I was just diagnosed in Oct. this year. My episodes really started in Dec. So far my episodes seem to start in the evenings & persist all night. It's getting to where I dread nightimes.

Seems my afib is worse when I am resting or in bed trying to sleep. I have found that if I get up and do something, some activity seems to help me get back to normal rhythm.

Hmmm, interesting. Thanks for sharing!

I used to have AF all night long too. I find sometimes doing things helps geting me back into normal rhythm, sometimes not.

a-fib.com has some interesting stuff on the subject... apparently it is a common thing with "vagal" afib.

How awful! I love my sleep. I actually have the opposite problem. Sleep is the best way for me to go back to NSR. An ativan helps too :)
I have primarily adrenergic a fib. As Petey said, a fib at rest is believed to be vagally triggered.

Everytime I've gone into afib it's been during the night and I wake up in afib. I realize it as soon as I get out of bed and feel the fish flopping in my chest, shortness of breath, and dizziness as soon as I try to walk. I've also had a couple of instances where mild exercise would put me back in normal rhythm, but usually I have to go to the hospital and either get a cardioversion or IV drugs before I convert back.

same here i only feel when i am lying on my left side and i can feel the quivering and floping in me .
i am ok all day but at the bed time it starts .

ray

I have waked up 2x with afib at night, the other 7-8x I got it in the AM. Mine last about 9 hrs.(once 16 hrs.)

When I was getting afib regularly It would come in the evening and into the night. I could exercise do anything during the day. but it would almost always come in the night. And always if I slept on my left side.

Then I could not sleep, it was terrible.


Dee

Thanks for sharing everyone!

Thanks, Petey for that site. It does appear this is called vagal AF, in fact one of my EP's mentioned that term also. It does seem to be related to having a low heart rate at night. mIne is 30-40 sometimes-I found out when I was in the hospital for a Tikosyn load. Somehow that's related to this vagal AF.

Ray and Dee,
I asked the doc about lying on one side and making me go into AF. He told me that I'm just noticing I'm in AF in that position. Not that the position causes the AF.

That was his response to that question.

Diagnosed July 2010 in ER. Triggers-alcohol and eating late.

Except for a few occasions of eating a heavy meal at a restaurant, (filet mignon both times), I also go into AF during the night, i get up to urinate more frequently but I'm easily able to get back to sleep. I wake up in the morning with an irregular heart beat but lately with no other symptoms with the exception of feeling tired until I return to NSR later in the day. AF can last from 4-18 hours.
I feel very fortunate. So far other than Warfarin I've taken no meds or other procedures.
Though not an athlete I'v always had a low asymptomatic HR between 40-50. My HR in AF goes into the 60-90 range.
I'm very much aware of my heart beat. I know when I go in and out of AF. It's usually slow and steady.

When I was getting regular AF episodes, mine mostly started in the evening, before I went to bed, but I could sleep through it and would end shortly after I woke up. My episodes would last about 12 hours, so it didn't matter what side I slept on.

Hmm, does appear to be a pattern for some of us.

MIne wouldn't quit this AM, went on for about 8 hrs so far. Before I would get it maybe 10-15 times/ day but they didn't last as long. Maybe I'm getting worse...

I found staying away form my triggers, alcohol. chocolate, and heavy meals, in the evening helped alot. I could have a drink around noon and I was OK.

And I did read that vagel afib can be triggered by sleeping on the left side in some people.

Dee