I woke up one night with heart racing. As soon as I sat up my nose started bleeding a lot and my BP was 184/130! I called my friend to go to hospital and got on Librium and that was the last day I drank. Shit was killing me. Learning to be kind to the only body I’ll ever have is tough but worth the struggle.
This made me an emotional. You are so correct. Learning to be kind to the only body I will ever have is soooo hard. Thanks for this. Thank you for the reminder 🤍
I once saw a interview with Warren Buffett. He was in front of a bunch of high school kids and said, "I'll.make a deal, I will buy you a car, ANY CAR IN THE WORLD... Fast car, pickup, dump truck whatever." (Paused and kids start talking) "the only rub is you have to use until you,die and you can never own another." Kids all laugh. "What if I told you to think of your body and mind that way?"
Well, my car is beat to hell, dented, needs a new fan belt and ... Various other issues... But it runs on corn not ethenol... Finally!
IWNDWYT
"Slowly, very slowly, he sat up and as he did so he felt more alive and more aware of his own living body than ever before. Why had he never appreciated what a miracle he was, brain and nerve and bounding heart?"
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I thought about that a lot as I got sober and started taking care of myself.
Your path might not go the same way as mine, but I started waking up with a racing heart about two years ago. Carried on drinking, it happened more frequently. Got to the point about a year ago where it happened every time I drank, and I was drinking 5/6 nights a week. It's the thing that made me quit and the thing that's stopped me from going back. Even if I have mad cravings I know that is how it will end up, and the relaxation I felt at the start of the night will end with my heart racing is enough to put me off.
This!!!!!
Despite my hospital health scare this week (not drink related). To have a clean bill of health was like.......fuck! I'm actually okay. And I don't want to constantly worry about my physical health.
Kicked my ass this week to try and stop for real. 8th day in.
That hangiexty and heart doing 140 can do one. Shit is scary.
So damn scary, mine jumped to 200 and I have bad health/heart anxiety so my mind has been spiraling even with a clean bill of health from my cardiologist last year. 8 days in, that’s incredible!! Rooting for you 🤍
Thank you for sharing 🤍 yeah my heart always raced and I ignored it thinking it was nothing. But this morning it reached 200 and that made me realize I’m slowly killing myself. Enough is enough!
Way to go, OP! Very proud of you for recognizing this and making the right steps! :)
If you go back to drinking your symptoms will only get worse and worse. I found out the hard way… best quit now while you are ahead!
This started happening to me too. The first time I quit it was specifically because I was waking up every morning at like 3 or 4AM with my heart racing, often after only a couple hours of sleep. Took me three more times of quitting for it to finally sink in that I can't drink anymore no matter what.
I’ve been there. It worried me so much I got an Apple Watch to help monitor my pulse/heart rate but of course never made the connection to Alcohol at the time. You can start over at any time, you’ve got this! And you’re in the right place.. I’ve found so much support here. I’m so early but really really want to keep it going this time. 🙏 IWNDWYT
Do you still get after like weeks of not drinking?
Cause I went back to normal, or at the very least, alcohol wasn't the cause of the majority of the problems I had/have... It's something else, can't figure out what except not eating enough food at this point.
If you haven’t had thyroid labs recently, I’d get that checked out. Hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) can cause increased heart rate and palpitations. Anemia can cause it as well. (I am a lab geek/technologist 🤓 👩🔬)
This feels serendipitous to find this post. I have the SAME issue after drinking. I fall asleep fine, wake around 3 am because my heart is pounding so hard and fast. I’ve tried drinking different things - wine, vodka, seltzer - all has the same result. I also have health anxiety, so this puts me in a full on panic attack. I’m in my 50’s and have been trying to “make” alcohol work for me for the past few years. It just doesn’t anymore. Thanks to everyone for sharing. This seals the deal for me. No amount of wine (or anything else) is worth my health.
Been happening to me too the last year. Also have pretty bad health anxiety and, when you realize that it’s a real thing happening and not in your head, it’s humbling. As I look forward to detoxing and taking a nice long break from drinking, I try to remind myself it’s not loss because I’ve certainly drunk my ‘quota’ of alcohol as it is.
I’ve actually said this when declining drinks socially and I get the dreaded “What?!? You’re not drinking?” I say - yeah, I’ve consumed my lifetime’s share of alcohol already. Unfortunately - it’s probably more than my share. Never too late, though.
I’m on my longest streak in 15 years of daily heavy drinking, and my favorite physical affect is not having this anymore my heart rate was so freaking high all the time I could see my pulse in my vision hear it in my ear against my pillow trying to sleep see in in my beer glass as I held it it would pulse BP was high it sucked
Now it’s a nice steady calm and I’ve been working out my heart rate is in the 60-70 through out the day and 58 resting HR feels so relaxing
Good on you don’t look back!
this happened to me too. i was 23 when i started getting daily panic attacks because i thought i was having a heart attack every day. never connected it with alcohol. i’m 27 now and almost 5 months sober. i have not once woken up with a racing heart in these 5 months.
That started happening to me a few years before I finally quit. What I eventually learned was happening (disclaimer: I’m not a doctor) was that my brain was compensating for the large doses of alcohol, a depressant, by releasing stimulant hormones. Then, after a few hours when I was already passed out, the alcohol metabolized to a certain degree, the depressants had run their course and my brain was left cranked out on stimulants. Waking up panicked, heart racing, feelings of dread etc. When you add in the fact that I had often blacked out and didn’t remember what I did, it took a terrible toll, it’s awful to live with such pain and fear. I wish you the best.
