Author: Gary Jackson

Waking Up with Heart Racing: Causes and Treatment

It occurs when your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. It can accelerate your metabolism and cause a rapid or irregular heartbeat and unintentional weight loss. If you have depression or anxiety or are under a lot of stress, you may wake up with a racing heart from time to time. Several everyday things can make you wake up with your heart racing. If you’re an occasional drinker, there’s no cause for worry. But it may be worthwhile learning about what counts as binge drinking and whether or not you may be drinking too much and don’t even know it.

Prevent heart races after drinking

You should never consider wine or any other alcohol as a way to lower your heart disease risk. And, in fact, the study also showed that drinking one or fewer drinks per day was related to the lowest likelihood of dying from a stroke. However, Dr. Cho points out that more recent data shows that there may be no amount of alcohol that is truly safe. “The myth that wine is beneficial for heart health is no longer true,” she states. Excessive alcohol can harm your mitochondria (the powerhouses of cells), affect your fat levels, and cause inflammation (9, 34, 49). These issues can raise the risk of heart failure, cardiomyopathy, heart attack, and stroke (40, 43, 54).

Medical Professionals

About 10 percent of dilated cardiomyopathy cases are linked to heavy drinking (34, 43). Consuming any amount of alcohol is not safe for pregnant women, people who take certain medications, or people with certain chronic health conditions. Your doctor or pharmacist should let you know when it’s unsafe to drink, based on your medical history. When you drink, the alcohol in your system may relax your blood vessels, making them dilate or widen. When your blood vessels are dilated, your heart may need to pump harder to keep blood circulating at the same rate. Some people may notice that their heart feels as though it’s pumping faster.

  1. If you’re not sure, make a note to tune into how much you’re having over the course of the next month or so.
  2. In tachycardia, an irregular electrical signal, called an impulse, starts in the upper or lower chambers of the heart.
  3. The increased amount of blood in the body during pregnancy can cause your heart to beat 10 to 20 beats per minute faster than usual.
  4. You should never consider wine or any other alcohol as a way to lower your heart disease risk.
  5. You may be able to continue drinking a glass of wine daily, but you want to make sure that it’s safe.

Heart palpitations after drinking: What does it feel like?

Heart racing after drinking alcohol can also be caused by underlying health issues such as fever, anemia, or heart failure. In these cases, addressing the root causes can help restore a normal heart rhythm (39). You may notice an irregular or fast heart rate after drinking too much alcohol quickly (1, 40). Additionally, alcohol is a diuretic, so drinking may contribute to dehydration.

What Causes Heart Palpitations at Night? Risks and More

The treatment for heart palpitations depends on their cause, and often, they do not need any treatment (18). To prevent palpitations, it’s best to either stop drinking alcohol or moderate your alcohol intake (7, 15). Yet hints about alcohol’s effects on the circulatory system sometimes sneak into conversations.

In a small study, the non-regular drinkers noticed their heart rates increased by 15 percent after binge drinking alcohol in three hours. Twelve hours later, there was a 17 percent increase in their regular heart rate (38). It’s common to feel your heart racing after drinking alcohol, as this beverage can dilate blood vessels and force your heart to work a little harder. However, if your heart continues to pound for an extended period, it may no longer be a normal reaction. Research from 2018 suggests that sleep apnea increases the risk of an irregular heart rate.

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Women, for example, may be more sensitive to the cardiac effects of alcohol than men. This may be due to differences in absorption rates and metabolism. Additionally, the amount of alcohol consumed plays a significant role in heart rate response.

Sudden drops in your blood oxygen levels can raise your blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system. If you ever feel “off” after consuming alcohol or during periods of sobriety between binge-drinking episodes, it’s crucial to seek help immediately. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of a heart attack, stroke, or other medical emergencies. Play it safe and call your doctor if you experience any of the above symptoms.

The best way to prevent tachycardia is to keep the heart healthy. Most heart conditions can lead to different forms of tachycardia. Irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias, are one cause. An example of an irregular heart rhythm is atrial fibrillation (AFib). To help slow your heart rate down, you should try to place your body at rest. Get some fresh air outside, but make sure you don’t overexert yourself.