Does Alcohol Increase Heart Rate?

After one too many drinks, an unusually rapid or irregular heartbeat can leave you feeling unsettled. This sudden change in heart rate is most likely a harmless but uncomfortable response to alcohol intake, not a sign of danger or poor cardiovascular health. It could be that you’re experiencing a symptom of alcohol intolerance or Asian Flush.

While concerning, there are practical steps you can take to gradually bring your heart rate back to normal.

Before stressing over worst case scenarios, understanding the benign causes behind alcohol's effect on heart rate is key. Simply by replenishing nutrients, rehydrating, and resting, you can typically return to your baseline heart rhythm. Equipped with helpful techniques for steadying an accelerated heartbeat, you need not view occasional irregularity as alarming.

Does Alcohol Increase Heart Rate?

First and foremost, does drinking alcohol increase heart rate? The answer is yes. Your heart is greatly affected by drinking alcohol. It can cause a temporary increase in not just your heart rate. It may even raise blood pressure levels.

Over time, a drinking habit may even contribute to an irregular heartbeat when you're not drinking at all. Your heart muscle will also slowly begin to weaken as your heavy drinking continues.

Alcohol intake in itself causes changes to your heart rate. But if you have a preexisting condition, or drink a certain type of liquor, your side effects may vary. Let's take a look at the main causes of a heart rate increase from drinking alcohol.

Why Does Drinking Alcohol Increase My Heart Rate?

The most common explanations for increased heart rate from alcohol include:

• Alcohol intolerance (or Asian Flush)
• The natural reaction to alcohol
• Binge drinking

Here are some details about each possible cause and why this reaction may be happening to you:

Alcohol Intolerance

If you have an intolerance to alcohol, consuming alcohol will give you some negative symptoms. It could be considered similar to a condition like lactose intolerance and then consuming milk or cheese. Your body will react in a negative way.

Most commonly, this reaction is caused by an ineffective liver enzyme. This means that your body is unable to break down alcohol properly and a toxic chemical can build up in your system. This chemical (called acetaldehyde) causes numerous negative and uncomfortable symptoms when drinking alcohol.

Supplements like Sunset Alcohol Flush Reduction, also known as Asian glow pills, help reduce acetaldehyde in the body as quickly as possible. This helps users enjoy alcohol without becoming overwhelmed with the usual negative symptoms of Asian Flush, such as rapid heart rate and facial flushing.

Most common symptoms of alcohol intolerance:

• Increased heart rate
• Restricted breathing
• Facial flushing
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Nasal congestion

A heart rate increase is a natural reaction to alcohol

Maybe you don't suffer from alcohol intolerance, and yet, you still notice a change in your heart rate or blood pressure when drinking.

Even in otherwise healthy individuals, alcohol can increase heart rate - intolerance or not. Your body may be experiencing a natural reaction to alcohol. Alcohol makes your blood vessels dilate and get larger, which makes the heart muscle pump more blood to keep the same amount in the body. To do this, it’ll need to pump harder and faster to keep the same amount of blood circulating.

This reaction can also make people feel hot when they drink alcohol, because more warm blood is closer to the surface of the skin. It can also make your skin look a little flushed and make you feel sweaty. However, these symptoms don’t automatically mean you have Asian Flush or alcohol intolerance. In many cases, this can happen to anyone who drinks alcohol.

However, to make things confusing, feeling hot and flushed are also symptoms of Asian Flush. To distinguish between the two, Asian Flush symptoms are usually felt immediately after drinking alcohol and are typically accompanied by other negative symptoms like headaches and dizziness.

Binge drinking

Other than alcohol intolerance, Asian Flush or a natural reaction to alcohol, you may experience an increased heartbeat due to excessive drinking.

One study found a link between excessive drinking and an irregular heartbeat (or arrhythmia). Although the study is fairly outdated, there was enough evidence to create the term "holiday heart syndrome." The idea is that you’re more likely to binge drink alcohol on vacations and holidays, leading to “holiday heart syndrome.”

