Acute alcohol ingestion reduces heart rate variability.

Blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) prior and during acute ethanol intoxication (0.7 g/kg) were studied in 8 healthy volunteers. Blood pressure and heart rate remained unaltered during intoxication. While HRV was significantly reduced immediately after ingestion (2P = 0.01). It is speculated that the reduction of HRV after heavy ethanol consumption contributes to the genesis of cardiac arrhythmias in chronic alcoholics with or without clinical evidence of heart disease.