Atrial Fibrillation Video Series: Day Three
Heart Racing? Understanding AF Symptoms and Daily Life
One of the most unsettling things about atrial fibrillation is how it makes you feel. What symptoms might you notice, and how can AF impact your daily life? The experience can vary greatly from person to person. Some people with AF feel absolutely nothing unusual – they only find out they have it during a routine check-up. Others, however, feel a variety of symptoms that can be uncomfortable or even scary.
Common symptoms of AF include:
- Palpitations: This is the sensation of a rapid, fluttering, or irregular heartbeat. It might feel as though your heart is flip-flopping or pounding, especially in your chest or throat.
- Shortness of breath: You might find yourself getting winded more easily, even during simple activities or when lying down.
- Fatigue or weakness: AF can make you feel unusually tired or weak, because an irregular heartbeat can reduce the heart’s pumping efficiency slightly.
- Dizziness or lightheadedness: The chaotic heart rate can sometimes cause blood pressure to drop, leading to feeling faint or woozy.
- Chest discomfort: Some people feel chest tightness or mild pain (always get chest pain evaluated by a doctor, as it can have other causes too).
These symptoms can come and go if your AF is intermittent (what we call paroxysmal AF – more on AF types soon). Episodes might last seconds, minutes, or hours. You could feel fine one day and have palpitations the next. This unpredictability can understandably affect your daily life. You might worry about exercising, or feel anxious being far from medical help. It’s also common to feel emotionally unsettled (afraid or frustrated) when symptoms strike – after all, your heart is literally skipping a beat and that can be alarming.
Here’s the reassuring part: Many of these symptoms improve or disappear with proper treatment and lifestyle adjustments. If you’ve been started on medication, for example, it might already be helping to steady your heartbeat. And remember, not everyone with AF has strong symptoms – absence of symptoms doesn’t mean AF is gone, so follow your doctor’s advice on regular check-ups.
Living with AF often means learning to listen to your body without living in constant fear. It might take some time to regain confidence in daily activities. That’s completely normal. As we explore treatment options in later emails, you’ll see that there are ways to control these symptoms so you can get back to doing the things you enjoy.
In our next email: We’ll discuss why treating AF is so important, even if you feel okay – specifically, the risks of leaving AF unchecked, like stroke and heart failure. This is a critical topic for your long-term health.
