Not me, but... yours are common according many websites. Google vagally induced afib. Read this;

http://www.clinicalcorrelations.org/?p=540

Thank you Pete, very much, for the response and link.

I have read on other blogs that sleeping on your left side can trigger an afib event. For myself, if I'm haveing "flutters" when I go to bed I have to sleep on my right side or there is a good chance I will go into afib.

Dee

I have to tell you something that is kind of funny to me. I have sleep apnea also. About half of afibbers do also, btw, according to some medical websites. Anyway, the sleep apnea doctors say not to sleep on your back, to sleep on your side. So I don't sleep on my left side because of its effect on afib. I can't sleep on my stomach because the apnea dental device falls out if I'm face down (CPAP users can't sleep face down either) So now I'm down to sleeping on my right side. I noticed my right side is getting sore. :-) I can't get hurt on my right side or I'll have to sleep standing up.

Has anyone (other than me) thought how odd it is that sleeping on one side could have such a profound effect on something as serious and complex as afib?

"They" say the Vagus nerve gets pushed against something that can cause afib or flutter, .when you lay on your left side.

you sure do keep us alaughing......

Dee

This is the one 'no-doubter' for me. I can induce Afib by laying on my left side. I've done it in the Dr's office to prove I had it. At bed time, I'm not going near that left side.

My wife sleeps on the right side of the bed. Before my sleep apnea dental appliance, I snored, so she made me face the other way (sleeping on my left side which is bad for afib).... so now we are both happy. I also don't talk in my sleep anymre... or at least she can't hear me.

My first episode was in 1996 after eating lunch. Have been afib free since then ( on verapamil & later switched to Lopressor). Just had an episode of Afib after eating dinner & sitting in a chair. Noticing now that Im getting palpitations sometimes ( that do not go into Afib) after eating. So eating smaller meals now.
Wondering if anyone else has a trigger involving stomach, colon or food??

I have had eating a big meal trigger it. I don't have a problem laying on the left side though. I have also had coughing and vomiting trigger it.
I find that eating smaller meals definitely helps.
Most of my triggers seem to adrenalin related....exercise, being startled (like an alarm clock), stress, that kind of thing. And turning off the alarm and going back to sleep then waking up late and the mad rush to get to work on time!

Alcohol is my most identifiable trigger. A 2oz. glass of wine with dinner at home is fine. At social events I partake in more, knowing the consequences, if I have nothing special planned for the next day.
I volunteer usher at the SF Opera, Symphony, SFJazz etc. On returning home @10:00 or later I usually have a snack. If I have fruit I'm OK. If I eat heavier foods I find when I go to bed AF sets in. It usually lasts 8- 14 hours from about 1:30AM. Then returns to a normal sinus rhythm. I avoid sleeping on my left side.
My heart rate is normally low. In AF I'm aware of my irregular heart beat but lately I've haven't been having any other symptoms. Maybe a few faint feeling flashes and feeling tired.
I'm 77. The only medication I"m on for AF is Warfarin. I take Vit. D and a statin though my cholesterol isn't high. My previous PCP had everyone on statins. He was a cardiologist felt strongly about the preventive properties of statins. I respect his opinion.
I'm off BP pills and feel all the better without it. While In AF my pressure would drop bellow 100. I lose weight? Dehydration? I don't know.
I feel very fortunate of not having to deal with AF until I was 76.
My mother and sister had significant heart problems at an much earlier age. My father died of a stroke @78

Glad I found this blog. Very helpful!

Interesting... i have not noticed any AFIB being triggered while laying/sleeping on my back or side..

On the food front, I notice that I will go into AFIB if I have a glass of red wine. So that's of the food-chain for me.

Also, I noticed about 7 weeks ago, I went in to continuous AFIB after eating sea food (fried shrimp). Well this weekend, I went back to the beach, had sea food, and noticed i had a few palpitations and flutters. Recall I'm on my second ablation, and medicated, so I don't expect many or any palps-and-flutters. So guess that may be off the food list too.

Regarding triggers in general, I asked my EP about this. He indicated that most evidence is antidotal: meaning what triggers yours doesn't trigger mine, etc. And what triggered it last time (like sea food, and you gave it up), likely won't trigger it next time.

AFIB is such a complex set of events, that besides having sleep apnea, there doesn't seem to be a correlation to other conditions.

Robert