beat - hear it when it is quiet and I am going asleep. This, of course, makes it difficult to fall asleep and is distracting (as I'm worrying about the afib, etc). Am I just losing my mind?
Is it normal to feel the beat like this?
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 02:54PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 68 |
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Pompon
Here is one more question for the group.
I seem to be able to feel my heart beating regularly (when not distracted) and particularly as I am trying to fall asleep. Searching for this online comes up with issues with palpitations, but I'm not having palpitations. I've used the Kardia app/gadget and the EKG is just fine. I can simply hear and feel the heart beat. The pace isn't fast. My at rest pulse is around 55. But I can feel the beat - hear it when it is quiet and I am going asleep. This, of course, makes it difficult to fall asleep and is distracting (as I'm worrying about the afib, etc). Am I just losing my mind?
Is it normal to feel the beat like this?
Before being an afibber, I didn't mind my heart. I only cared about its rhythm while exercising, but never while trying to sleep or things like this.
The fact is I'm now nearly always "tuned" to my heart. Even when it's quietly beating, I may hear it, feel it, worry about it. Forgetting my heart is something really hard to do; and it's bad, because it generates stress and stress is bad for the HR.
While in bed, I've to sleep. If I don't, I listen to my heart or I think about things I'd better not worry about. The result is ectopics and, sometimes, afib.
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 12, 2019 02:56PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 68 |
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Elizabeth
Ghost:
I usually can feel and hear my heart beat when lying down to sleep, I had a heart doctor once say to me that I had a strong heartbeat. So if everything checks ok with your heart then I don't think there is anything wrong, you just have a strong heartbeat.
I have learned to just relax and think of something else before falling to sleep Also, I had this strong heartbeat even before AF.
liz
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 13, 2019 08:35AM |
Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 48 |
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Ghost
Here is one more question for the group.
I seem to be able to feel my heart beating regularly (when not distracted) and particularly as I am trying to fall asleep. Searching for this online comes up with issues with palpitations, but I'm not having palpitations. I've used the Kardia app/gadget and the EKG is just fine. I can simply hear and feel the heart beat. The pace isn't fast. My at rest pulse is around 55. But I can feel the beat - hear it when it is quiet and I am going asleep. This, of course, makes it difficult to fall asleep and is distracting (as I'm worrying about the afib, etc). Am I just losing my mind?
Is it normal to feel the beat like this?
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 13, 2019 09:18AM |
Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 306 |
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 13, 2019 01:46PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 68 |
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ggheld
Ghost: You've described a real anxiety creating situation in hearing, (feeling), your heart beat whenever you lie down or even sit in some unusual way.
I've had that on and off for maybe 30 years, frequently wondering when it will quit or change rhythm, usually on my way to sleep or during a middle of the night wakeful period.
The things that have helped me the most with this are: Getting a firm but squishy down pillow that I can scrunch up so that my head is supported the way I like but my ear isn't resting on anything; and, breathing SLOWLY and DEEPLY into my nose, through my heart down to my solar plexus, dan tien, third chakra, whatever you call that area, in deep breaths, holding it then sending it throughout my lower body to wherever might be sore and out my feet. Sort of mentally spreading my heart energy over most of my body.
I know it sounds juvenile, new age or whatever but give it a try for maybe a couple of weeks. I found that my mind and body sort of became trained so the process became a habit when going to bed or napping without having to think about it.
Nothing works every time but every little bit helps.
Gordon
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 13, 2019 02:27PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 13, 2019 04:37PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 13, 2019 09:05PM |
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Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 14, 2019 07:45AM |
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wolfpack
What you are discussing is inotropy (Force of muscular contractions) and the number one factor in all of that is calcium. More calcium = more force.
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 14, 2019 09:40AM |
Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 269 |
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Pompon
What you are discussing is inotropy (Force of muscular contractions) and the number one factor in all of that is calcium. More calcium = more force.
Well, maybe. But what's the reason for this happening only during a couple of minutes from time to time ?
Isn't it more likely induced by stress ?
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 14, 2019 10:42AM |
Registered: 8 years ago Posts: 1,102 |
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Pompon
Well, maybe. But what's the reason for this happening only during a couple of minutes from time to time ?
Isn't it more likely induced by stress ?
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 14, 2019 01:48PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 68 |
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Elizabeth
Ghost said:
The EKG beat is very pronounced - always has been. When googling "strong heart beat" or "can feel my heart beat" it always brings up palpitations and the sort, no one is out there saying that it is normal.
My cardiologist had no problem with it.
Another thing that could cause it is if your blood sugar is low. I always have a protein snack about an hour before bed, I know if you need food your heart can beat a little harder.
Liz
Re: Dealing with the anxiety around AFIB March 14, 2019 03:08PM |
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