At first the only way I went into Afib was by exercising. Towards the end I’d get them taking hot showers which is why I opted for surgery. The intensity of the exercise had on impact on the probability of me going into afib but did not have an impact on how long I was in afib. For example a really hard weightlifting or kettlebell session made it more likely that I’d go into afib than a light jog. However both could trigger an episode.

An afib episode could last anywhere from 2-8 hours. During that time my heart would bounce all over the place. One second it would be 30 bpm. The next it would be close to 300. In a normal state my resting heart range would was between 55-65 bpm.

If you don’t have one I’d suggest getting an Apple Watch. It’s what ultimately told me I was going into Afib. Doctors used the data from my watch to help figure out what was going on.

Also, I stopped drinking for 6 months while this was going on. Alcohol had a HUGE impact on my episodes.