HR users: Increased heart rate after eating?

[Giants15]

A lot of times after I eat dinner I will have a heart rate around 100-105.  My average rate is 71 per my dashboard.  Usually between 75-90 during the day.  

Anyone else notice increased heart rate after eating?  Should I have any concerns about going over 100?  I hear that it should always be under 100 if you are not active.  

[Nytrip911]

Agreed. For me, I can deal with spikes, but once it hits the 130’s and I’m sitting still, that’s when I feel sick/anxious .

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[elementdan]

I keep coming back to this thread, been following it for years now.
I have had this issue for almost 8-9 years now but it does seem to be getting worse. I'm 30 now, but these issues started around age 22-23.
I've noticed if I eat too many carbs, or too much in general, I will have horrible heart palpitations. At rest they will be 90-95bpm (resting 75) but on getting up and just walking across the room I will be at 140bpm. If I go up the stairs it will be racing and pounding extremely hard. I get an extreme sick feeling, sweating and mild chest pain until I lie down. At this point I just don't move for 3-4 hours until it abates. During this time I generally have a slight feeling of not being able to breathe, as much as wearing a mask but without one, along with a foggy head.

Things I'm doing to keep it at bay:
1. Low carb diet, eat like a diabetic, it keeps the carbs from shooting up your heart rate.

2. Intermittent fasting. I eat only between 6pm and 12pm every day. From the moment I wake up until I eat I feel great usually. I can do anything, run, jump, lift heavy things, etc. But 45-60 mins after I eat a meal I will suddenly become very sluggish, heart rate will pick up and I'll be foggy headed.

Blood sugar is stable during all of this, I got a monitor to check it.
Blood pressure on the other hand is raised. I got up to 170 at one point just sat there. During the day I'm at 114/72 at best.

I've noticed that when I'm not intermittent fasting, if I'm having 3 meals a day, even if those are fully keto/low carb, I will have an attack after the second or third meal.

I'm not sure what is causing it still after all these years. It feels like I'm having a heart attack each time, had countless trips to the hospital only to be sent home with no idea what's going on. It's a nightmare.

It's definitely blood pressure/blood flow related, I just have no idea what to do/who to turn to. Cardiologists send me for the same Echo and stress tests but they're always asked not to eat beforehand. Then the next time it's another cardiologist who wants to do them all over again becuase it's been 2 years since my last scan. I'd have seen him sooner if they'd have actually given me the appointment!

I'm fed up of being shirked off because I'm "young". Literally can't live my life. This happens at least 3 times a week even with my preventative measures. At the moment I get to enjoy myself during the day but the nights are hell.

Any help/guidance here would be much appreciated

[SabrinaO17]

Hi there,

I’m sorry your dealing with this nightmare. I made a food log and would track which ever foods it happens with. Mine happens with potatoes and normally any really heavy amount of carbs or diary. I don’t eat potatoes at all anymore and I eat diary selectively.

If you have ruled out any cardio issue, then I would say it’s most likely your stomach having a hard time digesting food. Have you tried any enzymes to help. I try to drink water in these moments to try and reprieve anything that may be going on in my stomach. I also believe the vagus nerve is involved and the visceral nerves on the stomach. I am not to sure these are my own theories.

I believe whatever food we are eating is causing a lot of bloating because we can’t digest properly. The stomach inflates and irritates the visceral nerves which are connected to the vagus nerve. I also know any bloating in the stomach could irritate a vital hernia which could then irritate the heart if it’s being pushed into. 

Check to see if you have any food allergies and keep a log. Also see a gastroenterologist. How is your thyroid? Maybe get that checked as well. 

I hope you find answers soon. 

[SabrinaO17]

Relieve*

hiatal hernia*

[Nytrip911]

I started having this about 5 years ago (maybe more) after two years of work up I finally, in 2019, was referred to a cardiologist (and older guy) prescribed metoprolol. 1/2 a tablet twice a day, right before I eat. What a HUGE difference it has made. ( Mind you, I had just turned 50 when they started the work up) but the diagnosis was not age related. Look up
Roemheld syndrome. I know what it’s like to eat, get tachycardia, and then have to lie down until it eventually subsides. It’s debilitating, Anyway, I hope this helps. The meds helped me. It’s not 100% but it’s a major step to normalcy.

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[SabrinaO17]

Yep - Gastro-Cardiac Syndrome sucks butt!!

[Michellenz]

I’ve been wondering if it’s related to physiology, and whether the vagus
nerve or the gut arteries are physically placed in ways that mean we are
overstimulated by digestion.

Eating low carb, and not overindulging, my main issue is now is not being
able to exercise 2 hours after meals.

Oh - the other thing I do now is take niacin 500 gms twice a day. And
meditations helped over time, which is why I wonder if it’s overstimulation
of the vagus nerve.

