THC and afib

This has been discussed before but I am googling again, whilst I can't sleep and tempted by the gummies I have in my possession but not used. Maybe someone has some new information here. Sleep has been an ongoing battle and I have done all myriad of supplements and helps with "specialists". This post is specifically to ask what others may have heard about afib and arrhythmias with THC. Googling of course finds many things- most saying it is bad but they do not narrow it down to smokers or not, and some of the demographics seem "suss" as the kids say now-a-days. Many of the clicks just ties in on 3 specific individuals. I did find one that is from the Heart Rhythm Study that says it can actually help afib. So first, is this a legit organization (see below). And I do desire any info you have on THC or other cannabinoids and heart rhythm issues including personal stories if you care to share- here or PM. There is a product that has 4 cannabinoids (only one is the THC part) that some post menopausal friends of mine take for sleep- every night. I have been taking something else which I am trying hard to get off and it is next to impossible. Thanks. ps .. marijuana is legal in my state and other family members have used it to stay out of the hosptial so I am very 'pro' in this area but not looking to get high (which is fine if that's your thing), just want to sleep again after years and years of this.

[www.hrsonline.org]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2023 01:37AM by bettylou4488.

Perlmutter has a lot of ideas around natural sleep. Personally I avoid caffeine completely, get some exercise in the evening, warm baths, cool sleeping room(68 or less), remove blue light (TV, cell phone tablets etc) from after sunset, use warm low watt light bulbs in bed room, or even blue blocker glasses after sunset. Get some morning sun. Sunrise) Get in rhythm with nature.

[www.youtube.com]

WIL also [youtu.be]

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PavanPharter
Perlmutter has a lot of ideas around natural sleep. Personally I avoid caffeine completely, get some exercise in the evening, warm baths, cool sleeping room(68 or less), remove blue light (TV, cell phone tablets etc) from after sunset, use warm low watt light bulbs in bed room, or even blue blocker glasses after sunset. Get some morning sun. Sunrise) Get in rhythm with nature.

[www.youtube.com]

WIL also [youtu.be]

Thanks I will take a listen. I am doing CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia). And have tried so so many thing. Also I noticed he's the grain brain guy- I have loosely found a correlation between grains and lack of sleep. that is my current thing I am trying in addition to the CBT-I. thanks for responding.

Sleep is also a problem for me and I have used edibles with THC—they did help enormously with sleep but I would get tolerant of the THC quite quickly and need to increase the dose. And, unfortunately, after using an edible for a few days, I invariably had an Afib episode. I experimented with this, many, many times and that was always the outcome—THC builds up in the body as it is slow to be eliminated. It is also legal in my state.

Has GAD been ruled out for you, Bettylou? Generalized anxiety disorder? And, even if it's simply not the case, could anxiety be robbing you of relaxation and rest?

Is falling asleep the problem, or remaining asleep? Both?

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Daisy
Sleep is also a problem for me and I have used edibles with THC—they did help enormously with sleep but I would get tolerant of the THC quite quickly and need to increase the dose. And, unfortunately, after using an edible for a few days, I invariably had an Afib episode. I experimented with this, many, many times and that was always the outcome—THC builds up in the body as it is slow to be eliminated. It is also legal in my state.

Thanks I recall you telling me this before now. I could not find that old post in the archives by using the search bar or by googling. Thanks for sharing again.

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gloaming
Has GAD been ruled out for you, Bettylou? Generalized anxiety disorder? And, even if it's simply not the case, could anxiety be robbing you of relaxation and rest?

Is falling asleep the problem, or remaining asleep? Both?

Good questions. It is mostly reamaining asleep. The there is a new therapist I am considering hiring who works on the anxiety OF insomnia.. along with CBT-I. I used to have anxiety attacks and general anxiety so I know what you are saying but I don't think that is it. Thanks.

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bettylou4488
along with CBT-I.

I tried CBT-I with a coach last fall. They said they had 95% success. I failed. At least for me, the idea was to compress your sleep window, and once your brain adapted and you were sleeping well, increase your window. All I got was a lot less sleep, to the point driving was dangerous. My coach had me try other things, and increase the sleeping window. I realized I wasn't sleeping that badly before. With my own interventions, I commonly get sleep scores in the 90's with my Oura ring with over an hour of deep sleep and over 90 minutes of REM.

