Why Does Your Heart Race After A Heavy Meal?

By Vanshika Gaur
25 Jul 2025, 18:00 IST

You may have noticed that after eating a heavy meal, your heart starts to race rapidly, especially in older adults, people with high blood pressure, and others due to numerous reasons like increased blood flow, drop in blood pressure, and more. Tap to know why this happens!

Fight Or Flight Mode

After eating a heavy meal, our body enters ‘fight' or 'flight’ mode, as it thinks it is under stress, increasing heart rate, alertness, and sometimes causing anxiety.

Increased Blood Flow

After a heavy meal, the blood flow is increased and directed to the digestive system to digest it, making the heart beat faster and causing a racing sensation.

Drop In Blood Pressure

Consuming large meals causes a drop in blood pressure as the blood pools in the digestive tract, making the heart beat faster to stabilise blood pressure.

Caffeine In Meals

Numerous meals like desserts, coffee, tea, and more contain caffeine in them, which stimulates the nervous system and increases the heart rate.

Allergies

Many people with allergies like gluten or lactose intolerance may experience inflammation, along with symptoms like a racing heart, dizziness, and more.

Information Credits

According to PubMed, our heart races after eating a heavy meal due to drop in blood pressure, increased blood flow, and more. It is advisable to consult a healthcare professional for personalised suggestions.