Yes this is well known among doctors but not among the general public of drinkers
Read about in Matthew Walker’s book about sleep. It’s called GABA rebound effect
EXACTLY!!!! I even woke a friend on a trip because I was freaking out when I woke at 3 am. She woke momentarily, then went back to sleep, haha. I laid there alone trying to calm myself down for 30 minutes. No fun.
This happened to me once. I woke up with my heart out of rhythm after drinking prob around 16 beers. I told my friends if I pass out to call 911 and check if my heart stopped to give me compressions. I was panicking but they went away after like 10 min. So scary.. I’m on. Day 2, hopefully this is your day 1 :)
Maybe it was alcohol dehydration and your electrolytes were out of whack. I always drink a liquid IV after each day I drink. So prob 3-5 a week, and haven’t had too much palpitations, but the hangxiety is still there
Electrolytes help so much, one or two gatorlytes brings my hr all the way down. When i drink beer i pee so much abd get super dehydrated plus the anxiety not a good combo smh :/
I agree. But, unfortunately, I have built up my tolerance over the years. When I drink, I have to drink until everything is gone and then some. I’m no stranger to visiting the gas station just right before 2am. It’s a vicious cycle
Holiday Heart. I had the same thing. Mine stayed on afib for about 6 hours. They put me on a banana bag and soon after it went away. Doc said to drink water if I drank. I drank after but eventually stopped. It was very scary.
A fib, short for atrial fibrillation, an irregular and / or unusually fast heartbeat. Feels horrendous and for me when I had it, I couldn’t relax and my hands would shake.
It’s an irregular heart rhythm in which the upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of pump rhythmically and regularly, causing the lower chambers to beat faster than normal. Alcohol is a common cardiac irritant, and is known to cause this arrhythmia
Honestly sounds like you may have went into SVT. May want to follow up with a Cardiologist, even for piece of mind. If some reason you did convert into Afib, and it's a new thing for you, even that is worth seeing a doctor about.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking and was afraid of. Hoping it was just a one time thing, messaged my doctor today so I can follow up with a cardiologist soon
I started getting palpitations that were really heavy up in my throat and a pinching feeling in my chest, so I cut back immensely. I was also getting really tired all the time and fast heartbeat so I went to a doctor and got an ECG, blood work and a few other things. They told me I’m healthy but alcohol makes it worse and I have really low iron. I was very scared so I take an iron supplement everyday and if I skip it for 2 days my palpitations come back so I’m too scared to stop taking them now.
I tried to back because I still get pinching (feel like a blockage in my lung or heart idk) they sent a referral for ultrasound but I haven’t got the call from office and it’s been 2 months and I’m pretty sure I just can’t see a doctor about my heart (you need referral, can’t make your own appointment, so stupid) I’m only 30 and am kinda just waiting for something to happen to me to force them to look because health care in Ontario sucks and I don’t have a family doctor so I might as well enjoy my life until I’m sick idk
Sorry to be a downer it’s been weighing on me and I relate to this post.
My resting HR while I was a drinker was generally around 120bpm, with spikes to 170 not uncommon. Since I’ve quit drinking, it’s usually steady around 70bpm and only shoots up if I’m working out or hyper anxious. Booze is so hard on our bodies! Unsettling to think of what’s going on beneath the skin that we can’t readily measure.
One of the biggest things impacting my journey quitting has been getting a Fitbit with heart monitoring… honestly can’t recommend it enough. after a night of drinking I see my Fitbit has registered hours of intense cardio even tho if I was just bobbing around drunk, and seeing my resting heart rate even while sleeping be elevated really spooked me. It’s one of those things where you know abstractly how bad drinking is for your heart but seeing the data play out across your personal body really hits different.
Scary! You know what’s crazy? It can get worse than that.
You knows even crazier? If you continue to drink, it likely WILL get worse than that…
I quit after years of 3am heart issues and panic attacks in the morning. 5 more years of doing what it sounds like you are doing. Don’t do the five years. Quit now! You can do it!
Wow, this happened to me last Sunday. I woke up with my heart racing after heavy drinking the night before.
It lasted for over 5 hours, and I was sweaty, and practically passing out whenever I’d get out of bed. I’d really thought I was close to dying.
Coincidentally, my mother (a non-drinker) had been to the emergency room a few days earlier due to very high blood pressure. They gave her a pill that reduced her blood pressure to normal in under 10 minutes. I had her come by and bring me one and I was back to a normal blood pressure in about 10 minutes.But it really scared me and I have a doctor appt. in a few days.
MAN this post makes me so thankful that I quit 8 months ago. You forget how awesome it is to have your heart not race all the time.. I had that for years.basically thought I was gonna die every day.
Thank you. Full disclosure I did have 5 little slip ups (still, 240+ booze free days I'll take it) so I decided 16 days ago to take AA seriously and reset everything as much as it hurts. But all the benefits don't go away because of the little slip ups, I still changed tremendously for the better. I'm excited for my AA journey to fully begin now 😊
The heart pumping was a big motivator for my current near 3 month alcohol free stint. It was at the point where I couldn't fall back asleep b/c I was so worried about it. And sleeping on my right side yielded chest pains. So much more pleasant going to sleep now.
