Living with AFib means you have one of two choices;
Let AFib take over — or get serious about your health and take control of what you can.
I chose to take control.
And that meant changing how I lived — one small habit at a time.
🛑 What I Stopped Doing
- Cut caffeine, alcohol, and OTC meds — especially anything that raised my heart rate, like DayQuil.
- Eliminated gluten and dairy — both are inflammatory, and I wanted to reduce anything that might stress my system.
- Avoided sugar and unnecessary carbs — not just for heart health, but to help with weight loss and energy balance.
✅ What I Started Doing
- Tracking everything — I kept a diary of what I ate, how I slept, and what I did each day. It helped me realize AFib isn’t random. There’s always a reason.
- Intermittent fasting — I eat between 10am and 4pm to help manage my weight and keep blood sugar stable.
- Upped my hydration — I aim for 80 ounces of water a day.
- Focused on healthy fats — like salmon and avocados.
- Added gentle movement — Yoga became my go-to. It’s the only form of exercise that relaxed me without spiking my heart rate. I do it at night to help with sleep.
🤔 What I’m Still Figuring Out
💤 Sleep
Sleep is one of my biggest challenges.
Almost every AFib episode I’ve had happened while I was asleep. I don’t have sleep apnea, but sleeping on my left side, back, or even flat can trigger an episode. Now I sleep almost upright, tilted to my right — and even that’s not perfect. This is still a work in progress.
😣 Stress
Stress is a major trigger for me.
Since my diagnosis, I’ve changed how I respond to things — I try not to let little things get to me. But grief and emotional moments still sneak up. When my dog passed away, I held it together all day — but that night, I had an episode. The adrenaline hit me once I let go.
I’m learning that managing stress isn’t about never feeling things. It’s about making space for emotions without letting them own you.
None of these changes happened overnight — and truthfully, I’m still figuring a lot of it out. But each small shift has made living with AFib a little more manageable, and a lot less scary.
This post is just an overview — a snapshot of what I’ve stopped doing, started doing, and what I’m still working on.
In my next few posts, I’ll break each of these down in more detail. Whether it’s what I eat, how I sleep, or how I handle stress, I’ll share exactly what’s helped — and what hasn’t — so you can figure out what works for you, too.
