Wim Hof Method and Afib WHM

Just trying something different. I have afib show up for about half of the time each week. (About the same frequency for the last four years when I discovered it). I thought I would get back to substantial exercise and also try the unusual Wim Hoff Method, which can be controversial. I just started taking my heart rhythm (Apple Watch) right before the breathing exercises and right after. I notice that the routine kicks the heart into afib sometimes. (Kind of like the same day I think it might have kicked back in anyway, but not before.) I've been doing the breathing exercise for about a month. I think I'll keep it up until end of the year and see what happens. My afib is pretty asymptomatic. I'm going to keep better records through the end of the year.

One other note. I am a whole food, plant based person WFPB, starting about five years ago. Lost about 55 lbs. Though not skinny, weight hasn't gone back up. This fixed many things but not the afib.

Just though you'd all be interested in my experiment.

Quote
lermentov
I thought I would get back to substantial exercise and also try the unusual Wim Hof Method, which can be controversial. I just started taking my heart rhythm (Apple Watch) right before the breathing exercises and right after. I notice that the routine kicks the heart into afib sometimes. (Kind of like the same day I think it might have kicked back in anyway, but not before.

I do 3 rounds of Wim Hof breathing (30 hyperventilation breaths, an exhaled breath hold as long as possible then a 15 second inhale hold. Rinse & repeat) on most days as it keeps my life long rhinitis at bay. I've yet to have it kick me into afib (I've had paroxysmal afib for 17 years). I have had some success using it to convert afib episodes to NSR. This typically happens during or after the 15 second inhale breath hold.

Here is one post on a Wim Hof method conversion, including SpO2 & heart rate graphs: [www.afibbers.org]

Another with only heart rate: [www.afibbers.org]

The breathing technique can increase epinephrine "In the intervention group, practicing the learned techniques resulted in intermittent respiratory alkalosis and hypoxia resulting in profoundly increased plasma epinephrine levels." Source: [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] In someone sensitive to an adrenergic trigger, I hypothesize the breathing technique could be a trigger.