How Do You Slow Your Heart Rate After Drinking Alcohol?
Alcohol affects many organs and systems in your body. This includes your cardiovascular system—a network of organs, including the heart, blood, and blood vessels, that circulate blood within the body. Many of these effects, like a rapid heart rate, can occur during a hangover. A hangover is a set of symptoms that occur after drinking too much alcohol. Since alcohol remains in your body for up to 24 hours, a hangover can occur hours after your last drink.Research shows that alcohol impacts your autonomic nervous system, which controls your heart rate, breathing rate, and digestion. By stimulating your internal nervous system, alcohol can trigger a rapid heartbeat for as long as it remains in your body.
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High Heart Rate With HangoverSeveral factors can contribute to having a high heart rate with a hangover. Factors such as genetics, body composition, general health, and the type and amount of alcohol you consume contribute to the fact that people metabolize alcohol differently. As a result, everyone experiences unique results while drinking and afterward.Even without a hangover, alcohol can impact your heart. When you consume alcohol, your breathing slows and vasodilation occurs (dilation of blood vessels). This triggers your heart to pump harder and faster to circulate the same amount of blood throughout your body as it needs when you are not drinking. The added stress on your heart causes a higher heart rate.What Is a High Heart Rate?A heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal for a healthy adult. Heart rates that measure more than 100 beats per minute, in ranges such as 120 to 130 beats per minute when at rest, are typically considered too fast. However, factors such as age, health status, and physical condition can affect the heart rate considered normal.
Types of ArrhythmiaAn arrhythmia is an irregularity in the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. There are several types of arrhythmia. They include:Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)A-fib causes your heart to beat irregularly and often, faster than normal. It occurs when your heart's atria (upper cardiac chambers) and ventricles (lower chambers) do not work in sync. It may prevent the heart from pumping enough blood to the body or lungs. It prevents your ventricle from filling completely or pumping enough blood to your lungs and body. A-fib can feel like your heart is skipping a beat, quivering, fluttering, pounding, or beating too hard or too fast.Heart PalpitationsWhile not technically an arrhythmia, heart palpitations are sensations in which your heart is fluttering, racing, or pounding. They commonly occur in arrhythmia. They can be felt in your chest, neck, or throat when your heartbeat is normal or abnormal. Heart palpitations can cause an unpleasant awareness of your heartbeat, making you feel like your heart skipped or stopped beating. Factors such as stress or drugs can cause them.
Ways to Slow Down Heart Rate After AlcoholBased on your condition, an abnormal heart rate may not be a problem. Even if it does not pose a health risk, a high heart rate can be unsettling and uncomfortable. To slow your heart rate after alcohol, try the following strategies:Drink Water and ElectrolytesWater and electrolytes (essential minerals providing an electric charge needed for key body functions) can provide quick rehydration. Alcohol tends to dehydrate your body, making it harder for your liver to process the alcohol you have consumed.When you are dehydrated, it decreases the amount of blood circulating through your body. Your heart rate increases as it tries to compensate for the lost fluid. Water and electrolytes can replace the lost fluid and relieve the pressure on your heart.Practice Deep BreathingYour breathing and heart rate work in sync and are regulated by the same parts of your brain. When you inhale, your lungs expand and the pressure on your heart and blood vessels change.This stimulates sensory nerves that affect how hard you breathe. When relaxed, you breathe more slowly and your heart rate decreases. Controlled, deep breathing can trigger the "rest and digest" response by stimulating the vagus nerve (the nerve that connects your brain to your heart).There are many types of deep breathing. One technique involves the following steps:Sit still or lie down and place one hand on your abdomen. Put your other hand over your heart.Inhale slowly until you feel your stomach rise.Hold your breath for a moment.Exhale slowly, feeling your stomach fall.Try the Valsalva ManeuverThe Valsalva maneuver acts on your vagus nerve to relax your heart's electrical system and slow your heart rate when it is beating too fast. To perform the Valsalva maneuver, do the following:Sit or lie down.Take a deep breath and hold it by closing your windpipe at the throat.Bear down hard, as if you're straining for a bowel movement.Strain hard for about 10 to 15 seconds.Release your breath and resume normal breathing when you're done.Wait a minute before repeating, if necessary.Apply an Ice PackResearch indicates that 20 minutes of ice massage to your head around your eyes, cheekbones, and spine can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, especially in people with hypertension (high blood pressure). The ice affects your vagus nerve.Move to a Cool EnvironmentYour heart works harder any time you are subject to warm temperatures. As your body temperature rises, your heart pumps faster. It does this to send blood to the surface of your skin so it can produce sweat and cool off your body. To reduce this extra strain during a hangover, seek a cool, comfortable environment where your body is not overheated.
How Alcohol Slows Your Heart RateAlcohol is a depressant drug. As you consume alcohol, it slows your central nervous system, affecting your brain's control of your body. While small amounts can affect functions like movement and speed, consuming large amounts of alcohol can slow your heart rate and breathing to potentially life-threatening levels.
