How to Avoid Holiday Heart Syndrome
The holiday season is a time when many people see old acquaintances, friends, and family members. Many of these are emotional reconnections, which come with that warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart. After kicking back a couple of cold ones with people you love, however, that fluttering feeling in your heart might not be the warmth of reconnection, but instead a serious heart condition.
Holiday Heart Syndrome gets its name from the increase in intensive drinking that we see on weekends and around holidays, and describes an association between binge drinking and irregular heartbeats.[1] Alcohol is a lubricant for social interaction, which is good for human health. It can also be a poison, particularly in high doses.[2,3] Use of alcohol to maximize health, wellness, and socialization becomes a balancing act. Around 1 in 6 American adults binge drink, which is when someone consumes more than four (for women) or five (for men) drinks in under two hours.[4] As fun as that sounds, binge drinking increases the risk of irregular heartbeats significantly, especially in at-risk populations.[3]
The most common irregular heartbeat associated with holiday heart syndrome is atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the small chambers of the heart contract too rapidly and irregularly to efficiently pump blood.[1] As a quick reminder, the heart is a complex, 4-chambered pump that moves blood around the body, delivering oxygen, nutrients, etc. to our cells so we can survive. Atrial fibrillation impairs the heart’s ability to pump. Symptoms of atrial fibrillation from holiday heart syndrome include:[1]
- Heart palpitations (pounding, racing, fluttering heart)
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Breathing difficulty
- Lightheadedness or fainting
Holiday heart syndrome can also lead to other irregular heartbeats and cardiac problems, especially for those with preexisting conditions.
Heart muscles contract using electricity, but electricity is a weird concept inside the body. We usually think of electricity as zippy-zappy lightning bolts, but inside the body electricity depends on the movement of charged particles - more like rubbing a balloon on your hair than touching a faulty Christmas light. These charged particles are called electrolytes and include substances like sodium, potassium, and especially calcium. Normally, the flow of these electrolytes into and out of muscle cells is tightly controlled to ensure a regular heartbeat. Holiday heart syndrome is a disruption of this process.
Alcohol affects the heart’s electrical system in multiple ways. Indirectly, increased urine production from drinking throws off the electrolyte balance.[1] Alcohol also has direct effects on how calcium enters heart cells, including through the activation of an enzyme called c-Jun-NH-terminal kinase 2 (JNK2).[4,5] JNK2 responds to stress, which is good because when a hungry lion crosses your path you want an increased heart rate. When alcohol activates JNK2, however, it causes a chain reaction that opens calcium channels in the heart.[4,5] The uncontrolled flow of calcium in the heart muscle can lead to the rapid, disorganized muscular contractions we call fibrillation.[1,5]
Preventing holiday heart syndrome is as easy as not slamming down five shots in a row. The primary preventative measure is to limit - or at least slow down - alcohol consumption.[4] If holiday heart syndrome is common for you, abstinence may be the best option long-term. In the short term, however, typical alcohol mitigation techniques like drinking water and electrolytes may help prevent atrial fibrillation. If symptoms of irregular heartbeat occur, call a doctor or head to the nearest ER. So this holiday season, go easy on the (alcoholic) eggnog and give your heart a break.
Creative Director Benton Lowey-Ball, BS, BFA
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References:
[1] Jain, A., Yelamanchili, V. S., Brown, K. N., & Goel, A. (2024). Holiday heart syndrome. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537185/
[2] World Health Organization. (January 4, 2023). No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health. [Website, accessed November 18, 2025]. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health
[3] Esser, M. B. (2024). Deaths from excessive alcohol use—United States, 2016–2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73.https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7308a1.htm
[4] Yan, J., Thomson, J. K., Zhao, W., Gao, X., Huang, F., Chen, B., ... & Ai, X. (2018). Role of stress kinase JNK in binge alcohol-evoked atrial arrhythmia. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 71(13), 1459-1470. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5903584/
[5] Yan, J., & Ai, X. (2022). Holiday heart syndrome, atrial fibrillation, and RyR2 antagonist. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology, 80(5), 636-638. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10508393/
