Thanks, Apple Watch
By: Michael Beiter
About a month ago, a client came in with a story for the ages:
I woke up on Sunday with three notifications that my Apple Watch had detected AFib at various times throughout the night.
I decided to work out before my Sunday got busy and took a scoop of Pre-Workout, and started my at-home lifting. After about 5-7 minutes, I noticed my heart rate was at about 167, and I was doing 30lb dumbbell presses on my back - nothing that would or should cause my heart rate to jump that quickly. That's when I started to think, maybe those alerts on my watch are important.
I drove myself to Urgent Care, and they did an EKG test, and within about five minutes, the Doctor let me know that an ambulance was on its way to take me to the ER. Once at the ER, I told them about the Afib alerts, and they hooked me up to machines and took blood and urine samples. All my labs came back near textbook-perfect readings, except for my weight. The Doctor at the ER asked me about the last 72 hours, what I had been doing, eating, drinking, etc.
After thinking about Thursday and Friday, I realized I had consumed too much caffeine. Essentially, I was in a state of"caffeine toxicity." I had received the pre-workout from a trusted friend and figured if it was healthy and good for him, it must also be for me. After further research, one scoop contained 400mg of caffeine. I needed to properly space out my caffeine intake starting on Friday. Before I could fully get the last dose out of my system, I was putting another dose in.
The ER doctor was straightforward with me that the stuff I was taking was alarming and was not regulated. With some medication, my heart has corrected itself, and I'm now back to a normal Sinus Rhythm.
I met with a Heart Rhythm Doctor the prior week, and it was a very eye-opening experience and conversation. The Doctor had said they are seeing more and more "healthy" young individuals with these same issues. We are taking caffeine at high rates and need to allow more time between doses. Many health departments, clubs, and gyms promote these products, but there needs to be more regulation around them. Thinking back, I had all good intentions of taking this product, and it cost me an ambulance ride and an ER visit.
For the rest of my career, I’ll tell this story as a cautionary tale about pre-workouts, a suggestion to read the labels of what you consume, and a lesson about how wearable technology is helpful.
What does it say about the state of things that a man who has lived in his body for nearly four decades can have his heart beating out of his chest and not know it other than via his Apple watch?
What picture does it paint to know you are five scoops of an utterly unregulated supplement away from toxic doses of caffeine?
It says we have become absurdly disconnected from what’s happening in our bodies and what we put in them.
