I have occasional AF and each morning I review my hearts night time activity. I capture it on my Fitbit and review through the "Cardiogram" app. I do this to see if I had AF or spikes in my heart rate while I slept.
When I have woken with AF I can see a distinct likely start point.
However, the one thing that I have unintentionally but categorically learned multiple times over is that when I drink alcohol in the evening my heart rate is higher for the first few hours Im asleep. As my body sleeps and rids itself of the alcohol my heart rate comes back down to the resting levels I see when I do not drink alcohol. (I attach last nights screen shot to show what I mean)
This heightened pulse effect can be seen in my case even after a single beer.
To be clear, Im not saying Im seeing AF but I am definitely (in my case) seeing a higher pulse level than when I don't drink .
Im interested to know whether other people see this same impact on their pulse rate?
Best wishes to this lovely community
Written by
Guitar335
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
This is deffo one were we are all different Guitar335.
Some people on the forum go back in to afib even having one drink. Others are ok with a few beers - for me personally this is the case. I find that two beers lowers my heart rate slightly - I guess it's because it relaxes you a little.
Some also say that certain types of alcohol affects them more. For example wine can have an effect where a beer won't. Maybe try another type of drink to see if things change ?
I'm sure you have it right and have double checked your higher pulse rate is because of having a drink. Just a thought though - does it change anything else ? For example perhaps it takes you longer to fall asleep because you need to pee more ? Your HR at rest lowers when you are sleeping - I can wake up with a rate of 45 (lowest) which of course increases as soon as I get up.
I sorry but I can't help anymore. To answer your question for me my HR lowers slightly with a beer (2-3 max) - however that depends on the amount consumed. I love a beer but my binge drinking days are well over - I know whats coming if I did.
Paul
Edit - make sure you are hydrated too before you sleep. Dehydration can affect HR - maybe the drink is leaving your body a little dehydrated ? Just a thought.
In my case there is no doubt that alcohol is a huge contributor.The more I have drunk the worse it becomes.
Sorry to be a party pooper but the general consensus is that alcohol is best avoided if you have AF. Of course we are are all different so it has to be a personal decision.........
I drank moderately every day for 50 years. Once I had my successful cardioversion I gave up alcohol because I am convinced that's what caused my Atrial Fibrillation. Once I decided no more booze, it's been easy, much easier than dieting. [I am also £1,000 a year better off]
If you look for it there is lots of evidence that alcohol is a risk factor for a-fib.
Hi, can't add to your question about alcohol but very interested in which fitbit you have which gives you such a detailed heart rate reading. I have P Afibb which when it happens, it lasts for up to 12hrs, usually coming on when I fall asleep at night. I have a charge 2 fitbit and some nights it cant give me a heart rate reading at all for when I'm asleep and I have wondered if I have been in Afibb at those times but didn't wake up and woke back up in sinus rhythm in the morning. It would be helpful to know if I was in sinus rhythm or not at those times. Thanks,
Yes John, My mother used to carry a baby bottle of Hennessy's brandy to sip on if she got a "turn" as she used to say. Not exactly sure what the "turn" actually meant but she did have a pacemaker and may have been having ectopic beats.....Not sure. I've tried having some brandy for my turns but it doesn't suite my system and just speeds up my pulse which puts me on edge as I fear I'll go into AFib. So I've knocked the brandy on the head....all alcohol in fact. Except on a very special occasion when I'll have a glass of wine with a meal. I usually get away with that!
My HR spikes after any alcoholic drink but also after coffee and sometimes any warm drink. I don’t think that is unusual. The difficulty for me was that the increased HR would often trigger AF but no longer. It’s a very elusive condition which is ever changing.
Also Alchol is seen as a Vaso Dilator which means it helps dilate blood vessels which would be good for angina and not so good for AFib. I think my Mum just liked the taste and I guess having something to take...?
I would not dare comment on your overnight trace as I just don't know, what I can say is that you will not believe what your body does during sleep and yes HR will vary considerably during this time. Alcohol, caffeine and sugar in particular are stimulants and will change you sleeping pattern, HR etc. Depending on your heart condition and how irritated it is, an increased HR can cause/kick start an arrhythmia as can a low HR cause ectopics and these in turn cause kick start an arrhythmia.
Having too much alcohol, caffeine and sugar can be somewhat mitigated by drink water.
Alcohol doesn't trigger AFib with me, but my heart rate increases about from about 65 to 75 per minute, just as yours does, I can tell by my Apple watch linked to my iphone which gives me a detailed picture day and night.
Interestingly, I watched a 'Brits abroad' type of programme some time ago and the programme followed a group of young men determined to live it up in Spain. Their sole purpose was to binge drink and they would start with bottles of spirits in the hotel room before going out to clubs. There was a doctor with the camera crew and she was so concerned about these young men, she examined them before they went out. Their heart rates were between 140 - 160. And that was before hours of further very heavy drinking. She stressed to them the next day how much they all were putting their lives in danger, AFib must have been way down the list as it wasn't even mentioned.
I think this is how I feel re alcohol and caffeine. I have cut out anything that I fear will trigger it again (thankfully in sinus rhythm for a few months now)
I used to question whether alcohol was a stimulant, since paradoxically it always made me feel more relaxed and (I thought) gave me a better quality of sleep. Although I cut down my alcohol intake considerably since being diagnosed with PAF, my Garmin watch and Connect app have enabled me to observe similar HR elevation to yours during sleep hours.
I am normally ~60bpm during sleep, with transient bursts to about ~80bpm every hour or so, which I put down to restlessness and change of sleep position. The Garmin is not capable of showing AF; I use a Kardia or Apple watch for that. Depending on the amount of alcohol I have consumed before going to bed, my heart rate will increase by 5 to 10bpm in the first few hours of sleep, usually reverting back to ~60bpm by the time I wake up.
There is no doubt whatsoever that alcohol promotes AF, but we all respond differently and some of us can enjoy a couple of units or more without obvious ill effects. I don't have issues with most beers <4% ABV., but the sulphites in wine and quinine in tonic water can give rise to ectopics. I had a successful PVI cryoablation 18 months ago and my QOL has been greatly enhanced. The Covid-19 lockdown has opened my mind to the possibilities of a life without pubs and I dare say the time is coming when my alcohol consumption will fall to zero.
I have found out via my Fitbit that alcohol definitely raises my heart rate/AFib. I was already limiting my alcohol intake(due to AF) to just one small glass with my evening meal. Then stopped drinking recently and noticed a real difference, so now I have 'stopped' drinking, meaning when I pour my husband's glass of wine, or open a new bottle I will have one slurp Heart rate/AF at bedtime so much better now and during the night.
When I was first diagnosed with afib and fast tachy landing me in hospital it was always after a night out and a few drinks. This continued over a couple of years getting to the point where even one glass of wine would within hours set of a bad episode.I stopped drinking anything at all and this gave me another few years with paroxysmal bouts up to three a year, which then developed becoming longer and worse as time went on.
I had a successful ablation in 2019 which leaves me drug free and since then I have the odd small bottle of lager, haven't tried wine again which I used to enjoy, and do notice my pulse rises even after a bottle so I'm very wary of the effects it has on the heart . So it's very rare special occasions I even have that now, rather be AF free than suffer the consequences of a few drinks, for me and many others it's a massive trigger and simply not worth the risk.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Alcohol 
Alcohol and Afib
Alcohol
AF and alcohol
Alcohol and Heart Arrhythmias
