9 minutes agoAuthor: Gaurav Tiwari
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Have you ever noticed what kind of scenes are shown in movies to show luxury and glamorous life? Rich people are having pool parties with lots of alcohol. They are drinking alcohol while traveling in business class in flights.
This thinking has spread among the common people through films and people have started drinking alcohol in flights to experience this feeling of luxury. This trend is gradually increasing. But do you know how dangerous it can prove to be?
Many studies are pointing out that drinking alcohol in flight can cause many serious health problems. According to a study published recently in the medical journal Thorax, drinking alcohol in flight can prove to be extremely dangerous for heart health. This is even more alarming when you already have any heart disease and you are traveling long distance in an airplane.
Today ‘health report‘ We will know why one should not drink alcohol in flight. Along with this, we will know that-
- What does science say about this?
- How does alcohol affect altitude above sea level?
- What problems can this cause with sleep?
what does the study say
According to a study published in the medical journal Thorax, drinking alcohol during a flight can have many side effects. See the graphic.
Let us understand the points given in the graphic in detail.
- If a person falls asleep after drinking alcohol in flight, his heart rate increases, while blood pressure decreases. This can have serious consequences. This situation can happen to young and healthy individuals as well.
- This can be even more dangerous for people suffering from heart diseases. At high altitudes, the air pressure is low and blood pressure is higher. In such a situation, drinking alcohol rapidly reduces the oxygen level in the blood. This can be fatal.
- When there is a lack of oxygen in the blood at high altitude, our brain also lacks oxygen. This condition is called hypobaric hypoxia. This is a fatal condition.
- The study found that due to alcohol at high altitude and simulated cabin pressure in flight, people’s SpO2 levels (oxygen saturation) dropped by more than 85% on average. To compensate for this, the heart had to work harder, so the heart rate increased to about 88 beats per minute during sleep.
- It also showed that hypobaric hypoxia conditions and alcohol together disrupt sleep. Those in the study who drank alcohol during the flight also had less REM (Rapid Eye Movement – the third and most important stage of sleep).
Drinking alcohol in flight can be costly
You may have felt a strange pain in the ear while flying or at a very high altitude in the mountains. This happens because our blood pressure is higher than the air pressure at that height. This has an adverse effect on the heart. If someone is also drinking alcohol, then this condition can become more serious. Therefore, to avoid this unpleasant situation, one should avoid drinking alcohol while traveling in a flight.
Drinking alcohol during flight affects sleep
Alcohol is a sedative. That means, something that puts us into a relaxed and calm mode. This is why we usually fall asleep relatively early after drinking alcohol.
- If a person drinks alcohol before sleeping, he will fall asleep quickly. According to Dr. Alana Hare, a sleep expert and president of the British Sleep Society, people sleeping at high altitudes take an average of 19 minutes to fall asleep in a sober state and 12.5 minutes after drinking alcohol. Due to the intoxication of alcohol, our brain slows down and we also feel that we are getting a deep sleep.
- In such a situation, most people get the misconception that drinking alcohol helps them sleep faster and better. Whereas everything is just the opposite. As soon as our body starts breaking down alcohol at night, the quality of our sleep starts deteriorating.
- This can cause us to wake up several times during the night. The time of REM sleep at night can be reduced. As a result, we feel less refreshed the next day.
- The study published in Thorax found that people sleeping at high altitudes had significantly less REM sleep time than those sleeping at high altitudes with normal air pressure. Alcohol further affected these people’s sleep. They woke up more often at night, and had just 14.5 minutes of REM sleep after drinking alcohol, compared to 22 minutes of REM sleep before drinking.
- Alcohol causes the muscles in the upper respiratory tract to go into a relaxed mode, which leads to snoring, and for those who already suffer from sleep apnea, their symptoms get worse.
What to do if you feel like drinking alcohol during the flight
Our body is already facing many difficulties while traveling in a flight. Instead of helping it, it is not good to add more trouble to it by drinking alcohol. If you are craving for alcohol, then you can replace it with other things. Like-
- If you feel like drinking alcohol, then drink some water or eat something.
- You can eat chewing gum to keep your mind and brain busy.
- If you are feeling bored then listening to your favourite music can be the best option.
- If you are fond of reading then carry your favourite book on your flight.
- If your mind is getting distracted then taking some sleep is the best solution.
- You can use pillow and iPad for sleeping.