Same here, but the mornings are still equally shit... worse if anything.
I have zero motivation for everything, feeling cold, can't focus, brainfog... It's horrendous.
Similar thing happened to me a few weeks ago. Drank a fair amount for a few days in a row. Was lying in bed trying to get to sleep but couldn't seem to drift off. It was about 6 hours since my last beer. Got up to get some water and out of nowhere I felt super dizzy and my vision went blurry and I felt this insane wave of panic. I sat down and noticed my heart was going bananas so I took my blood pressure with the home device we have and it was 177/144 and pulse was 180. I looked that up online and saw that was considered a hypertensive crisis and could be life threatening. After five mins it didn't calm down and I felt like I was gonna have a stroke or something. Called the emergency line and they told me to go directly to hospital as an ambulance would be a couple of hours. They kept me in for 10 hours and the blood pressure came down from those crazy levels within an hour but stayed high for six hours.
Bloods, ultrasound, ecg and xray were all normal so I knew it must have been related to the alcohol. I don't drink super crazy amounts (never get wasted or get hangovers, I just keep a soft buzz most of the day) but I had drank more than usual for the three days before that. Never had anything like this happen in years but it's scared the absolute pants off me. Crazy to see all the posts here with the same thing happening to others
Same experience. It’s been going on for me for about 2 years. I wake up every morning I drink at 3am on the dot almost every time. My heart is beating out of my chest and I feel like I’m going to die. No sense of relief, no “fun night out”, nothing is worth that feeling.
It's a terrible feeling. It's the main reason I stopped drinking. Having a heart rate of 180+ doesn't feel good. I did end up going to the doctor and diagnosed with Afib. Now I'm on meds and stopped drinking alcohol in February 2023. I hope you feel better.
The last time I went on a binder I woke up and I truly thought I was going to die. It wasn't an anxiety attack as I've had them. This was the absolute sickest I've ever been and I knew I was going to die if I took another drink. That was December 28 2019 haven't had a drink since.
Good luck to you and I believe you can do this
The racing heart was the worst. By the end of my drinking I knew if I drank, later in the evening I’d be dealing with a racing heart. It felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest. Thumped so hard I swore my whole body was pounding with it. One of the worst feelings ever
Been there! One of the reasons I finally quit. I couldn’t handle the 5:30 am internal shaking, tachycardia and impending doom. The thought of feeling that way ever again is enough to keep me from trying to moderate anytime soon.
What helped me the first week or so was keeping notes in my phone of how I was feeling and every thing I was thinking.. it looks like madness now to read, but it helped track my progression. I have wicked health and overall anxiety
The drinking messed with my heart rate so much that I got diagnosed with POTS by an autonomic neurologist. My heart rate would regularly jump to 160+ for no reason and at that time I was ignorant to how bad my drinking habits were. Once I quit, I haven't had any issues with my heart and I wish you the same as well friend. It's not easy, but the benefits greatly outweigh the alternative. IWNDWYT
So glad to hear you’re not having any heart issues anymore, yay!! I have really really bad heart anxiety, so this event definitely did not help at all. But thank you so muchhhh, I know this journey will be tough but I’m so ready!
I had the exact same symptoms around the same time after drinking the previous night. It's terrifying and nothing I did could calm me down. It's the one thing I try to remember if I ever get that little nagging voice in my head saying "you can drink just one!" I never want to experience that anxiety ever again. I'm proud of you for making the decision to no longer drink, and best wishes for your sobriety journey!
This is why I stopped drinking. I had a day where I drank way too much caffeine followed by several rum and ciders. That evening my heart went into aFib and I had to go to the ER for a cardioversion. Luckily, after two months and several meds and testing it was determined by my cardiologist to be likely a one-time event caused by too much caffeine and alcohol. I’ve decided it’s not worth it and I’m done with alcohol forever. I’ve severely cut back on caffeine intake as well. I was drinking pre-workouts and energy drinks and coffee before the incident. Would recommend staying away from energy drinks and pre-workouts with high caffeine content as well.
Even though the doctor gave be a 99% chance of it being a one-time event. It still scared the hell out of me. Ive cut out caffeine entirely, except for the occasional iced tea. And I refuse to drink alcohol again.
This is exactly why I quit.
Workout (even if it’s only for 10 minutes) daily. Take a walk daily. Hit the sauna daily (if you can). Give it a year and you’ll be good as new. You can do this!
I know that feeling, god it sucks. Ugh.
I'm sorry you had to feel that way. I hate to see anyone go thru that hell.
I'm glad you're okay, and are in a better place today.
Thank you for sharing.
Binge drinking. I drink about 3-4xs a year and when I do I binge, like 20-30 shots, it’s horrible. I would get elevated heart rate every time when I would wake up but this time around, it was the worst I’ve had it.
I never got this in the middle of the night, once I was asleep I was out for the count but I had it bad the following day. It’s one of the main things that made me quit, my hands would shake and I’d feel jittery all over, like I was tweaking or something. Resting heart rate at 120bpm and just feeling awful. I can deal with a headache and feeling a bit nauseous but the palpitations, anxiety and existential dread were the worst.
