2024 |Do you feel excited after drinking alcohol?

You will then feel your heart beat faster or irregularly. Maybe your chest or neck is shaking. You may feel dizzy and short of breath. You may be so worried that you go to the emergency room.

After some tests, I am told that I have “alcohol-induced atrial arrhythmia.” In layman's terms, this is an arrhythmia caused by excessive drinking or binge eating.

This is a common symptom at this time of year. Therefore, it is also called “.”holiday heart”.

What is a holiday heart?

Every Christmas season, emergency departments see more patients. alcohol related problems and irregular heart rhythm.

Binge eating, overeating, dehydration, and increased stress during the silly season often result in a rapid or irregular heart rate, all of which can be contributing factors.

We've known about the holiday heart (or holiday heart syndrome) for some time. almost 50 years. In the 1970s, it was described as an abnormal heart rhythm (or arrhythmia) that occurs after consuming large amounts of alcohol in healthy people without heart disease. Doctors often saw this condition after weekends and holidays, including during the festive season.

However, abnormal heart rhythms associated with alcohol not limited on holidays and weekends. It also occurs in people who binge drink at any time of the year or in people who drink heavily for many years.

What causes it? How is it diagnosed?

alcohol affects you heart, blood vessels, blood The nervous system is also affected in many ways.

For example, alcohol disrupts the nervous system, which can lead to dehydration and inflammation. This can disrupt the heart's electrical system and cause: arrhythmia.

People may go to the hospital complaining of a racing heart, chest pain, fainting or fainting (fainting), and shortness of breath (difficulty breathing). However, arrhythmias may occur without symptoms or may only be discovered when other health problems are investigated.

If you have symptoms, go to the emergency department or your GP. Your health care professional may perform several tests to diagnose heart-related rhythm problems.

These include monitoring your heart rhythm using an ECG or electrocardiogram. This simple, non-invasive test uses several electrodes attached to your chest, arms, and legs to generate a graph of electrical signals from your heart. Clinicians are often interested in the “p-waves,” which represent electrical activation of the upper chambers of the heart.

You may also have blood tests to check your electrolyte levels (essential minerals in your blood). Blood tests may check kidney and liver function as well as markers of clotting and inflammation.

why do we worry about it?

The majority of people diagnosed with holiday heart disease recover, especially if treated early and if they stop or limit their alcohol consumption.

However, some people receive a diagnosis. atrial fibrillation – most common Heart rhythm disorders affect Australian adults 1.4-5.5% of the population.

In that case, you may need medication to restore your regular heartbeat (known as heart rate). electrical defibrillation), a procedure called cardioversion (using a defibrillator to deliver an electric shock to the heart), or cardiac ablation.

If atrial fibrillation is left untreated, it increases the risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart attack.

How can I prevent it?

There's no known number of distinct drinks that evoke the holiday heart. Therefore, the best advice to prevent it is to avoid binge drinking. australian guidelines It is recommended that both women and men limit alcohol to 10 standard drinks per week and 4 standard drinks per day.

It is also recommended to drink water between drinks. This helps reduce the dehydrating effects of alcohol and reduces the risk of alcohol-induced heart rhythm complications.

Good luck then reduce stresscontinue to exercise and eat the following foods. good for heart – All general advice to take care of your heart, whether you drink alcohol or not.

Taking these steps will help reduce heart risks and keep your heart healthy during the holiday season.

For information about alcohol and the heart, heart foundation. If your GP is closed for the holidays and you need health advice, give us a call. health direct 1800 022 222, on-call nurse in Victoria 1300 60 60 24 or 13 Health Queensland, 13 43 25 84. For emergencies in Australia, call 000.

caleb fergusonProfessor of Nursing and Director of Health Innovation, University of Wollongong and Sabine AlidaResearcher (Implementation Science), University of Wollongong

This article is republished from conversation Under Creative Commons License. please read original article.

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