Resting heart rate vs alcohol I was curious to see what effect alcohol had on my resting heart. So I tested it. I had red wine on the nights you can see it spiked. My resting heart rate is usually around the 50/51 but when I add alcohol it spikes to 58. I also didn't sleep well and I could feel I hadn't recovered well from my run the day before. I then looked at different studies and one study found that Drinking alcohol negatively affects your heart-rate variability (or HRV) and heart rate, hinders sleep, can lower testosterone, impair balance and coordination, decrease muscular strength, and impact bone health—which increases the risk of sports-related injuries. All very interesting and a good reason to perhaps ditch the alcohol. #restingheartrate