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Could Increased Heart Rate After A Heavy Meal Be Serious?
I am resting in the bath after a heavy meal and noticed that my heart rate is 132 bpm. This seems high to me, but I ve got good insurance and had all the usual tests - a stress test last year and an EKG about 2 months ago, both were normal... Still, concerned.
Wed, 9 Dec 2015
Hello. Thank you for your question and welcome to HCM. I understand your concern.
Provided that all your tests have been with normal results, I would be reassuring and my opinion is that there is nothing to worry about. What happens after we have heavy meals? First, the stomach widens to "host" heavy portions of food, this applies some amount of pressure to the diaphragm, which cannot widen to its limits in every breath and the intrathoracic (within ribcage) pressure is increased. This causes the lungs not to widen properly and breathing can become laboured. Also, the heart's electrical system responds by increasing the heart rate. Second, to process great amounts of food, heart has to pump faster and harder to promote this process of the food. Therefore, more forceful and rapid heart beats can be seen. A heart rate of 60-100 beats per minute is considered normal in the worldwide population. If this is a worrisome phenomenon to you, then also amounts of stress to "What is happening to me?" "Is this normal?" is added on, and stress-induced adrenalin raised levels further increase the heart rate. To sum up, I do not think that there is anything to worry about. Live a long and healthy life.
Wish you a good health and I hope this answers you query.
Kind regards,
Dr. Meriton
Provided that all your tests have been with normal results, I would be reassuring and my opinion is that there is nothing to worry about. What happens after we have heavy meals? First, the stomach widens to "host" heavy portions of food, this applies some amount of pressure to the diaphragm, which cannot widen to its limits in every breath and the intrathoracic (within ribcage) pressure is increased. This causes the lungs not to widen properly and breathing can become laboured. Also, the heart's electrical system responds by increasing the heart rate. Second, to process great amounts of food, heart has to pump faster and harder to promote this process of the food. Therefore, more forceful and rapid heart beats can be seen. A heart rate of 60-100 beats per minute is considered normal in the worldwide population. If this is a worrisome phenomenon to you, then also amounts of stress to "What is happening to me?" "Is this normal?" is added on, and stress-induced adrenalin raised levels further increase the heart rate. To sum up, I do not think that there is anything to worry about. Live a long and healthy life.
Wish you a good health and I hope this answers you query.
Kind regards,
Dr. Meriton
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