Moderator Edit: Formatting

[Nytrip911]

Could be. Roemheld syndrome, although an obsolete term, states a variety of causes including “mechanical” with pressure on the stomach and elevation of the diaphragm. I think that’s part of my problem, but not the whole problem because it’s high salt foods, not just carbs, like breakfast foods and cured meats, that trigger me more than other things.

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[Nytrip911]

Thanks! A lot of those are my issues. If there is pain, like my hiatal hero’s acting up (which for me can be severe no heartburn just serous angina-like pain) drinking a good amount of water fairly quickly alleviates the spasms. My biggest triggers are high salt foods like breakfast food. I can eat potatoes OR bacon OR eggs, but all three at once? Nope.

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[YojanaFitbit]

@Giants15 Eating does cause changes in blood flow, which can result in an increased heart rate. Eating can also cause an increase in blood pressure. If you overeat, you force your heart to work harder than normal. You need more blood going to your digestive system, which causes your heart rate to go up.

@Nytrip911 Good to hear that you've under control most the symptoms that your body has due to this condition. You must be really careful with sodium, since excess sodium increases blood pressure because it holds excess fluid in the body, and that creates an added burden on the heart. 🤗

[Michellenz]

Actually, sodium is only an issue for a very small potion of the
population. The cardiothoracic surgeon who wrote ‘ the Angina monologues’
covers how los a risk it is.

And my blood pressure’s normal without meds now I’m eating low carb and
have lost heaps of weight and move🙂

Moderator Edit: Formatting

[YojanaFitbit]

@Michellenz Thank you for sharing that book. I haven't heard about it before, it sounds interesting. And I'm so glad to know that your blood pressure is normal now. Keep working out and doing your best to improve your health. 😃💖

[borak-abamo]

Read about Helicobacter pylori

[YojanaFitbit]

Hey @borak-abamo, thanks for adding that comment. Actually, besides gastroenterological disease, H. pylori is also found to be associated with arrhythmia. I see your point there. It might be consider between a lot other symptoms like:

• An ache or burning pain in your abdomen.
• Abdominal pain that's worse when your stomach is empty.
• Nausea.
• Loss of appetite.
• Frequent burping.
• Bloating.
• Unintentional weight loss.

[Ivahay]

Hiiiii all,

I've read all of your comments, and just wanted to add two things that you could consider and I don't see they've been mentioned.

1.

You might want to check your blood sugar and insuline levels. Insulin can enhance sympathetic activity (increased heart rate could definitely be a sign of that), especially acute insulin response, so the increased heart rate after eating could a potential symptom of insulin resistance or even type 2 diabetes.

Here is the reference for more info:

Monnard, C. R., & Grasser, E. K. (2018). Perspective: cardiovascular responses to sugar-sweetened beverages in humans: a narrative review with potential hemodynamic mechanisms. __Advances in Nutrition__, __9__(2), 70-77.

2.

Another thing to consider is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. In those who have it (change from lying to standing causes an abnormally large increase in heart rate) it has been shown that food intake evokes significant changes in HR and BP.

Reference:

Ruska, B., Crnosija, L., Skoric, M. K., Adamec, I., Gabelic, T., & Habek, M. (2017). O161 The effect of food intake on patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Clinical Neurophysiology, 128(9), e230.

[YojanaFitbit]

@Ivahay Welcome to the Community Forums. Thank you for adding this information, I think it might be of great help so our users. 👍

See you around.

[Michellenz]

Thanks for that.
I almost got type 2 diabetes, but have had completely normal HbA1c for
several years now, thanks to going low carb. So i'ts unlikely that I have
hyperinsulinemia (you can't get insulin tests in NZ, so no way to check
other than the implied level from blood sugars).

I'll look into the other condition, but I certainly haven't noticed any
signs that this is an issue for me.

Moderator Edit: Personal info removed

[YojanaFitbit]

Thanks for adding your comment @Michellenz. I didn't know you can't get insulin tests in NZ, are you sure there is no other way to find out. Good thing is that you're taking good care of your health. 😊

[Nytrip911]

I think you are spot on with POTS. Just talked to the head of Family Medicine at my area Kaiser and that’s what he said.  It’s only taken 3 years to get to this point. 🙄

[Sarah2120]

Hello, I have a similar situation. When I stand up to do anything even light activity I’m right up at 135-140. My resting HR is high. I also found food troublesome (although I’m still monitoring this). The last month I struggled to get my daily average HR below 100 and moderate exercise is now far exceeding my max recommended HR. I went to Drs who did a range of blood tests - turns out I have quite severe Hyperthyroidism - whilst my symptoms have got worse recently, I’ve always had a high HR and many of the other symptoms now make a lot of sense to me. You may have already looked into this but if not would recommend pushing to have that test done to check it’s not the same for you. I’m now on meds to bring down HR and control the amount of Thyroxine in my body. Good luck on your hunt to figure out what is happening for you.