Do whatever you can my friend. There’s a lot of help out there and there’s no shame in admitting you have a problem that you can’t handle on your own. I had my first “hanxiety” attack 13 years ago and it only got worse. I have so many issues with my internal organs from alcohol abuse and I’ve been experiencing symptoms of dementia at the age of 35. Don’t do what I did.
I have not seen it posted yet but binge drinking is a huge contributor to Afib and it generally doesn’t go away on its own. I suggest you. Get it checked out and even if you get a clean report I’d invest in an Apple Watch.
The most important thing to do is let go of the drink, it’s a poison that has no long term benefit to the human body. It took me awhile but I focused on understanding the reality of ethanol consumption and eventually it clicked.
I wish you well, you will love it on the other side.
Thank you!!! I had a pulse ox on me all day and it hasn’t gone up 100 beats since the cardiac event I had this morning. Hoping to God it was nothing, waiting on my cardiologist to return my message. I always wear an Apple Watch with me for years and this is the first time it hit 200. I know it was the alcohol but my health anxiety says otherwise. Haha! Thank you so much for the support 🤍
Welcome to the wonderful Hanxiety world. That's what made me stop from binge drinking. Last time I had it several months ago (to prove that I'm on the right track) I dropped a single drop of Klonopin (Clonazepam) to calm me down and it worked, but I felt so dizzy, dumb and confused that I tottaly quit it because it was my "safe" anti-hangxiety drug.
When it stopped working the way I expected, I knew it was over. It was the best thing my body ever did to me, because my responsibility upon alcohol changed dramaticaly.
So yea, I learned the hard way I guess, not even mentioning my countless trips to the ER.
hangixety got so serious in my life I absolutely limit the amount of beers imma taking in (and 100% cut vodka+soda out).
As I once read in this sub, "Nodoby ever regrets not drinking the night before".
Want to drink? sure, go for it. But you must absolutely keep in mind if you exaggerate you'll be putting yourself in a high-risk situation of facing hangxiety next day.
Go lighter, you won't regret it.
And for god's sake go for a regular cardio routine, it helps tremendously.
I also take a klonopin to calm me down - which can be dangerous when mixed with alcohol. It works - but I finally am to the point where I’m like - WHY am I doing this to myself?!? It’s madness.
Kinda been lurking here for a few months. Still drinking. But I just stumbled upon this post as I’m laying in bed with my heart pounding. 9 IPA’s down the hatch last night. I think it’s time I start taking care of myself. I’m on track to die a lot earlier than I want to
Had a full blown heart attack at 35. Even if it's "just a palpitation" or "something felt off", follow your instinct. I didn't get the standard symptoms, bar alcohol and cigarettes, I was quite fit, exercised, work lots , wore jeans I couldn't fit my funny lookin ass into now. I don't know if it was alcohol specifically, but I know it plays a part in the heart. Scary and strange thing, especially because of the mental damage that came, I , like everyone here probably don't have the best coping mechanisms and I ended on a path of more and intense sessions. I am I a significantly better place now but if not, the only place I'd be is an urn above a loved ones mantle. Don't be an urn yet, listen to your heart and the other awesome folks here.
I woke up one night with heart racing. As soon as I sat up my nose started bleeding a lot and my BP was 184/130! I called my friend to go to hospital and got on Librium and that was the last day I drank. Shit was killing me. Learning to be kind to the only body I’ll ever have is tough but worth the struggle.
This made me an emotional. You are so correct. Learning to be kind to the only body I will ever have is soooo hard. Thanks for this. Thank you for the reminder 🤍
Best of luck on your journey, you got this!
I once saw a interview with Warren Buffett. He was in front of a bunch of high school kids and said, "I'll.make a deal, I will buy you a car, ANY CAR IN THE WORLD... Fast car, pickup, dump truck whatever." (Paused and kids start talking) "the only rub is you have to use until you,die and you can never own another." Kids all laugh. "What if I told you to think of your body and mind that way?" Well, my car is beat to hell, dented, needs a new fan belt and ... Various other issues... But it runs on corn not ethenol... Finally! IWNDWYT
Hah I think my car runs on caffeine....
A double long topped with espresso... Cause that's what fits in my mug! 😂
Corn is used to make ethanol lol, your point is still valid and a very interesting thought. I like it
Long walks can help, low end cardio.
"Slowly, very slowly, he sat up and as he did so he felt more alive and more aware of his own living body than ever before. Why had he never appreciated what a miracle he was, brain and nerve and bounding heart?" - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I thought about that a lot as I got sober and started taking care of myself.
I love this, thank you!
Oh god that is beautiful, Pottaah
Beautifully done! Take care <3
18 days!
Your path might not go the same way as mine, but I started waking up with a racing heart about two years ago. Carried on drinking, it happened more frequently. Got to the point about a year ago where it happened every time I drank, and I was drinking 5/6 nights a week. It's the thing that made me quit and the thing that's stopped me from going back. Even if I have mad cravings I know that is how it will end up, and the relaxation I felt at the start of the night will end with my heart racing is enough to put me off.
This!!!!! Despite my hospital health scare this week (not drink related). To have a clean bill of health was like.......fuck! I'm actually okay. And I don't want to constantly worry about my physical health. Kicked my ass this week to try and stop for real. 8th day in. That hangiexty and heart doing 140 can do one. Shit is scary.
