When it comes to matters of the heart, things can go unexpectedly awry. When we’re exercising or participating in some physical activity, sometimes our heart is beating faster than usual. If we experience fear, anxiety or stress, our heart rate can increase as well.

This is all perfectly normal under these circumstances. It allows our heart to pump blood through our body, to provide much needed oxygen to tissues. However, if you were to notice your heartbeat skipping and felt a thud or thump in your chest, followed by your heart racing, or if you were to feel your heart fluttering or jumping, this would not be normal – you could be experiencing what is known as atrial fibrillation.

AF or as some call it, AFib, is the most common form of heart arrhythmia; it affects about 2.7 million Americans live with atrial fibrillation. Essentially, it means that the rhythm of the heart is off. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. Many sufferers will describe it as their “heart quivering”.

What causes atrial fibrillation?

A simple way to explain atrial fibrillation is by calling it a disconnection that takes place in the atria of the heart. The atria act as the heart’s collecting chambers that send blood in an efficient rhythm into the pumping chambers, called ventricles, by way of regular electrical signals. From there, blood is pumped to the rest of the body. If a person has atrial fibrillation, the electrical signals are fast, irregular and often disorganized. When the signals are disorganized, the heart may not pump efficiently. The body may get small amounts of blood or sometimes it will receive larger amounts of blood. The amount will really depend on how much blood has flowed from the atria through to the ventricles with each beat.