The Atrial Fibrillation and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Connection

(This video was recorded on June 27th, 2024)

He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and an Associate Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

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Video Produced by Kyle Allred

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#atrialfibrillation #osa #sleepapnea

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[brucesail]

Doc S - you’re the best explainer. I’ve had sleep apnea for decades and have used CPAP for over 20 years thanks to my ENT. Of late, my care was transferred to a pulmonologist who was literally clueless and who meddled and bungled my care. Speaking with my cardiologist, I became worried about Afib (my mom suffered from it), so I fired the pulmonologist and found one of the best and brightest in my area (who also happens to lead the local ER team, so he’s seen it all). Thanks to him, I’m back on track and I appreciate your piece on this potentially fatal interaction between apnea and Afib. I hope others who may be downplaying the seriousness of sleep apnea take heed. It could save their life! Thank you.

[stevenveltrie]

Wish all doc's were this good at explaining.

[retaj]

Years ago I told my parents about my dad’s textbook OSA based on articles I read, but I was a mere twenty year old. Years later he developed afib which led to a stroke, and then he got a CPAP. This video certainly would have helped then if YouTube had been around.

[JM-vhoc]

Reallly well explained - as are all your videos - thanks

[JC-ceud]

I send almost every afib patient i see for a sleep study. Thanks for this excellent video.

[sophiaisabelle]

We appreciate your insights. Keep making an impact on the community.

[jefferyjeffery]

Ok...!! The aFib (not related to sleep apnea)...can also be caused by higher levels of glutamate, signaling in the vegas nerve. That over excites the nerve tissue sinus node...to prematurely stimulate nerve contraction impulses. In addition to... magnesium deficiencies. That's needed to slow down that over excited nerve impulse. All of which causes the atria to contract faster than the ventrical is ready to receive the blood from the atria...

Basically...causing the heart contractions to be out of sync.

[tomdaigon]

I was diagnosed with a fib several years ago. After switching to a new cardiologist who prescribed me Flecanide, I have not had an a fib event for a year. It's been a wonderful experience.

[andyfpt]

Doctor, as usual excellent content! 62 yo active guy here and started cpap in 2022 due osa diagnosis and periodic afib starting in late 2019. Wish I started cpap sooner. Ended up having ablation in June 2023 because afib episodes became frequent and now afib is completely gone. I didn't want to take anti arythmia meds. Still faithfully using my cpap which is a piece of cake. Thank you for all you do to help educate and help people. Lots of misinformation out there and you are my go to source after my own doctors. Thank you!

[ASpectacular]

Thank you for this video! This is me! I have MILD OSA (from a very narrow trachea) and developed AFib. CPAP was too harsh/not tolerated well during sleep study so they ordered a BiPap which, after time, I developed Treatment Emergent CSA so now I’m on ASV. My trachea is so narrow that the Anesthesiologist at Northwestern cancelled the PVI surgery the night before so she could order a smaller GI Tube after looking at a CT of head/neck. I’m almost at the 3-month mark post-ablation and so far no AFib/SVT/Flutter; which is great as AFib is a BEAST of a condition. What’s is a recent Chest CT picked up MILD CENTRILOBULAR EMPHYSEMA which only developed during the last 2 years I’ve been on BiPap. I have never smoked, so how did I get emphysema? No 2nd hand smoke either. Part of me wonders if some sort of Barotrauma/Volumetrauma happened from over expansion due to high settings from the BiPap? Just a hunch. My Sleep Pulmonologist said I’m not a standard OSA patient; I’m complex.

[Molandria]

inalways had trouble breathing. Nostril clogged 100% of the time, lots of tissues everyday day.

Recently about a year now, i was fiagnosed with sleep apnea (pretty severe case) and now have a cpap. Rough but overall. sleep is severely more beneficial.

However the daily breathing issues remain. Tjese past few videos, explaining exactly what was causing it gave me the idea of pushing my tongue forward more like, lips forward more. Its helped.

Watching this i tried pushing my lower teeth forward more as i sit here and the difference is very noticeable. I've done it many times. this is very interesting and effective.

Thank you.

[carldaniel]

Any links known between OSA and PVCs/PACs? If so, please do a video on that!

[pekainvest]

Much thanks for explaining this so clearly. So helpful

[nurseSean]

If you don’t want to use C-PAP, this makes a good case to do it anyway.

[terraflow__bryanburdo]

In the 2000s, age 40s and 50s i i had some serious in bouts of a fib. I made a connection of inflammation and metabolic illness, switched to keto then carnivore diet, and both conditions cleared up and i have been asymptomatic for 15 years now.

I didnt know about the connection of the two, just as most doctors dont know about the dietary connection of either.

[Orvulum]

Sleeping on one's side can help prevent obstructive apnea from occurring in some individuals, though it would be necessary to make some arrangement to that a person couldn't roll on to their back while asleep. CPAP doesn't work for everyone. If one spends a great many months trying to habituate to the CPAP, but is unable to sleep at all, then clearly some other approach would be indicated.

[sapelesteve]

Yet another excellent explainer video Doc! My wife has sleep apnea. She has not been diagnosed with A-Fib but does have HBP for which she takes meds. Hope that alls well on your end! 👍👍

[tomlauritzen]

I wonder if that's why I've just found I have Narrow Complex Tachycardia? I've been on my CPAP for years... hummm...

[toddpeterson]

Another great video. I recently had ablation for my AF. So far it seems to have been successful, but it will be a few months until I know. My EP did ask about OSA, but I was never tested for it. My partner doesn't seem to think that I have it, but there have been some odd times where I wake up in the night choking on nothing. I should probably try a sleep study to be sure.