Who Should Take Extra Precautions?While everyone isn't sensitive to the effects of alcohol on their heart rhythm, having certain conditions can increase your risk for A-fib after consuming alcohol.The most extreme precautions should be taken by people who have been diagnosed with A-fib. Research indicates that people who have been diagnosed with A-fib should consider abstaining from alcohol. In one study, abstinence from alcohol reduced arrhythmia recurrences in regular drinkers diagnosed with A-fib.Results from another study indicate that alcohol can severely affect the electrical system within the heart that controls your heartbeat, making you more susceptible to A-fib.People with the following conditions have an increased risk for A-fib from alcohol or any cause:Cardiovascular diseaseDiabetesHypertensionObesitySleep apneaIf you have any of the following characteristics, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises that you should abstain from drinking:An inability to control the amount of alcohol you drinkAre pregnant or may be pregnantAge 21 or youngerHave liver diseaseRecovering from alcohol use disorderTake medications that interact with alcohol
Learn More: Should You Drink Alcohol If You Have High Blood Pressure?
How Are Anxiety and Panic Attacks Different?Anxiety and panic attacks can cause intense physical symptoms and leave those affected feeling scared and overwhelmed. While these conditions have similarities, they are different in several ways.Anxiety and panic disorders are often confused because they can share the following symptoms:Chest pain and discomfortDizzinessNauseaRapid heartbeatShortness of breathSweatingHowever, anxiety and panic attacks differ in their causes, the way they occur, and the length of time they last. Anxiety attacks are often a symptom of an anxiety disorder, such Characteristics of an anxiety attack include:Develops slowly over timeGeneral feeling of unease, restlessness, or tensionOccurs as a result of excessive worry in response to, or preparation for, a specific situationPhysical symptoms that are less severe than panic attacksSymptoms that are triggered by specific situations or eventsSymptoms that last for days, weeks, or monthsSome people may experience a condition called inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) after an anxiety attack. IST is an arrhythmia in which your heart beats fast without an identifiable cause. People with IST typically have a resting heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute or greater than 90 beats per minute when averaged throughout the day. Symptoms of IST can be mistaken for anxiety or panic attacks due to the rapid heartbeat that it produces.A panic attack differs from an anxiety attack in that a panic attack typically occurs unexpectedly and suddenly without an apparent trigger. Characteristics of a panic attack include:Fear of losing control, looming danger, or dyingFear or avoidance of places where panic attacks have occurred in the pastIntense physical symptoms that can feel like a heart attack or life-threatening situationOccurs without any known causeStarts suddenly and peaks within minutes of onsetSymptoms last for a shorter time than anxiety attacks, from a few minutes to an hourTrembling or tingling
Learn More: When to Go to the Hospital for Rapid Heart Rate
Rapid Heart Rate and Future DrinkingMost healthy adults can reduce their risk of the health effects of alcohol by drinking in moderation. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, drinking in moderation is:For men: Two drinks or less in one dayFor women: One drink or less in a dayHowever, the best way to lower your health risks is to abstain from drinking any alcohol and opting for alcohol alternatives. Compared to not drinking, drinking alcohol in moderation may increase your risks of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.If you choose to consume alcohol, you may be able to reduce effects such as a rapid heartbeat by using these strategies:Eat food before and while drinking to slow your drinking pace and slow the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol.Drink water or other nonalcoholic beverages between alcoholic drinks.Order smaller servings of beer, cider, and spirits, rather than pints or double servings.Avoid drinking in rounds, which can lead to drinking more than you planned.Do not let anyone top off your glass of wine since this can prevent you from keeping track of how many drinks you consume.Avoid cocktails, spirits, and other high-alcohol-content beverages.Participate in activities like playing pool, dancing, talking to friends, and karaoke to reduce the amount of alcohol you consume.Do not combine alcohol with pharmaceutical or recreational drugs. Doing so can increase your risk of overdose, loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, and other severe side effects.
Learn More: 12 Best Foods for a Hangover and What to Avoid
SummaryA healthy normal heart works to maintain a heart rate of about 60 to 100 beats per minute. Alcohol can cause your heart rate to temporarily jump up. The effect increases your risk of tachycardia, an ailment that makes you more likely to have a heart attack and stroke. Since alcohol remains in your body for up to 24 hours, you may have a high heart rate during a hangover, long after your last drink.Drinking in moderation can help reduce the effects of alcohol on your heart and other bodily systems. However, having certain health problems can increase your risk of these effects. In these cases, it may be worth comparing the risks of drinking alcohol versus your health and well-being.Contact your healthcare provider if you regularly have a rapid heart rate after drinking alcohol or during a hangover. Having a rapid heart rate for any reason can increase your risk of more severe problems such as a heart attack and stroke. Read the original article on Verywell Health.
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