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An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) is a potential side effect of alcohol use. Even those who consume moderate amounts of alcohol may be at risk for heart flutters and palpitations.
Chinatown Cardiology, with four New York City locations, specializes in diagnosing and treating irregular heartbeats, including alcohol-induced arrhythmias.
Our expert cardiologists offer on-site tests, including electrocardiograms (EKGs), to evaluate heart function and rule out other cardiovascular conditions. They also customize care plans to restore your heart’s rhythm and prevent complications like heart failure and cardiac arrest.
A heart arrhythmia develops when the electrical signals that control your heartbeat don’t function properly. That can cause irregular heartbeats that are slower (bradycardia) or faster (tachycardia) than usual. In some cases, the heartbeat pattern is inconsistent.
Additional symptoms of arrhythmia can include:
An irregular heartbeat can also be severe enough to cause fainting, which can lead to fall-related injuries.
Alcohol hurts your cardiovascular health, causing changes in your heart and blood vessels. The severity of the effect varies from person to person, depending on an individual’s existing health and how often and how much they drink.
Heavy and long-term drinkers are more susceptible to arrhythmia and other cardiovascular conditions, such as:
A condition called holiday heart syndrome describes an irregular heartbeat triggered by binge drinking. Even those with no history of cardiovascular problems can experience palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pain after consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short period.
While an occasional drink may reduce risk factors for coronary artery disease, light to moderate drinkers are still at a higher risk of developing an arrhythmia than nondrinkers.
A positive cardiovascular effect of alcohol is that it raises levels of high-density lipoproteins, which remove excess cholesterol from the blood. Alcohol also has a blood-thinning effect that can prevent clots.
However, alcohol consumption doesn’t offer the same advantages when it comes to electrical activity in the heart. Drinking alcohol can change the heart’s electrical signals over time and ultimately lead to arrhythmia.
Alcohol can also negatively impact the autonomic nervous system in both occasional and heavy drinkers. This system controls body functions such as digestion, respiration, and heart rate.
There’s still a debate over how much alcohol is safe to consume. People with existing heart conditions and those at high risk of cardiovascular disease due to genetics or lifestyle may want to consider abstaining from alcohol.
If you’re not willing to quit drinking alcohol, speak with our cardiology team about how to drink responsibly without further jeopardizing your heart health.
Our experts can recommend additional lifestyle and diet changes to lower your risk of arrhythmia and other cardiovascular conditions.
Call Chinatown Cardiology today at one of our four convenient locations to schedule a heart health consultation or request an appointment online.
