Atrial Fibrillation-What Increases Your Risk A risk factor is anything that increases your chances of getting sick or having a problem. Risk factors for atrial fibrillation include:

• Age older than 60.
• Being white and male.
• Obesity.
• Sleep apnea.
• A family history of atrial fibrillation.
• Certain other health problems can cause atrial fibrillation. For a list of these problems, see Cause.

Lifestyle choices

You may have certain habits that increase your risk for atrial fibrillation because they can cause wear and tear on your heart. These lifestyle choices include:

• Long-term, heavy alcohol use, or drinking a large amount of alcohol at one time (binge drinking).
• Smoking.