Alcohol and Anxiety

[nicole123x]

Lately I have noticed that when I am drinking alcohol, I have a lot of skipped beats, a lot more than usual!
Could anyone tell me why? Does alcohol increase your heart rate?

[str8trippin]

I stopped drinking when I started having anxiety. Not that I'm normally a big drinker or anything, but once in a while I'd have a drink with a friend in the evening, but since I started having problems with anxiety I just can't tolerate it. I was reading an article not too long ago, though, about alcohol and anxiety and basically it seems there are some reasons why alcohol seems to increase anxiety levels. One is that it affects your mood because it alters the serotonin levels in your brain, it can sometimes cause a drop in blood sugar or contribute to dehydration which can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, fatigued and weak and fosters the sense of illness that increases many people's anxiety, and alcohol also puts your body into a state of hyperactivity because your body is fighting off the sedative effects of alcohol (can cause sensitivity to light and sound, sleep deprivation, trembling or shaking). Also, alcohol takes its toll on your concentration and can leave you feeling hazy and disoriented and unable to focus. And in specific regard to what you mention about the skipped beats and heart rate, alcohol can cause your heart rate to become elevated and cause palpitations, which again is going to increase the anxiety just because you are worried that something is wrong. So I definitely think that drinking alcohol can (maybe not always, but definitely sometimes) have a reaction in someone who already may have some amount of anxiety...or even in someone who doesn't normally experience it.

[nicole123x]

I stopped drinking when I started having anxiety. Not that I'm normally a big drinker or anything, but once in a while I'd have a drink with a friend in the evening, but since I started having problems with anxiety I just can't tolerate it. I was reading an article not too long ago, though, about alcohol and anxiety and basically it seems there are some reasons why alcohol seems to increase anxiety levels. One is that it affects your mood because it alters the serotonin levels in your brain, it can sometimes cause a drop in blood sugar or contribute to dehydration which can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, fatigued and weak and fosters the sense of illness that increases many people's anxiety, and alcohol also puts your body into a state of hyperactivity because your body is fighting off the sedative effects of alcohol (can cause sensitivity to light and sound, sleep deprivation, trembling or shaking). Also, alcohol takes its toll on your concentration and can leave you feeling hazy and disoriented and unable to focus. And in specific regard to what you mention about the skipped beats and heart rate, alcohol can cause your heart rate to become elevated and cause palpitations, which again is going to increase the anxiety just because you are worried that something is wrong. So I definitely think that drinking alcohol can (maybe not always, but definitely sometimes) have a reaction in someone who already may have some amount of anxiety...or even in someone who doesn't normally experience it.

Thank you very much for your kind, useful reply! It's really hard for me because I'm a teenager, and of course I like to go out with my friends to party... But when I drink alcohol I get these skipped beats once every 3 minutes sometimes! So it's interfering with my social life too! :(
Before battling with anxiety, I have never experienced this! X

[str8trippin]

I understand about it interfering with your social life. People can be really sensitive. I know when I am out with friends and refuse a drink they tend to take it personally. I have the same problem at work because I eat really healthy and a lot of my coworkers like to have candy and cookies and junk food all the time and if I decline it they get offended. It definitely makes things awkward. I don't know how much you are drinking when you are going out, but maybe you could try just scaling back on the amount or type of alcohol you are drinking and see if it makes a difference? I know I get the same heart palpitations when I drink caffeine, which I also avoid.

[nicole123x]

I understand about it interfering with your social life. People can be really sensitive. I know when I am out with friends and refuse a drink they tend to take it personally. I have the same problem at work because I eat really healthy and a lot of my coworkers like to have candy and cookies and junk food all the time and if I decline it they get offended. It definitely makes things awkward. I don't know how much you are drinking when you are going out, but maybe you could try just scaling back on the amount or type of alcohol you are drinking and see if it makes a difference? I know I get the same heart palpitations when I drink caffeine, which I also avoid.

To be honest with you, I went to a concert last night and I had 3 pints in total, and after the second one I could feel them, it's just as soon as I drink alcohol, maybe after 1 or 2 pints I can feel them their so annoying.