I’ve worked with a lot of remarkable patients over the years. Despite their health challenges, they face the future with confidence, good humor, and optimism. Rather than dwelling on their twist of fate, they keep their focus on what constructive action they can take in consultation with their health team.
Meet Eric
One of my patients who stands out in my memory is Eric. Eric faced a challenge common to many Americans: he was overweight. He had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, which failed to respond to sotalol, an antiarrhythmic drug used to suppress atrial fibrillation. As a result, he was scheduled for a catheter ablation procedure called pulmonary vein isolation.
At one visit prior to the operation, his wife mentioned something which turned out to be quite significant – he snored regularly and had a “strange” breathing pattern. She described times where it seemed like he was holding his breath. I asked Eric how his sleep was, and he responded that it was generally fine. However, he did feel tired in the morning when he woke up almost every day, and he dozed off easily during the day.
That was all I needed to hear to make the decision to investigate further. I ordered an in-office sleep study. The results showed us that Eric was suffering from severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). He was soon placed on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which uses a specialized machine that delivers pressurized air to keep the airway open.
We were able to track Eric’s AFib rather easily thanks to his implantable rhythm monitor, which is a small device injected under the skin which records all episodes of AFib. This includes even the ones he may not feel. Within just a week of starting his new CPAP therapy, the AFib episodes stopped. No further episodes have been seen up to 6 months of starting CPAP.
An upward spiral
The best news of all is the impact this treatment has had on Eric’s day-to-day quality of life. Because he is getting proper restful sleep, he now wakes up with renewed energy and the sense of fatigue has subsided. This has resulted in being able to exercise. The improved well-being from good sleep hygiene and exercise has led to improved nutrition. The culmination of this upward spiral is a weight loss of 30 pounds in just 3 months.
It’s remarkable what a domino effect on our health that our sleep can have. Even without a drug or ablation, Eric has seen a remarkable step forward in his health journey.
Chronic fatigue is a widespread problem many people deal with. The top causes are poor sleep, dehydration, lack of exercise, depression, and chronic emotional/mental stress. Always remember to review this checklist if you are experiencing “unexplained” lack of energy.
Pay close attention to sleep quality
A key take-away here is to pay close attention to the quality of your sleep. It’s one of the most important “vital signs” to monitor when managing your health. How are you sleeping? Do you feel rested when you wake in the morning, and if not, what are you doing about it?
To learn more about AFib and the importance of risk factor and lifestyle modification, check out Restart Your Heart – The Playbook for Thriving with AFib.
