Hi Marikay,

I hope people are not annoyed by my longer winded responses. I really learn a lot from people who give a lot of details. I have some experience with this one. I had my sleep study March 2010 and every single night without exception, even on business trips in foreign countries, I use my full face CPAP (full face since my nosal airway is obstructed). You probably don't need the full face. I never had afib before my CPAP.

My first AFIB episode was January 1, 2011. Sorry to say it did not involve alcohol :). When I was diagnosed with afib in the middle of February, part of me thought the CPAP may have triggered it since it puts some constant pressure on your system all night (vagal). I have moderate sleep apnea with the CPAP set at 12 lbs, a relatively high amount. Most people with mild sleep apnea are lower around 6 or 8 lbs.

With all that air getting in my gut (and some gets through the leaky stomach spinter) every night. I also wondered what the effect over time that might have on my health. I found lots of studies saying "with a CPAP you can avoid afib" but none that talk about the pressure on the stomach which is apparent every morning, at least for me. Again with lower pressure you may not have that problem.

I've used CPAP religiously and like most find it very annoying, but it does work and I do not stop breathing 27 times per hour any more and that is not much (moderate) some people are much worse. But try to take a quick nap on the couch without it. You aren't supposed to. No more quick easy naps....

The problem I'm having using it with afib is that many of the drugs I'm on dry out my mouth. The CPAP has a humidifier on it and even with it on full some nights I'm peeling my gums off my teeth a few times each night (I know too much info.). You will most likely only have the nose mask and will not have that problem. I have not had enough episodes to say if it helps my afib. I have slept through my longer afib episodes with it on though.

What am I doing about it? I now have to go back for a second sleep study because I recently lost more than 10% of my body weight (soon to be 20% with more effort), also because I now have afib. My goal is to hopefully cure the sleep apnea first. There are procedures (like with afib) that can cure the condition in a % of people. Sometimes the weight loss alone will do it. The two together, I'm hoping, are synergistic. Assuming I'm eligible for the surgery. A friend of mine was cured by the procedure and no longer needs the machine. He described it like a lot of people describe the ablation procedure on this site "a snap".

My journey is to be sleep anea free and afib free someday, hopefully before I'm 50. I'm glad I have the CPAP but now in addition with afib I want a divorce, but realize I may have both forever. I hope this long story is helpful. Best of luck on the weight loss..... All of us in Packer Country are still morning Reggie White. I use my CPAP......

I'm new to the site, but hope I can add something that will be useful. I have A fib and have had it for about 11 years now. My doctor also thought a CPAP might help with the A fib, it has not, but it is certainly helping with my heart resting more at night. I can feel it settling down when I start using my machine. I am more rested after a night of using it I can tell when I use it and when I don't. It has not cured my A Fib, but it is definitely helping my body deal with it. I use the pillow nose pieces and have a REMstar auto by Phillips, it is a better machine than my first one and I can sleep all night with it. Well worth the hassle of getting used to one.

Hello All...

Been away for days... sleep studies and ablation 2 days ago.

Regarding the sleep study...

I do not have sleep apnea. I had the over night study, and

1.) I found that I do not have obstructive sleep apnea. Never the less, the DR tried his best to talk me into getting a CPAP machine.
2.) the DR did see that I have 'something' (I forget what it's called) where you breathing slows and gets shallow, but does not stop. Also, my pulse-OX was at least 88 or above during these episodes.
3.) The frequency of these episodes was 5.5 / hour. The 'norm' is 0 - 5 (as in no sleep problem), so I was on the tolerance edge. DR suggested the 'tennis ball' night shirt, and loose 10#s (which i've put on since i've been AFIB).

Finally, I have discussed at length SA with coworkers (who have SA but no AFIB). They believe it has turned their life around. They felt better _instantly_. Once starting CPAP, they felt a 100% better.

So for those with SA, CPAP is a cure. But no cure for AFIB.

As my surgeon mentioned, if you have SA, then you are have a higher chance to of AFIB returning. In my case, he didn't want me to have the ablation only to have SA trigger it again.

Regards,

Robert

I realize this thread is a year old, but I found it really interesting. I'm going to have a sleep study done soon. I understand that SA can cause afib.. but once it's treated, is that the end of afib? Or once you've got afib, you've got it forever.. regardless of what triggered it?

Treating Sleep Apnea only cures afib a small % of the time if found early. I have a detal appliance that pushes the lower jaw forward. A lower jaw that is back is a reason for SA that losing weight can't cure. It worked the first night and every night since. I have an Oasys Oral Nasal Appliance.

petey

I love my c-pap....just had to add that.

Marikay, it won't cure the A-fib itself, but it sure helps with the fatigue and dizziness. If you are in sinus rhythm, C-pap can keep you from going back into A-fib. Without it, it's probably going to happen again. I have a Quatro full face mask and I sleep great with it. Some people take to C-pap like a fish to water and others never get used to it. Mine isn't caused from obesity either.....and that isn't always the case anyway.

I have a c-pap. It is relatively new to me. I can say that I sleep better with it. It is to soon to say if it helps me with my afib. It may be harder to tell since having the ablation. I don't mind wearing the full face mask. It took me about a month to get comfortable with it. The hospital even asked me to bring it and they put it on me in the recovery room after my ablation procedure. Hope this helps.

Wow... Seems like most people here use C pap. Is it noisy? Does anyone use the nose only one (it looks like the plastic nose thingies you wear in the hospital after surgery to give you more oxygen.)

I have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine every night. Unfortunately, my worst afib events occurred after I was diagnosed with apnea and using the sleep machine. I do not believe the CPAP contributed to the afib events...but maybe having apnea did. Of course, it is hard to know.

I have a love-hate relationship with the CPAP device. Some nights I sleep great, wake up refreshed. Other nights I tear the mask off around 2am and wake up groggy. Right now the machine and I are in the hate part of the relationship.

Does the noise of the CPAP machine bother you?

The noise is not terrible. I think the issue is not being able to get into a state of relaxation with the buds in my nostrils blasting air into the nasal passages. I have tried the larger face mask that goes over the mouth and that was extremely uncomfortable. Some nights are just better than others.

Oral appliances... they work well for many, particularly for mild to moderate apnea and those that have air restriction from the lower jaw dropping back. They have real ones from orthodonists/dentists, not the cheap ones you see on TV (that work for snoring). The only noise I hear is my wife breathing loudly. petey

(Oasys oral nasal appliance) It feels like a mouthguard you would wear for football, boxing, or hockey (except it is adjustable).

petey