Guide To Atrial Fibrillation Symptoms
Increased Sweating
An individual who experiences increased sweating, particularly at night, may have atrial fibrillation as the underlying cause of their symptoms. A healthy individual experiences sweating when they are engaging in physical activity or exercise because the rate of their heart increases with their level of activity. Atrial fibrillation patients can experience a high heart rate when they are at rest or even when sleeping at night. The abnormal high heart rate is the result of the chaotic beating of the upper chambers or atria of the heart when they are out of sync with the ventricles.
The increased heart rate means the cells in the heart are working harder than they would when the heart beats at a normal rate. When the cells in the heart are working harder, they are using up more energy at a faster rate than they would in a restful state. When calories are burned by the muscle cells of the heart when using up energy, heat is produced as a byproduct of the process. The body becomes warmer than usual when the heart is under an excessive workload, which triggers sweating.
Swelling
When the heart experiences atrial fibrillation episodes repeatedly over time, it can become weakened by the excessive workload and burden it has been under. When the patient's heart becomes weak enough to where it cannot pump enough blood to meet the demand of their body, it means the muscle is beginning to fail. When the heart fails, blood is unable to move against the force of gravity back to the heart as well as it would be able to otherwise.
When the blood cannot circulate efficiently because the heart is not pumping it well enough, it begins to pool in the lower extremities of the patient's body. The accumulation of blood in the feet and lower legs causes excess fluid in the blood to be forced through the walls of the veins when they meet their maximum expansion threshold. The fluid forced from the veins accumulates in the nearby tissues and produces swelling in the feet and lower legs.
