Atrial fibrillation (AFib) reduces life expectancy, with a major 2024 study showing an average loss of 2.6 years, though this varies significantly by age, with younger diagnoses (ages 35-49) facing greater proportional loss (up to 3.4 years). While AFib increases risks of stroke and heart failure, better treatments are narrowing the gap in mortality, but it remains a serious condition, highlighting the importance of management through lifestyle changes (exercise, diet) and medications (blood thinners, blood pressure drugs).
With the right treatment and regular management, most people with persistent atrial fibrillation can live active, healthy lives. The longer persistent Afib goes without treatment, however, the harder it is to manage. It may become permanent or lead to severe complications such as blood clots or stroke.
If you have atrial fibrillation (AFib), you should avoid triggers like excessive alcohol, caffeine, smoking, and stimulants, manage stress, limit salt, and be cautious with intense exercise, while working with your doctor to control blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, as these habits and substances can worsen AFib or trigger episodes. You should also avoid certain medications, especially decongestants, and not ignore symptoms like dizziness or shortness of breath during activity.
Things you can do yourself to help with atrial fibrillation
People with Afib have a significantly higher risk of stroke than the average population. They also tend to have more severe strokes with more serious complications and a higher chance of death from stroke.
The 30-second rule in atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a widely used, though debated, guideline defining an AFib episode as an irregularly irregular heart rhythm lasting at least 30 seconds on an ECG, used to distinguish it from shorter, less significant atrial arrhythmias and help guide diagnosis and treatment, particularly for stroke risk and ablation success. While a standard for trials and device monitoring, newer research suggests shorter runs of AF might still be clinically important, prompting ongoing discussion about whether this threshold accurately reflects stroke risk and overall AF burden.
Whether or not you feel symptoms, being in AFib is serious. It means your heart is out of rhythm. When your heart isn't beating normally, you have a higher risk of dangerous blood clots forming in your heart and traveling to vital organs such as your brain, resulting in a stroke, as well as other complications.
Conclusions: Left atrial thrombus does occur in patients with acute atrial fibrillation < 3 days in duration. The frequency of left atrial thrombus in patients with recent emboli is comparable between those with acute and chronic atrial fibrillation.
6 Ways to Stop an AFib Episode
Cardiologists generally advise avoiding processed meats, sugary drinks and sweets, and foods high in trans fats and sodium, like most fried foods and salty snacks, because they raise bad cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation, significantly increasing heart disease risk. Focusing on whole foods and limiting these culprits is key for heart health.
Patients with permanent or persistent atrial fibrillation can fly after adequate rate control and anticoagulation. Patients with a history of ventricular arrhythmia are advised to consult their doctor before air travel.
Everyone is different when it comes to comfort during AFib episodes. Some find lying down helpful, while others might feel worse. For example, people with orthopnea might find sitting upright more comfortable. It's important to understand these differences to find the best rest position for each person.
SCD is the most common cause of cardiovascular death in patients with atrial fibrillation and has several distinct predictors, some of which are modifiable.
Age is a major risk factor for atrial fibrillation, but so is high blood pressure, which causes one in five cases of AFib. Additionally, “diabetes and other heart problems and structural problems such as blockages in your heart arteries or heart failure are also risk factors,” Dr.
Managing AFib isn't just about being active. Rest is also key for heart health. Regular exercise is good for those with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). But, adding rest strategies to your life can boost your overall health and help control symptoms.
Current guidelines support the well-established clinical practice that patients who present with atrial fibrillation (AF) of less than 48 hours duration should be considered for cardioversion, even in the absence of pre-existing anticoagulation.
A personal survey of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), one of the most important causes of irregular heartbeats, has found that the majority of triggers for the condition are easily modifiable lifestyle choices, including alcohol, caffeine, exercise and lack of sleep.
The five key warning signs of a deep vein blood clot (DVT) often include swelling, pain/tenderness, warmth, redness/discoloration, and sometimes visible veins, usually in one leg or arm, while signs of a pulmonary embolism (PE) like sudden shortness of breath or chest pain are medical emergencies. Recognizing these symptoms early is crucial, as DVT can travel to the lungs, causing a potentially fatal PE.
Heart failure means the heart isn't pumping enough blood to meet the body's needs. AFib can lead to heart failure in part because the heart is beating so fast or unevenly that it never properly fills up with blood to pump out to the body.
Without treatment, atrial fibrillation can reduce life expectancy due to the risk of complications, but with proper management, individuals can often live long and healthy lives.
Difficulty breathing, especially when lying down or when exercising. Chest pain. Dizziness or fainting. Heart palpitations, or the feeling that your heart is skipping a beat, fluttering, pounding, or beating too hard or too fast.
When atrial fibrillation occurs, the upper heart chambers beat in an unorganized rhythm. An A-fib heart rate is usually rapid, resulting in 100-200 beats per minute rather than the normal range of 60-100 beats per minute. If left untreated, A-fib can lead to chronic fatigue, congestive heart failure or stroke.
PVCs become more of a concern if they happen frequently. “If more than 10% to 15% of a person's heartbeats in 24 hours are PVCs, that's excessive,” Bentz said. The more PVCs occur, the more they can potentially cause a condition called cardiomyopathy (a weakened heart muscle).
If you notice that your AFib episodes happen more often, last longer, or your medication doesn't help as much, your condition is probably getting worse. As AFib progresses, you might notice some signs. You might feel more weak, tired, lightheaded, and anxious about the condition.