Heart rate day after drinking alcohol

[MarathonChris]

I am a data geek so I like tracking the HR data from my Fitbit.  I am an runner and I log my average heartrate during my runs as well as my resting heart rate for that day to get a % HR number.  It lets me know how hard I am working.

One thing I did notice about my resting heart rate is that it would elevate 1 - 3 bpm for the day after drinking alcohol (for me usually a couple of glasses of wine) the night before.  The HR would stay slightly elevated for a day or two, then drop back down again.

Has anyone else noticed a casual correlation between resting heart rate and low to moderate alcohol consumption?

[shipo]

---

@USAF-Larry wrote:

---

@WKV wrote:

 Bottom line, drinking definitely impacts resting heart rate.

---

Like all things in life, I think that All Depends on the individual.  I have a glass of wine every evening with dinner, and my resting heart rate is never above the mid-50's.  If I am traveling, and don't have wine for several days, my resting heart rate stays in the low- to mid-50's.  So, for me at least, I don't think it makes much difference.

---

I'm thining a fifth of burbon per day is several orders of magnitude more significant versus a glass of wine; one is alcohol abuse, one isn't.  With that much alcohol on a body, I'm not surprised the RHR bumps up 20 beats per minute.

[USAF-Larry]

---

@shipo wrote:

I'm thining a fifth of burbon per day is several orders of magnitude more significant versus a glass of wine; one is alcohol abuse, one isn't.  With that much alcohol on a body, I'm not surprised the RHR bumps up 20 beats per minute.

---

I'm sorry, I didn't see in his post that he was drinking a 5th of burbon per day. If I had seen that, I would not even have replied. I just noticed he said when he didn't drink the RHR dropped, and when he drank it went up.

---

@WKV wrote:

I'm a bourbon drinker, and my resting heart rate is typically in the mid 70s.  However, my resting heart rate drops immediately after I stop drinking for a day.  Typically, it will drop one beat each day I am sober.  If I go 2 weeks without a drop, I'll drop down into the low 50s.  Bottom line, drinking definitely impacts resting heart rate.

---

[mundyclan]

I experience the same problem. My research has narrowed it down to nitrates found in alcohol, especially wine! When I drink beer it does not rise as much as when I drink wine. Try drinking a nitrate free wine for 3 nights and see what happens. Good luck.

[mundyclan]

I should have mentioned that some people react different to nitrates. You may be slightly allergic this allergic reaction is what causes heart rate to increase.

[WKV]

I'm back drinking daily. Heart rate up from 54. Now at 78. Doctor says Fitbit data is garbage, and to ignore it.

[shipo]

---

@WKV wrote:
I'm back drinking daily. Heart rate up from 54. Now at 78. Doctor says Fitbit data is garbage, and to ignore it.

---

Probably a bad piece of advice; does your doctor know you drink to excess?

[tinkster]

---

@MarathonChris wrote:

I am a data geek so I like tracking the HR data from my Fitbit.  I am an runner and I log my average heartrate during my runs as well as my resting heart rate for that day to get a % HR number.  It lets me know how hard I am working.

One thing I did notice about my resting heart rate is that it would elevate 1 - 3 bpm for the day after drinking alcohol (for me usually a couple of glasses of wine) the night before.  The HR would stay slightly elevated for a day or two, then drop back down again.

Has anyone else noticed a casual correlation between resting heart rate and low to moderate alcohol consumption?

---

Just confirming your observation ... I'm a distance runner, my "normal resting heartrate" is ~ 45 bpm. If I drink alcohol (e.g. half a bottle of wine) per evening for a few days my heartarte goes up into the high 50s.

[shipo]

---

@tinkster wrote:

---

@MarathonChris wrote:

I am a data geek so I like tracking the HR data from my Fitbit.  I am an runner and I log my average heartrate during my runs as well as my resting heart rate for that day to get a % HR number.  It lets me know how hard I am working.

One thing I did notice about my resting heart rate is that it would elevate 1 - 3 bpm for the day after drinking alcohol (for me usually a couple of glasses of wine) the night before.  The HR would stay slightly elevated for a day or two, then drop back down again.

Has anyone else noticed a casual correlation between resting heart rate and low to moderate alcohol consumption?

---

Just confirming your observation ... I'm a distance runner, my "normal resting heartrate" is ~ 45 bpm. If I drink alcohol (e.g. half a bottle of wine) per evening for a few days my heartarte goes up into the high 50s.

---

That sounds like quite a bump; I'm also a distance runner with a resting heart rate typically a point or two either side of 42, and I've never seen my heart rate vary more than one BPM, if that, after having a few beers or glasses of wine.

