Tachycardia after alcohol consumption – Is it dangerous?

Introduction

In addition to many “normal” causes for tachycardia (e.g. physical and mental strain, stress), however, some people also experience a sudden heart palpitations after alcohol consumption, which usually occurs only after a certain time after drinking. This is mainly due to the effects of alcohol on the body, but it can also be a symptom of alcohol or histamine intolerance.

Is that dangerous?

To assess the tachycardia, you should ask yourself whether it has already occurred several times or whether this is the first time it has occurred. If, in addition to tachycardia, other symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain radiating into the left shoulder or left arm, it may be a serious condition such as a heart attack. You should definitely seek medical treatment if it occurs for the first time or if there are accompanying symptoms.

Especially young people can develop the so-called Holiday-Heart Syndrome, which is characterized by the sudden occurrence of cardiac arrhythmia, also known as tachycardia, due to the increased consumption of alcohol. This is a disease that must be monitored, but is not dangerous, as the arrhythmia usually normalizes itself. In general, tachycardia after alcohol consumption does not necessarily represent a dangerous situation, but you should consult a doctor, especially if it occurs several times without accompanying symptoms, in order to be able to exclude any underlying diseases or have them treated.

Causes

Alcohol affects many processes in the body. Among other things, it dilates the body’s vessels, causing the blood to “sink” into the vessels with a drop in blood pressure. Among other things, this leads to the typical reddened cheeks after alcohol consumption.

Furthermore, the drop in blood pressure is further promoted by the alcohol-induced increased water excretion (one has to go to the toilet more often). However, in order to keep the blood pressure constant, the body reacts by increasing the heart rate. This can become noticeable, especially in the case of sensitively reacting patients, through palpitations and outbreaks of sweating.

Furthermore, stress (see: Tachycardia due to stress) and physical strain can also lead to tachycardia. However, these are physiological, i.e. “normal” and not pathological. Other causes of tachycardia (the so-called sinus tachycardia) can be physical, such as fever, hyperthyroidism or heart disease, but they can also be caused by medication (e.g. atropine) or other active substances such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.

You can find more information on this topic here: Causes of tachycardia Alcohol intolerance is a strong physical reaction to even the smallest amounts of alcohol. It is present in many Asians. Typical symptoms are: The cause of alcohol intolerance is a genetic defect of the alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase.

These are important enzymes that are responsible for the breakdown of alcohol. If alcohol and its toxic breakdown product acetaldehyde cannot be broken down, the body suffers symptoms of poisoning. Other causes of alcohol intolerance are liver diseases with liver damage, which also leads to disorders of alcohol breakdown.

Those affected with liver damage are urgently advised against further alcohol consumption.

  • Hot flashes
  • Weld outbreaks
  • Tachycardia
  • Heavily reddened and swollen face
  • Stomach pain (see: Stomach pain after alcohol)

Histamine intolerance can be another cause of tachycardia under alcohol consumption. This is manifested when eating histamine-rich foods such as red wine (!

), cheese and chocolate. Typical symptoms are: Histamines are messenger substances that can be found in many different foods and which the human body produces in part itself. In our body, histamines play an important role especially in inflammations and allergic reactions.

In this context, they dilate the vessels and increase their permeability. As a result, the inflamed area can be better supplied with blood and the defence cells can penetrate the infection more quickly. Excess histamine is normally broken down by the body’s own enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO).

However, those affected by histamine intolerance suffer from a deficiency of the histamine-degrading enzyme, which prevents them from breaking down even the smallest amounts of histamine. The consequence is an accumulation of histamine in the body and its typical symptoms.Causes of histamine intolerance can be a genetic defect of diamine oxidase or an enzyme deficiency due to intestinal diseases. At the same time, alcohol can also trigger a histamine intolerance.

By increasing the permeability of the intestinal wall, it promotes an increased penetration of histamines into the body, which trigger corresponding symptoms in affected persons. Those affected should therefore urgently refrain from drinking alcohol (beer, red wine or champagne).

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach cramps
  • Tachycardia
  • Shortness of breath
  • Skin rashes
  • Swollen eyelids and sinuses

Alcohol withdrawal should always be done under medical supervision!

Alcohol withdrawal does not go by without leaving traces and can be accompanied by serious functional disorders of the internal organs, with tachycardia being one symptom. In the case of alcohol dependency, typical withdrawal symptoms usually occur around 4 to 12 hours after the alcohol has been discontinued. Withdrawal symptoms include increased sweating, nervousness, insomnia and loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.

Other symptoms are severe blood pressure fluctuations and palpitations (vegetative symptoms = from the vegetative, non-influential nervous system). Alcohol has a sedative (attenuating) effect on the human body, especially in higher doses. If this effect disappears from one moment to the next, the body is put into a state of stress.

Tachycardia is only one of the numerous alarm symptoms. Life threatening complications such as seizures, acute heart and kidney failure and the so-called delirium tremens, a psychosyndrome with psychiatric, vegetative and neurological symptoms, can be the result. You can find more information here: Consequences of alcohol