Heat as a trigger

I've noticed an increase in afib activity the last couple of weeks during the evening which has coincided with me adding an additional warm comforter as it's getting cold at night in my part of the countryside. Enough activity to get me up which is fine because it gives me a chance to try to stop it.

Is this a coincidence or has anyone else experienced excess warmth as a trigger? I'm hoping for a coincidence because I would hate to think that my heart is so sensitive that a little excess warmth is enough to throw it out of rhythm. Obviously, the next step is for me to go a couple of nights without the comforter to test my theory but I thought I would post this and see if this is just me. I'm mentally going through what changes I've had during this time period to identify other triggers without any obvious results yet.

Once again, thanks to this board for sharing your thoughts and experiences. It's scary sometimes dealing with this.

liz

Liz

I often noticed heat increased my AF. I used to think it was stuffiness and lack of oxygen, so much so I always have the window open - even if it is frosty. I have always preferred cold weather, but like heat directly on me - hate being cold. In hindsight I now wonder if it is due to a change in hydration. Could it be that even the slight increase in temerature will change your hydration levels. Try drinking a bit more water.

Fran

On the one or two occasions I have had flu and a temperature, this has always precipitated AF. So yes, I think body temperature has an influence.

Liz,

Read this link on the sympathetic/parasympathetic as it pertains to thermoregulation.

[jeb.biologists.org]

Richard

Liz - I know you are speaking of indoor heat, but I always had to watch it if I became overheated outdoors - especially if I were directly in the sun for an extended period of time - gardening or golfing.

It was almost a given that I would have afib once I settled down indoors after several hours...it was like the heat was the stressor and it triggered a delayed response because the afib didn't always occur in the heat but more typically, 4 - 6 hours after.

I soon learned that anything over 80 degrees was out of the question for me. This could also be linked to a hypothyroid condition that was not controlling temperature regulation well.

Jackie

Jackie,

How have you been doing? Are you in and out....or hopefully, totally in NSR since the ablation! I have had flutter twice since the second ablation...(probably since I was beginning to think I was home free.) I'm beginning to wonder, but have told others to 'hang in there,' so I need to take my own advice I guess. Somehow, after the second time around, I guess I felt too confident. Best wishes to you, Char

Well for me the heat would always trigger Af. Of course, I live in SC, where it can easily get to 100+ with humidity up near 100. I think that would be a stress on anyone.

My cardiologist indicated he had seen where heat did caouse AF on many cases and went so far as to order my agency to keep me out of the heat.

BABB

There are different reasons for the effect of heat on the metabolic rate, acidity and anoxia.
During coronay bypass surgery the heart and the brain are kept cold, localy on the heart and in the heart lung machine. This will obviate anoxic damage to the heart by slowing the metabolism, in addition to preventing excess acidity.
There was a mention about post excercise triggering of atrial fibrillation which is mostly due to low Ph (high acidity) of the blood.
The cause is probably due to liability of the conductive system in the brain and the heart.

Sami - Lately, I've been hearing about problems related to too much acid in the body. I see you just referred to a problem from high acidity in the blood.

I really like some highly acidic items like coffee, limes, vinegar, tomatoes, etc.

Does the ingestion of acidic items affect the level of acidity in your blood?

It may sound like a dumb question, but it reminds me of the time I wondered if I should cut back on my calcium intake when my doctor prescribed calcium channel blockers. The answer was no.

Thanks, njb

LIZ - the first time afib/flutter scared me I was working outdoors on about a one acre concrete garden center in our Florida like summer climate. I was exhausted and felt palpitations. At the time I didn't know better, so was drinking some high powered cola to help me get through my job. So, yes, the heat definately seemed to affect me. njb

Sami - there are many other factors to consider in post-exercise - like depletion of critical electrolytes and increase in stress hormones. It would be difficult to say one was more contributory than the other.

However, depletion of magnesium in athletes - especially young - is frequently referenced in sudden death studies or surveys.

Jackie

njb,
you can try adding some very little baking soda ( 5 mgs) to one gallon of your drinking water and notice the results, and then send me your feedback.
When I used to do residency training, and still they do, in the coronary care unit we used to give sodium bicarbonate iv after myocardial infarction to prevent arrhythmias.

njb

The most acid bearing foods are grains, protein, cheese etc. Fruit and veggies are alkaline including your tomatoes and limes.

I just posted this on the atkins death thread and thought it might interest you.

[www.thepaleodiet.com]

All foods upon digestion ultimately must report to the kidney as either acid or base. When the diet yields a net acid load (such as low-carb fad diets that restrict consumption of fruits and vegetables), the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body. Calcium salts in the bones represent the largest store of alkaline base in the body and are depleted and eliminated in the urine when the diet produces a net acid load. The highest acid-producing foods are hard cheeses, cereal grains, salted foods, meats, and legumes, whereas the only alkaline, base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables. Because the average American diet is overloaded with grains, cheeses, salted processed foods, and fatty meats at the expense of fruits and vegetables, it produces a net acid load and promotes bone de-mineralization. By replacing hard cheeses, cereal grains, and processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance which brings us also back into calcium balance.

The Paleo Diet recommends an appropriate balance of acidic and basic (alkaline) foods (i.e., lean meats, fish and seafood, fruits, and vegetables) and will not cause osteoporosis in otherwise healthy individuals. Indeed, The Paleo Diet promotes bone health.

Fran

Liz, I have recently had a similar observation, but it is more closely related to Jackie's comment. I live in South Florida and do a lot of things outside. My afib first struck in the summer, a little over 2 years ago. Dehydration was definitely involved as it came on the day I had a colonoscopy--the preparation for that probably dehydrates one. Recently, I noticed a complete absence of PACS or flutters or whatever for about 2 weeks and realized that it coincided with the arrival of what passes for cool weather down here. I checked my afib diary, and noted that I had no afib episodes from last fall until April of so of this year, when it started getting hot again. In the summer months, I was going into short episodes of afib every 2-4 weeks, and having lots of flutter. My conclusion is that I sweat a lot working out and doing outside yard work, and that my electrolytes get messed up. I don't know how that would relate to a comforter and cold weather, but I am interested to see if this winter brings a similar pattern.

Thanks, Fran. njb

Thanks Sami, njb