Coincidence of AFib with AHI/hypopnea

(I confess to not having done a search, but I will as soon as I finish posting this.)

Hi, I'm new, both to the disorder and to the forum. Short story, I was on the phone to Canada Revenue Agency this past June and, while the agent went to check on my file, I experienced a heart arrythmia. After multiple tests, including MIBI treadmill and sleep lab, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when the sleep specialist told me I have severe apnea. I was asymptomatic to that point, including not even having to rise to pee once or thrice each night as my siblings and father must. No headaches, no irritability, no sleepiness, never...ever...needing to nap during the day, awakening smartly and raring to go each morning, usually after a vivid dream. What went wrong?!?!?

So, you know why I am here, and possibly have anticipated my question: How many others, looking back, have had their security, even smugness, shattered when they learned they had moderate to severe apnea, and of those, how many had a coincidental diagnosis or onset of atrial fibrillation or tachycardia?

Thanks, in advance, for your responses if you'd care to reply. I have an open mind as a general prescription for living, so I am amenable to all types of feedback and advice. BTW, my first six weeks of CPAP therapy have gone gratifyingly well, and except for a horrible first two or three nights until I learned to use "waterproof" surgical tape across my mouth, I am sleeping well with the machine. I see a lot of angst here on this and other forums...

It's all related; as we eventually learn.
" . . . awakening smartly and raring to go each morning, usually after a vivid dream."
Funny how so many of us start out thinking this is a GOOD thing.

Afib is relatively common with apnea and is most often helped by cpap, if not eradicated. I wouldn't worry too much for now unless you have other episodes in future.

A-Fib begets A-Fib so do all you can to avoid it. Treat your Sleep Apnea.

I had an asthma diagnosis since my mid-teens. During a recent visit to a pulmonologist, he asked me if I had ever been diagnosed with asthma. I told him that although I had, I now believe that the diagnosis was wrong and the real culprit was Sleep Apnea (by that time I'd been on CPAP for over fifteen years). He ran the tests, and - sure enough - not a hint of asthma!

I know that this thread is over a month old now, but I just got round to reading it and want to add a few comments.

I was sent for a sleep study solely on the basis of an episode of atrial tachycardia that happened completely out of the blue, much like you describe the onset of your AFIB.

I too was shocked at the diagnosis of moderate OSA, AHI 16 and desaturating to 88%. Not nearly as bad as some but it was taking a toll on me, obviously. I was fit, running and very active when this happened.

Touch wood, since being on CPAP (two years now) I haven't had another episode of tachy nor the frequent PVCs etc leading up to the episode of atrial tachy that no-one could really explain.

FWIW, my dad was an ultramarathon runner and has AFIB, there is a connection with pro cyclists getting AFIB as well.

Also having a chuckle at the wise words of our resident frog. So true, I thought jumping out of bed wide awake in the AM after vivid dreams was normal prior to being optimally treated with CPAP. I often wondered why everyone else seemed to lack the boundless morning energy I had ....!

Little did I know that it was all driven by unrelenting OSA that had me pumped up to the max. Now, I wake up peacefully from dreamless sleep (or more accurately I don't remember my dreams anymore) and revel in the delicious state of feeling completely rested that I recall from my younger days.

Wishing you all the best and hope that the AFIB will be controlled through meds and XPAP. CPAP certainly seems to have helped me tremendously re the atrial tachycardia.

Could be that you developed the apnea as a result of the Afib? I developed apnea as a result of bradycardia, so I would imagine other heart conditions could do the same. They were doing some checks of my previous medical records (over 10 years) to chart when the bradycardia started and there was no evidence that I had any apnea until after my 1st surgery. So, either age or the bradycardia caused it (or both).