Not sure what's considered heavy drinking? Check out the video below!

Why Does My Heart Beat Irregularly After Drinking White Wine?

Some people find that particular types of alcoholic drinks impact them more than others. Wine, both red and white wine, is reported to cause many people uncomfortable symptoms.

A glass of wine contains a chemical called tannins. If you’re sensitive to this chemical, you might experience headaches, irregular heart rate, or a stuffy nose (or a combination of those symptoms). Wine also has a fair amount of histamines, which can trigger an allergic response in some.

If your reaction to wine is severe, it’s important to talk to a medical professional before drinking again. Although a true allergy to alcohol is rare, it’s still possible and could be serious. Or you might find that you have an allergy to an ingredient used in wine and should pick other alcoholic drinks without that ingredient. If you can avoid that particular ingredient, additive, or preservative, your reaction might be reduced or stop completely.

Otherwise, you may just have to find a new drink of choice. Try drinking beer or hard liquor and see if that solves the issue. If so, you know it's the wine at fault and can act accordingly.

When A Person Is Drunk, Does His Heart Beat Rate Change?

As mentioned above, your heart rate can change when a person is drunk for a variety of reasons. It could be because you have an intolerance to alcohol and your body is experiencing negative symptoms from this condition. Otherwise, it may be that your body is trying to pump enough blood through your now-dilated blood vessels.

You may also experience a changed heart beat when drunk because the body is dehydrated and might experience some level of increased adrenaline. Stress, caffeine, and lack of sleep can all make this reaction more exaggerated and trigger an adrenaline response.

It’s the difference between being drunk with friends in a calm, relaxed environment or being stressed while drinking alone. With your friends, your adrenaline and stress is decreased, so you don’t notice (or experience) as many negative symptoms. Whereas if your stress and adrenaline is high when drinking alone, you may feel your heart rate increase.

Will Alcohol Affect My Heart Later In Life?

Alcohol isn’t healthy. Anyone who drinks knows that. However, we also know that there is a link between regularly drinking too much alcohol and getting high blood pressure.

In time, high blood pressure (hypertension) caused by too much alcohol consumption can lead to cardiovascular heart disease, leading to other medical issues, heart failure, heart attack, and health concerns.

Atrial fibrillation (or afib) is one abnormal heart rhythm that can be triggered by alcohol consumption. atrial fibrillation can increase your risk of stroke, so it’s important to speak to your doctor before you drink alcohol.

There is no perfect amount of alcohol that eliminates these risks. However, keeping an eye on your alcohol consumption and avoiding binge drinking can help. If you think you might be drinking too much, make sure to get medical advice. No social activity or lifestyle is worth the risk of cardiovascular diseases. After all, you only get one heart!

How To Prevent Heart Palpitations When Drinking Alcohol

If you have alcohol intolerance, Sunset Alcohol Flush Support is a valid way to reduce a rapid heart rate from alcohol. However, there are a few at-home techniques you can try to slow your heart rate naturally:

• Reduce your stress levels (including not drinking alcohol when you're stressed)
• Minimize the amount of caffeine you have each day
• Stay hydrated with plenty of water
• Keep a regular exercise routine
• Avoid heavy drinking - instead, drink well within your limit

Final Thoughts On Alcohol And Heart Rate

So, does alcohol increase your heart rate? Yes.

Now you know alcohol increases heart rate naturally, but especially in those with intolerance. There are certain types of alcohol that cause greater stress on your heart, such as wine. And heavy drinking, in particular, can lead to greater problems.

At this point, you can start to work on decreasing the occurrence of heavy drinking in your life. Moderate drinking is fine, but make sure you aren't pushing your body to the limits. If you are, seek help.

And if you believe you're one of the many people suffering from alcohol intolerance, you can take steps to remedy the issue. The best solution is to abstain from drinking alcohol entirely. But that isn't the only way. You can use Sunset pills to maintain your social life and enjoy a few drinks with friends - all without the uncomfortable, unsightly side effects!