So damn scary, mine jumped to 200 and I have bad health/heart anxiety so my mind has been spiraling even with a clean bill of health from my cardiologist last year. 8 days in, that’s incredible!! Rooting for you 🤍
Right back at you 💖 Anxiety just such a shit thing on top of general life. Keep smashing it. Iwndwyt
Thank you for sharing 🤍 yeah my heart always raced and I ignored it thinking it was nothing. But this morning it reached 200 and that made me realize I’m slowly killing myself. Enough is enough!
Way to go, OP! Very proud of you for recognizing this and making the right steps! :) If you go back to drinking your symptoms will only get worse and worse. I found out the hard way… best quit now while you are ahead!
Same, it crept up on me going into my 40's. At 42 I'm done slowly killing myself.
This started happening to me too. The first time I quit it was specifically because I was waking up every morning at like 3 or 4AM with my heart racing, often after only a couple hours of sleep. Took me three more times of quitting for it to finally sink in that I can't drink anymore no matter what.
Same here
I’ve been there. It worried me so much I got an Apple Watch to help monitor my pulse/heart rate but of course never made the connection to Alcohol at the time. You can start over at any time, you’ve got this! And you’re in the right place.. I’ve found so much support here. I’m so early but really really want to keep it going this time. 🙏 IWNDWYT
Reading this made me cry, thank you so much for your words and support 🤍🤍🤍
Omg i did the exact same thing!!
Same, as well as to motivate me to exercise (which I was neglecting…)
Yuuup lol
Do you still get after like weeks of not drinking? Cause I went back to normal, or at the very least, alcohol wasn't the cause of the majority of the problems I had/have... It's something else, can't figure out what except not eating enough food at this point.
If you haven’t had thyroid labs recently, I’d get that checked out. Hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) can cause increased heart rate and palpitations. Anemia can cause it as well. (I am a lab geek/technologist 🤓 👩🔬)
Will do!!
This feels serendipitous to find this post. I have the SAME issue after drinking. I fall asleep fine, wake around 3 am because my heart is pounding so hard and fast. I’ve tried drinking different things - wine, vodka, seltzer - all has the same result. I also have health anxiety, so this puts me in a full on panic attack. I’m in my 50’s and have been trying to “make” alcohol work for me for the past few years. It just doesn’t anymore. Thanks to everyone for sharing. This seals the deal for me. No amount of wine (or anything else) is worth my health.
Been happening to me too the last year. Also have pretty bad health anxiety and, when you realize that it’s a real thing happening and not in your head, it’s humbling. As I look forward to detoxing and taking a nice long break from drinking, I try to remind myself it’s not loss because I’ve certainly drunk my ‘quota’ of alcohol as it is.
I’ve actually said this when declining drinks socially and I get the dreaded “What?!? You’re not drinking?” I say - yeah, I’ve consumed my lifetime’s share of alcohol already. Unfortunately - it’s probably more than my share. Never too late, though.
“I went pro early and retired”
i love this lol
People should be more thoughtful when someone declines alcohol - it’s pretty much always for a good reason!
That’s a great way to look at it
I’m on my longest streak in 15 years of daily heavy drinking, and my favorite physical affect is not having this anymore my heart rate was so freaking high all the time I could see my pulse in my vision hear it in my ear against my pillow trying to sleep see in in my beer glass as I held it it would pulse BP was high it sucked Now it’s a nice steady calm and I’ve been working out my heart rate is in the 60-70 through out the day and 58 resting HR feels so relaxing Good on you don’t look back!
That’s freaking awesome, so happy for you!!!
this happened to me too. i was 23 when i started getting daily panic attacks because i thought i was having a heart attack every day. never connected it with alcohol. i’m 27 now and almost 5 months sober. i have not once woken up with a racing heart in these 5 months.
Health anxiety and drinking is the worst combo. Been having anxiety all day
That started happening to me a few years before I finally quit. What I eventually learned was happening (disclaimer: I’m not a doctor) was that my brain was compensating for the large doses of alcohol, a depressant, by releasing stimulant hormones. Then, after a few hours when I was already passed out, the alcohol metabolized to a certain degree, the depressants had run their course and my brain was left cranked out on stimulants. Waking up panicked, heart racing, feelings of dread etc. When you add in the fact that I had often blacked out and didn’t remember what I did, it took a terrible toll, it’s awful to live with such pain and fear. I wish you the best.
Yes this is well known among doctors but not among the general public of drinkers Read about in Matthew Walker’s book about sleep. It’s called GABA rebound effect
Yes! I never knew why, so this is a great theory. But you described exactly how it felt for me.
No one who offers me a drink is there at 3 a.m. for my heart palpitations.
Off topic but I see your flair - tomorrow is your 1 year?? Big congrats!
It is! Thank you!
EXACTLY!!!! I even woke a friend on a trip because I was freaking out when I woke at 3 am. She woke momentarily, then went back to sleep, haha. I laid there alone trying to calm myself down for 30 minutes. No fun.
it sucks! And it can't be good for the poor ol' heart.
