Alcohol/food link to palpitations?

Hi there, I haven't been on the forum for a while.  I used to have dreadful, (and very scary), palpitations/ectopic beats/arythmias etc.  I was so worried and scared and had every test going.  I simply didn't believe the docs who told me my heart was healthy - it felt anything BUT healthy to me.  Eventually, and with the aid of Hypnotherapy I wasn't 'cured' but I got my anxiety under control and got back on with my life.  I still get odd beats and flutterings every day but I try just to ignore it.  Here's my question though - has anyone noticed that the problems get worse when drinking alcohol or eating foods that give you gas/bloating?  I find that if I have a bloated stomach and 'gas' (sorry, bit too much info here), I get dreadful palpitations and a feeling of shakiness/wobbling in my chest - like arythmias.  It is worse if  lie on my left hand side in bed and usually end up getting up for a while until it subsides.
I would be really interested to know if anyone experiences the same things/
Thanks and stay well
J

[Jerzeegal]

Yep I have noticed if my stomach is too full ( doesn't necessarily matter what I eat) I get palpitations... also alcohol and caffiene trigger me at various times.  Some folks here have also said that they are worse when they lie on left side. Sometimes if I take gaviscon at night when I have them it helps them a bit but never really takes them away completely.

Jerz

[jsuter69]

Yep I feel them also when I've eaten to much or have drank to much...I get this sensation like I can't breathe as easily almost like I have asthma....almost wonder if different breathing patterns bring them on....
And I do feel them more when I lay on either side but it doesn't happen ALL the time...because I also feel them when I first wake up and than I'm laying on my back...I don't know....I even wake up because I can feel them in my DREAMS!!!  

[jeblondon]

yes - sometimes they wake me up and in the middle of the night that's when it is very scary!!

[Momto3]

Hi there!  Welcome back to the forum!

I'm so happy to read about your success over the anxiety and the PVCs..GREAT news!!

As to your question.........Count me in.  Eating larger meals, or even smaller meals that upset my digestive track can set the PVCs in motion.  UGH!!

Lying on your left side is a definite trigger for many people.  Sometimes, it helps to lie on your stomach until the settle down, but other times it's best to get up for a few minutes and walk it off (if that works for you).

Stay well!
connie

[jeblondon]

thanks for that and thanks for the welcome back!
I wonder if other people have this 'bubbling' and 'trembling feeling' in their chests?  It goes hand in hand with the 'thumps' that hit me in the throat.  Like I said, I still get all of this but I don't worry like I used to.  The Hypnotherapy, for me, was amzing.  I try now just to say 'hi heart - yes I know you're in there - just settle down now!) and usually it works.  By fighting it and panicking it just makes it worse.  I'll try the lying on my stomach thing and see if that makes any difference.
J

[JoeME]

Interesting reading here today, however this thread caught my eye. The only time I have not had a PAC, is when I am having alcohol. I do not drink during the week, and I my PACs are normally in the evening, sometimes times right after I eat, sometimes later. They will run anywhere from one hour to three...one "skipped" beat every 4 or 5 minutes. Recently, I have having some success in stopping them by taking a laxative dose of Milk Of Magnesia. Within 15 minutes, no PACs. Unfortunately, I spend a lot of time in the bathroom, the next day, but it is better than those annoying PACS.
Back to my original thought, the only time I am free of PACs, is when I drink on the weekend. I usually have a few Scotches on ice on Friday night, and no PACs, no fear, no nothing, and I sleep like a baby. Same thing on Saturday night, it is wonderful.
If I wasn't a responsible person, I would become a full time alcoholic, instead of five days living in sheer terror, and sitting on the throne. What a sorry a$$ (pun intended) way to live. It is good I don't own a gun.

[isukathis]

Hi...

I have noticed that whenever I had SVT was after a weekend (on a Sunday) and that is when I generally have a few beers. I also used to only drink caffeine on the weekends too.

I really think the caffeine and alcohol consumption on the weekends were enough to trigger my SVT episodes.

I have also noticed that sleeping on my right side makes my heart flutter a little.

I'm a runner and have also had an episode start if I "take off" too fast, like a sudden movement has triggered an episode.

Hope this helps...

[Bruce73]

Weird - but I've been having AFIB now for about two years and have found NO correlation between alcohol and/or caffeine and whether I get an AFIB event or not.  Normally, my wife and I would share a bottle of wine over dinner.  And I'm a heavy coffee drinker.  At the end of about 10 days, I experienced another AFIB.  I pretty much said the hell with it and went back to drinking alcohol and caffeine.

[sueinns]

Alcohol is a definite trigger for me but I need to have more than 2 drinks which I rarely do now because of the arrhythmia.  If I do over-embibe, heart is wacky all the next day.  Get that lumpy feeling in my throat whenever I do anything exertional which is quite a bit since I am athletic.  It's a pain in the a$$ but I'm not going to let it win.  I'm lucky in that food doesn't seem to bring them on.

[jeblondon]

Thanks for all your posts - appreciate it!  Interesting some find links with food/alcohol some don't.  I know definitely with me there is a link, I would just love an explanation for it!
Sending good vibes out to you all
J x