Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
Lately I've been wondering why science doesn't seem to be looking into vagus nerve stimulation as a form of therapy for AF patients.
Many of us with AF have triggers that involve the vagus nerve - drinking hot or cold liquids which can stimulate the nerve through temperature, or loud sounds which can stimulate the nerve through vibration. I'm a musician, and while playing guitar I've noticed that certain low notes will throw me into afib as the guitar body vibrates against my chest. I've also experienced afib onset at concerts where loud low-frequency sound is pumped out of the PA in a way that you can feel as much as hear. Granted, correlation is not causation, but it's happened to me enough that I believe the relationship is there, even if it's unclear.
Many of us have heard the advice given when experiencing afib to splash cold water on the face, or to tense the muscles in the chest and bare down (as if during a bowel movement). What that does is to stimulate the vagus nerve. It works quite well for some people.
Vagus nerve stimulation is an actual thing, but from what I've read, it's done using electricity with a device implanted under the skin, and is mainly used to treat brain disorders like Alzheimer's, epilepsy, and depression. I've not heard of anyone using sound frequencies for vagus nerve stimulation. Probably because medical device manufacturers can't make money patenting a tone generator and a speaker, as those things have already been invented. :-/
Many of us with AF have triggers that involve the vagus nerve - drinking hot or cold liquids which can stimulate the nerve through temperature, or loud sounds which can stimulate the nerve through vibration. I'm a musician, and while playing guitar I've noticed that certain low notes will throw me into afib as the guitar body vibrates against my chest. I've also experienced afib onset at concerts where loud low-frequency sound is pumped out of the PA in a way that you can feel as much as hear. Granted, correlation is not causation, but it's happened to me enough that I believe the relationship is there, even if it's unclear.
Many of us have heard the advice given when experiencing afib to splash cold water on the face, or to tense the muscles in the chest and bare down (as if during a bowel movement). What that does is to stimulate the vagus nerve. It works quite well for some people.
Vagus nerve stimulation is an actual thing, but from what I've read, it's done using electricity with a device implanted under the skin, and is mainly used to treat brain disorders like Alzheimer's, epilepsy, and depression. I've not heard of anyone using sound frequencies for vagus nerve stimulation. Probably because medical device manufacturers can't make money patenting a tone generator and a speaker, as those things have already been invented. :-/
No acid-reflux here..
Although I seem to think sometimes my skipping, irregular beats occur when I lay down for bed...More often than not, if I'm up, I don't have too many skipped beats, but they start when I lay down.
Robert
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