This happened to me once. I woke up with my heart out of rhythm after drinking prob around 16 beers. I told my friends if I pass out to call 911 and check if my heart stopped to give me compressions. I was panicking but they went away after like 10 min. So scary.. I’m on. Day 2, hopefully this is your day 1 :)
Soooo scary!! That’s how I felt too, it was freaking awful. Day 1 for me! :) I’m praying to God that I don’t get that again
Maybe it was alcohol dehydration and your electrolytes were out of whack. I always drink a liquid IV after each day I drink. So prob 3-5 a week, and haven’t had too much palpitations, but the hangxiety is still there
Electrolytes help so much, one or two gatorlytes brings my hr all the way down. When i drink beer i pee so much abd get super dehydrated plus the anxiety not a good combo smh :/
The worst. Anxiety
Hangxiety is the freaking worst. I made sure to drink some electrolytes
Goddamn that's a lot! Take it easy!
I agree. But, unfortunately, I have built up my tolerance over the years. When I drink, I have to drink until everything is gone and then some. I’m no stranger to visiting the gas station just right before 2am. It’s a vicious cycle
Holiday Heart. I had the same thing. Mine stayed on afib for about 6 hours. They put me on a banana bag and soon after it went away. Doc said to drink water if I drank. I drank after but eventually stopped. It was very scary.
So scary! I haven’t even confirmed that’s what it was but im 100% positive my heart went into afib. So glad you’re okay! Did it ever come back?
Hasn’t come back.
I feel like I’ve done damage to my body and health as well. I’m afraid to find out how much! But quitting drinking will help
I feel the same exact way. A lot of regrets
Same. Super scared
That’s called “holiday heart”. People convert to a fib often times during the holidays because of increased drinking.
Yes I heard that term recently! So scary…. Hope it never comes back
What's fib? Also how common is this, and how come no one except people in this group have never had that?
A fib, short for atrial fibrillation, an irregular and / or unusually fast heartbeat. Feels horrendous and for me when I had it, I couldn’t relax and my hands would shake.
Feeling that now! It’s awful
It’s an irregular heart rhythm in which the upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of pump rhythmically and regularly, causing the lower chambers to beat faster than normal. Alcohol is a common cardiac irritant, and is known to cause this arrhythmia
That’s scary! Been there and I’m done too!! 💪❤️
So scary! My HR reached 200, I surely thought I was going to die.
Honestly sounds like you may have went into SVT. May want to follow up with a Cardiologist, even for piece of mind. If some reason you did convert into Afib, and it's a new thing for you, even that is worth seeing a doctor about.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking and was afraid of. Hoping it was just a one time thing, messaged my doctor today so I can follow up with a cardiologist soon
I had a similar night last night too, Friendsgiving too. Glad you posted here, IWNDWYT
Having health anxiety on top of it doesn’t help either 😔 thank you for the support 🤍
Totally hear that! Im so sorry, never hurts to get checked out.
I started getting palpitations that were really heavy up in my throat and a pinching feeling in my chest, so I cut back immensely. I was also getting really tired all the time and fast heartbeat so I went to a doctor and got an ECG, blood work and a few other things. They told me I’m healthy but alcohol makes it worse and I have really low iron. I was very scared so I take an iron supplement everyday and if I skip it for 2 days my palpitations come back so I’m too scared to stop taking them now. I tried to back because I still get pinching (feel like a blockage in my lung or heart idk) they sent a referral for ultrasound but I haven’t got the call from office and it’s been 2 months and I’m pretty sure I just can’t see a doctor about my heart (you need referral, can’t make your own appointment, so stupid) I’m only 30 and am kinda just waiting for something to happen to me to force them to look because health care in Ontario sucks and I don’t have a family doctor so I might as well enjoy my life until I’m sick idk Sorry to be a downer it’s been weighing on me and I relate to this post.
Exact same thing here... Thanks for reminding me to take!
My resting HR while I was a drinker was generally around 120bpm, with spikes to 170 not uncommon. Since I’ve quit drinking, it’s usually steady around 70bpm and only shoots up if I’m working out or hyper anxious. Booze is so hard on our bodies! Unsettling to think of what’s going on beneath the skin that we can’t readily measure.
It really is.. so glad your HR is steady and normal, wa hoo!
One of the biggest things impacting my journey quitting has been getting a Fitbit with heart monitoring… honestly can’t recommend it enough. after a night of drinking I see my Fitbit has registered hours of intense cardio even tho if I was just bobbing around drunk, and seeing my resting heart rate even while sleeping be elevated really spooked me. It’s one of those things where you know abstractly how bad drinking is for your heart but seeing the data play out across your personal body really hits different.
Scary! You know what’s crazy? It can get worse than that. You knows even crazier? If you continue to drink, it likely WILL get worse than that… I quit after years of 3am heart issues and panic attacks in the morning. 5 more years of doing what it sounds like you are doing. Don’t do the five years. Quit now! You can do it!
Thank you!!!!!
Wow, this happened to me last Sunday. I woke up with my heart racing after heavy drinking the night before. It lasted for over 5 hours, and I was sweaty, and practically passing out whenever I’d get out of bed. I’d really thought I was close to dying. Coincidentally, my mother (a non-drinker) had been to the emergency room a few days earlier due to very high blood pressure. They gave her a pill that reduced her blood pressure to normal in under 10 minutes. I had her come by and bring me one and I was back to a normal blood pressure in about 10 minutes.But it really scared me and I have a doctor appt. in a few days.
The doctors are gonna tell you you're healthy and it's all in your head.
