Alcohol, caffeine are common triggers of irregular heart rhythm

People don't always realise when the heartbeat is irregular

The most common triggers of atrial fibrillation — an irregular heart rhythm that’s a leading cause of stroke — are avoidable behaviours like drinking alcohol or coffee, a recent study suggests.

People don’t always realise when they’re experiencing atrial fibrillation, or AFib, but some feel unpleasant chest palpitations or a racing, irregular heartbeat.

Some patients have AFib 24 hours a day. In others, the irregular heartbeat is “paroxysmal,” that is, it comes and goes. For the current study, reported in the journal Heart Rhythm, researchers surveyed 1,295 patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AFib and found the most common behaviours that triggered episodes of