I try to get out and ruck for 15-20 minutes in the morning just after sunrise and again before sunset. I also try to have other time outside in the sun during the day. I finish eating at least 3 hours before bed. I normally do 10-20 minutes of slow breathing before bed in a dark room. I tape my mouth to insure nasal breathing at night. If I wake up or am having a hard time getting to sleep, I have a mini mp3 player with yoga nidra and self hypnosis scripts I can listen to. These will usually put me to sleep. I don't drink coffee and if I consume 87% chocolate, it is a small amount and early in the day (way before noon).

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GeorgeN

along with CBT-I.

I tried CBT-I with a coach last fall. They said they had 95% success. I failed. At least for me, the idea was to compress your sleep window, and once your brain adapted and you were sleeping well, increase your window. All I got was a lot less sleep, to the point driving was dangerous. My coach had me try other things, and increase the sleeping window. I realized I wasn't sleeping that badly before. With my own interventions, I commonly get sleep scores in the 90's with my Oura ring with over an hour of deep sleep and over 90 minutes of REM.

I try to get out and ruck for 15-20 minutes in the morning just after sunrise and again before sunset. I also try to have other time outside in the sun during the day. I finish eating at least 3 hours before bed. I normally do 10-20 minutes of slow breathing before bed in a dark room. I tape my mouth to insure nasal breathing at night. If I wake up or am having a hard time getting to sleep, I have a mini mp3 player with yoga nidra and self hypnosis scripts I can listen to. These will usually put me to sleep. I don't drink coffee and if I consume 87% chocolate, it is a small amount and early in the day (way before noon).

I hear ya George! I do like the coach that I am following and had a 20 min free chat with. She focuses a LOT on the anxiety around insomnia. Not necessarily doing sleep compression although she will say it is a giant tool in her tool kit. I too realized that I am not that bad but there are days/weeks. and I am sincerely trying to get off a tiny bit of benzo I have taken forever. I was thinking of getting an Oura ring but when I did an at home sleep study it was way off from reality (said I was in a-fib for one thing and I wasn't.). And my watch for example often gets things wrong so I wonder about the ring if it would be accurate. I haven't really embraced the breathing like I should. but the coach has helped me (I purchased an online DIY course she had) to re-frame my insomnia thoughts. To "not care". because when you care.. you can't sleep LOL!

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bettylou4488
I was thinking of getting an Oura ring but when I did an at home sleep study it was way off from reality (said I was in a-fib for one thing and I wasn't.). And my watch for example often gets things wrong so I wonder about the ring if it would be accurate. I haven't really embraced the breathing like I should. but the coach has helped me (I purchased an online DIY course she had) to re-frame my insomnia thoughts. To "not care". because when you care.. you can't sleep LOL!

And good sleep is important to steady heart rhythm—I am much more apt to get PACs if I am very tired. I have researched the Oura ring too and it is supposedly the most accurate for sleep, but not necessarily as accurate in other areas—as I remember steps wasn’t as accurate. Also, to see your HR, you have to open an APP on your phone. I seem to react contrarily to many of the usual suggestions for sleep and have to try some of the opposites to find help. For instance, if I can’t get to sleep or get back to sleep, eating a protein snack or even a buttered cracker helps. Also, though aerobic exercise after noon keeps me awake, a short session of yoga stretching exercises right before bed helps.

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Daisy

I was thinking of getting an Oura ring but when I did an at home sleep study it was way off from reality (said I was in a-fib for one thing and I wasn't.). And my watch for example often gets things wrong so I wonder about the ring if it would be accurate. I haven't really embraced the breathing like I should. but the coach has helped me (I purchased an online DIY course she had) to re-frame my insomnia thoughts. To "not care". because when you care.. you can't sleep LOL!