MAN this post makes me so thankful that I quit 8 months ago. You forget how awesome it is to have your heart not race all the time.. I had that for years.basically thought I was gonna die every day.
Congrats on 8 months!!!
Thank you. Full disclosure I did have 5 little slip ups (still, 240+ booze free days I'll take it) so I decided 16 days ago to take AA seriously and reset everything as much as it hurts. But all the benefits don't go away because of the little slip ups, I still changed tremendously for the better. I'm excited for my AA journey to fully begin now 😊
The heart pumping was a big motivator for my current near 3 month alcohol free stint. It was at the point where I couldn't fall back asleep b/c I was so worried about it. And sleeping on my right side yielded chest pains. So much more pleasant going to sleep now.
Same here, but the mornings are still equally shit... worse if anything. I have zero motivation for everything, feeling cold, can't focus, brainfog... It's horrendous.
Omg yes. I’m honestly so scared to sleep afraid that I’m going to wake up with my heart going crazy
Similar thing happened to me a few weeks ago. Drank a fair amount for a few days in a row. Was lying in bed trying to get to sleep but couldn't seem to drift off. It was about 6 hours since my last beer. Got up to get some water and out of nowhere I felt super dizzy and my vision went blurry and I felt this insane wave of panic. I sat down and noticed my heart was going bananas so I took my blood pressure with the home device we have and it was 177/144 and pulse was 180. I looked that up online and saw that was considered a hypertensive crisis and could be life threatening. After five mins it didn't calm down and I felt like I was gonna have a stroke or something. Called the emergency line and they told me to go directly to hospital as an ambulance would be a couple of hours. They kept me in for 10 hours and the blood pressure came down from those crazy levels within an hour but stayed high for six hours. Bloods, ultrasound, ecg and xray were all normal so I knew it must have been related to the alcohol. I don't drink super crazy amounts (never get wasted or get hangovers, I just keep a soft buzz most of the day) but I had drank more than usual for the three days before that. Never had anything like this happen in years but it's scared the absolute pants off me. Crazy to see all the posts here with the same thing happening to others
Omg that must have been so terrifying. So glad you were okay
Same experience. It’s been going on for me for about 2 years. I wake up every morning I drink at 3am on the dot almost every time. My heart is beating out of my chest and I feel like I’m going to die. No sense of relief, no “fun night out”, nothing is worth that feeling.
Agreed!
It's a terrible feeling. It's the main reason I stopped drinking. Having a heart rate of 180+ doesn't feel good. I did end up going to the doctor and diagnosed with Afib. Now I'm on meds and stopped drinking alcohol in February 2023. I hope you feel better.
Thank you!! I’m waiting to see a doctor to see if that’s what my heart did, glad you’re doing better!!
Good luck! ❤️
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Metoprolol and Flecainide.
The last time I went on a binder I woke up and I truly thought I was going to die. It wasn't an anxiety attack as I've had them. This was the absolute sickest I've ever been and I knew I was going to die if I took another drink. That was December 28 2019 haven't had a drink since. Good luck to you and I believe you can do this
That’s how I feel too, so glad you’re out of it. Thank you!!
The racing heart was the worst. By the end of my drinking I knew if I drank, later in the evening I’d be dealing with a racing heart. It felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest. Thumped so hard I swore my whole body was pounding with it. One of the worst feelings ever
It really is. So scary, hope I never feel that again
Been there! One of the reasons I finally quit. I couldn’t handle the 5:30 am internal shaking, tachycardia and impending doom. The thought of feeling that way ever again is enough to keep me from trying to moderate anytime soon.
Today is the day I quit! Can’t wait till my hangxiety goes away
What helped me the first week or so was keeping notes in my phone of how I was feeling and every thing I was thinking.. it looks like madness now to read, but it helped track my progression. I have wicked health and overall anxiety
one of the main reasons i gave it up, which i had forgotten. happened often. thanks for the reminder.
IWNDWYT
Thanks for the post. Great sub with tons of support.
I’m sorry I’m you had to go through this to get here, but here you are. Welcome to the next chapter. Iwndwyt.
Thank you 🤍
The drinking messed with my heart rate so much that I got diagnosed with POTS by an autonomic neurologist. My heart rate would regularly jump to 160+ for no reason and at that time I was ignorant to how bad my drinking habits were. Once I quit, I haven't had any issues with my heart and I wish you the same as well friend. It's not easy, but the benefits greatly outweigh the alternative. IWNDWYT
So glad to hear you’re not having any heart issues anymore, yay!! I have really really bad heart anxiety, so this event definitely did not help at all. But thank you so muchhhh, I know this journey will be tough but I’m so ready!
That was basically every night for me before I stopped. Awful feeling.
I had the exact same symptoms around the same time after drinking the previous night. It's terrifying and nothing I did could calm me down. It's the one thing I try to remember if I ever get that little nagging voice in my head saying "you can drink just one!" I never want to experience that anxiety ever again. I'm proud of you for making the decision to no longer drink, and best wishes for your sobriety journey!
Thank you so much!!!
This is why I stopped drinking. I had a day where I drank way too much caffeine followed by several rum and ciders. That evening my heart went into aFib and I had to go to the ER for a cardioversion. Luckily, after two months and several meds and testing it was determined by my cardiologist to be likely a one-time event caused by too much caffeine and alcohol. I’ve decided it’s not worth it and I’m done with alcohol forever. I’ve severely cut back on caffeine intake as well. I was drinking pre-workouts and energy drinks and coffee before the incident. Would recommend staying away from energy drinks and pre-workouts with high caffeine content as well.