[dmmichals]

typically if i have a couple of drinks i will see a 3-5 bpm difference the next day, which will slowly return to normal over the next day or two.

[imnee]

It's a fact, period. Alcohol consumption does indeed raise the resting heart rate. Using logic one can deduce that very small amounts of alcohol will result in very small or negligible changes in heart rate. Larger quantities of alcohol will result in much more significant and noticible resting heart rate increases. So everyone is correct some see little or no change and other see a much more significant change.

On oct 13th I had a physical and the doctor pointed out some issues that need attention. #1 was my weight. So in an effort to get rid of some LBS I cut out the alcohol. Yes, I was having quite a bit more than a glass of wine each evening. As you can see from the fitbit graph below my resting heart rate has dropped nearly 20 beats per minute in a 21 day period. I have used the fitbit since mid summer this year and my resting heart rate was always in the upper 70's. It's still dropping as I continue to not consume. I'll update the post after it reaches a steady state.

[Jharts00]

@WKV if you continue with a fifth of bourbon per day your heart rate is going to be ZERO.  DEAD!  I wanted to fill you in on a challenge that my friend and I came up with which is great for people that love to drink heavily.  It works as such:  You start at day 0 preferably the first day of the month.  Each day you do not drink you get to bank a day.  For example, if you do not drink for 5 straight days you are +5.  This is great because you have the opportunity to go on a 4 day weekend bender and come out monday being +1.  The goal is to be +50 at fiscal year end.  Good Luck!!

[Jharts00]

Also, it is a great way to get drunk and control your heart rate at the same time.

[Erikbe]

Hello, it's the same with me and it doesn't make a difference whether I've been drinking beer or wine. But maybe its also due to a poorer quality of sleep when I have been drinking (more then two glasses)

[Newpeg]

I was just googling this very issue.  I have noticed that trend too.  Tonight as I was trying to get to bed I noticed my heart was pounding.  Checked and my heart rate was up almost 20 beats more than normal.  I had had several drinks in the late afternoon.  Scared me a bit as I was just lying in bed.  I did some deep breathing and it went back down, but still slightly elevated.  I have previously noticed the trend of slightly elevated the next day after alcohol intake.  Both dehydration and blood sugar dropping make sense as they both can raise heart rate.  Glad I'm not the only numbers geek around.

[m0n00]

I have also noticed the same thing ... my RHR goes up by 3-4 BPMS after a night of drinking (mind you this is heavy drinking ... 4-5 cocktails).   It was quite the revelation!   My RHR is lower when I am not stressed (during vacation or the weekend).   

[Annabel398]

---

@WKV wrote:
I'm back drinking daily. Heart rate up from 54. Now at 78. Doctor says Fitbit data is garbage, and to ignore it.

---

Online message boards are such a low-information-density medium (text but no tone, volume, body language...) It's hard to tell, @WKV, whether your remark about what the doctor said was:

• Sarcastic?
• Matter-of-fact?
• Mind-boggled?
• Amused?
• ...?

 (Edited to add: )  Sorry about the necro-posting! Just now realized I'm responding to a months-old comment...

[GaVak]

I've had my fitbit Surge for 3 years now. I've noticed that if I'm in a stage of drinking every day (bottle of wine+), my resting heart rate will show up in the lower 70s and my sleeping heart rate doesn't go below the 60's.

When I stop, there is a gradual decline over 2-3 weeks to a resting heart rate ~54 and a sleeping heart rate that gets to a min of ~43 bpm.

~Gav

[JohnCastelhano]

Hey there

Just this week I came to the same conclusion....a Friday or Saturday night usually has 3-4 glasses of wine (sometimes more) and a nice sctoch to finish the evening and my resting heart rate bumps up when compared to the nights where there's none.

Giving serious thought to how to change that as I love a fine red wine!

[LouLou27]

I agree I have also noticed a correlation. My resting heart rate is 57-58, but after a night out with the girls it will rise to 61. I think I will mention it to the doctor as reading the responses there looks to be a number of potential factors. Glad to see i'm not the only one who has noticed this. 

[debbieg1961]

I have noticed this.  After being quite a long term drinker of wine and taking up my new challenges of getting fit, in 6 weeks my resting heart rate has gone from 99 (very poor) right down to (as at todays date) 72 (yay) - after so many years i now see that alcohol is very bad and i feel so much better for giving it up.

I feel alive again - Whoop! and if i hadnt have got a fitbit charge 2 for Christmas i would probably have carried on drinking until my heart gave up.

Its the best present ive ever had.