And good sleep is important to steady heart rhythm—I am much more apt to get PACs if I am very tired. I have researched the Oura ring too and it is supposedly the most accurate for sleep, but not necessarily as accurate in other areas—as I remember steps wasn’t as accurate. Also, to see your HR, you have to open an APP on your phone. I seem to react contrarily to many of the usual suggestions for sleep and have to try some of the opposites to find help. For instance, if I can’t get to sleep or get back to sleep, eating a protein snack or even a buttered cracker helps. Also, though aerobic exercise after noon keeps me awake, a short session of yoga stretching exercises right before bed helps.

I am kind of glad the bedroom is on the 2nd floor or I'd probably get up and get snacks in the middle of the night LOL. I do usually have homemade small chicken patties which are good- but I tend to go for the chips LOL! I have thought similar- PACs and stuff worse on tired days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2023 06:42PM by bettylou4488.

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bettylou4488
I am kind of glad the bedroom is on the 2nd floor or I'd probably get up and get snacks in the middle of the night LOL. I do usually have homemade small chicken patties which are good- but I tend to go for the chips LOL! I have thought similar- PACs and stuff worse on tired days.

Ha! I place a snack tray next to my bed—kinda weird but a little snack does help me both go to sleep and to go back to sleep.

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Daisy

I am kind of glad the bedroom is on the 2nd floor or I'd probably get up and get snacks in the middle of the night LOL. I do usually have homemade small chicken patties which are good- but I tend to go for the chips LOL! I have thought similar- PACs and stuff worse on tired days.


Ha! I place a snack tray next to my bed—kinda weird but a little snack does help me both go to sleep and to go back to sleep.

Oh now that's an idea . maybe one of those little cheese and cracker things I used to eat as a kid all the time!

I'm a fan of nuts. A few Brazil nuts or pecan halves, swish water to clear the teeth, and try to resume sleep. Those nuts won't leave plaque of the kind of very much use to bacteria, so you won't need to brush.

I learned the hard way that THC gummies trigger my afib sometimes. I avoid them.

I have real issues with sleep and take Ambien. It seems to help a lot but not sure about long term effects since I have been on them nightly for years


I have tried many other methods including those suggested here. My issue is not tiredness because I get extremely tired and that sets off fib and is unhealthy in general

It's my brain activity and so zolpidem does the job. Not other drug works.
.

I can't speak to THC but I take a combination of CBD and CBN every night with great success. The combination of the two have given me the best sleep I've had in years. I also take 2.5mg of melatonin about 45 minutes before going to bed.

I've had insomnia since our 18-year-old daughter was born. I struggled for years with getting good sleep until I discovered CBD/CBN.

Travis

P.S. The CBD and CBN have never aggravated by heart either.

Have anyone been to the ER with real high tachycardia and the ER doctor did a drug test? I just wonder, based on the quality standards of the THC manufacturers differs, would it show up on the lab test? I’ve been tested twice so I know it happens.

Plus is THC, CBD etc allowed to be brought into foreign airports? I have had connecting flights in Moscow and Germany and both airports I was “randomly selected” frequently for a body pat down. Once 4 times within a hour before I boarded a plane and my belongings searched. So I would be curious of the consequences for CBD etc because although it’s now legal in the states, I wonder if one can bring it into a foreign country.

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susan.d
Plus is THC, CBD etc allowed to be brought into foreign airports? I have had connecting flights in Moscow and Germany and both airports I was “randomly selected” frequently for a body pat down. Once 4 times within a hour before I boarded a plane and my belongings searched. So I would be curious of the consequences for CBD etc because although it’s now legal in the states, I wonder if one can bring it into a foreign country.

I don't know about CBD, but be very careful with THC. The US female professional basketball player, Brittney Griner, had some in her luggage (she says mistakenly) in Russia and ended in prison for quite a while and the US had to do a prisoner swap to get her out.

Also THC certainly isn't legal everywhere in the states. I live in Colorado & supposedly the Kansas State Patrol randomly stop cars with CO plates to search for pot.

You definitely don't want to be crossing any international border with any sort of cannabis product without knowing the laws on both sides of that border. It's nuts to do otherwise.

P.S. The CBD and CBN have never aggravated by heart either.

What is CBD and CBN.

Before sleep I play sudoku that helps me go to sleep and if I wake up early eg 4.00am I drink hot lemon and ginger with honey which works sometimes.

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colindo
What is CBD and CBN.

See this article.