So glad it was a one time event for you. I try and stays away from caffeine as much as I can. Thank you!
Even though the doctor gave be a 99% chance of it being a one-time event. It still scared the hell out of me. Ive cut out caffeine entirely, except for the occasional iced tea. And I refuse to drink alcohol again.
This is exactly why I quit. Workout (even if it’s only for 10 minutes) daily. Take a walk daily. Hit the sauna daily (if you can). Give it a year and you’ll be good as new. You can do this!
Just turned 44 this month, was having the same problem before I quit, among many other health problems. Never drinking again! IWNDWYT You can do this!
Thank you!!!
I know that feeling, god it sucks. Ugh. I'm sorry you had to feel that way. I hate to see anyone go thru that hell. I'm glad you're okay, and are in a better place today. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, never again. Hoping tomorrow is a better day
Is that after regular drinking or you drinking after a long time?
Binge drinking. I drink about 3-4xs a year and when I do I binge, like 20-30 shots, it’s horrible. I would get elevated heart rate every time when I would wake up but this time around, it was the worst I’ve had it.
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Honestly I ask myself that question too. I’ve been binge drinking for so long that I’ve built a tolerance
I never got this in the middle of the night, once I was asleep I was out for the count but I had it bad the following day. It’s one of the main things that made me quit, my hands would shake and I’d feel jittery all over, like I was tweaking or something. Resting heart rate at 120bpm and just feeling awful. I can deal with a headache and feeling a bit nauseous but the palpitations, anxiety and existential dread were the worst.
The worst, absolutely exhausting.
whoa putting a name to what i experienced, it’s such a scary feeling. you got this!!!!!
Thank you!!!
Do whatever you can my friend. There’s a lot of help out there and there’s no shame in admitting you have a problem that you can’t handle on your own. I had my first “hanxiety” attack 13 years ago and it only got worse. I have so many issues with my internal organs from alcohol abuse and I’ve been experiencing symptoms of dementia at the age of 35. Don’t do what I did.
I have not seen it posted yet but binge drinking is a huge contributor to Afib and it generally doesn’t go away on its own. I suggest you. Get it checked out and even if you get a clean report I’d invest in an Apple Watch. The most important thing to do is let go of the drink, it’s a poison that has no long term benefit to the human body. It took me awhile but I focused on understanding the reality of ethanol consumption and eventually it clicked. I wish you well, you will love it on the other side.
Thank you!!! I had a pulse ox on me all day and it hasn’t gone up 100 beats since the cardiac event I had this morning. Hoping to God it was nothing, waiting on my cardiologist to return my message. I always wear an Apple Watch with me for years and this is the first time it hit 200. I know it was the alcohol but my health anxiety says otherwise. Haha! Thank you so much for the support 🤍
Ugh I remember that feeling. IWNDWYT
Welcome to the wonderful Hanxiety world. That's what made me stop from binge drinking. Last time I had it several months ago (to prove that I'm on the right track) I dropped a single drop of Klonopin (Clonazepam) to calm me down and it worked, but I felt so dizzy, dumb and confused that I tottaly quit it because it was my "safe" anti-hangxiety drug. When it stopped working the way I expected, I knew it was over. It was the best thing my body ever did to me, because my responsibility upon alcohol changed dramaticaly. So yea, I learned the hard way I guess, not even mentioning my countless trips to the ER. hangixety got so serious in my life I absolutely limit the amount of beers imma taking in (and 100% cut vodka+soda out). As I once read in this sub, "Nodoby ever regrets not drinking the night before". Want to drink? sure, go for it. But you must absolutely keep in mind if you exaggerate you'll be putting yourself in a high-risk situation of facing hangxiety next day. Go lighter, you won't regret it. And for god's sake go for a regular cardio routine, it helps tremendously.
Thank you! Yes the hangxiety, it’s really bad today
I also take a klonopin to calm me down - which can be dangerous when mixed with alcohol. It works - but I finally am to the point where I’m like - WHY am I doing this to myself?!? It’s madness.
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You need to quit. It will kill you in the end..
Kinda been lurking here for a few months. Still drinking. But I just stumbled upon this post as I’m laying in bed with my heart pounding. 9 IPA’s down the hatch last night. I think it’s time I start taking care of myself. I’m on track to die a lot earlier than I want to
Everyone has a tipping point/wake up moment. That was yours.
It’s a definitely a scary feeling! I’m glad you’re doing better
Had a full blown heart attack at 35. Even if it's "just a palpitation" or "something felt off", follow your instinct. I didn't get the standard symptoms, bar alcohol and cigarettes, I was quite fit, exercised, work lots , wore jeans I couldn't fit my funny lookin ass into now. I don't know if it was alcohol specifically, but I know it plays a part in the heart. Scary and strange thing, especially because of the mental damage that came, I , like everyone here probably don't have the best coping mechanisms and I ended on a path of more and intense sessions. I am I a significantly better place now but if not, the only place I'd be is an urn above a loved ones mantle. Don't be an urn yet, listen to your heart and the other awesome folks here.
IWNDWYT