A recent study suggests that drinking alcohol and falling asleep on an airplane could increase the risk of heart disease.
According to Daily Mail, on June 3, a research team at the German Aerospace Medicine Research Institute in Cologne revealed that drinking alcohol and falling asleep during a flight could exacerbate heart disease.
The research team surveyed 48 participants between the ages of 18 and 40. Half of them slept for four hours in a laboratory with normal atmospheric pressure, while the other slept in a chamber simulating the cabin pressure at cruising altitude.
Afterward, half of each group was told not to drink alcohol, while the other half was instructed to consume the equivalent of two cans of beer or two glasses of wine.
The results showed that the blood oxygen concentration of those who did not drink alcohol and slept under normal conditions was about 96%. As a result, their heart rate during sleep was maintained at a stable 64 beats per minute.
Those who drank alcohol and slept in the chamber saw their blood oxygen concentration drop to an average of 85%. Their heart rate increased to 88 beats per minute during sleep. On the other hand, those who slept in the chamber without drinking alcohol had an average blood oxygen concentration of 88% with a heart rate of 73 beats per minute.
The research team warned, “If you drink alcohol and fall asleep during a flight, the amount of oxygen in your blood decreases. Even young and healthy people can have an increased heart rate. Especially for older passengers or those with underlying diseases, these effects can be magnified with greater alcohol consumption.”
Dr. Eva Maria Elmenhorst said, “For passengers with underlying diseases, the situation could be more dangerous. If oxygen saturation drops to low levels, health conditions could deteriorate, leading to emergencies.” She added, “People with heart or lung diseases should avoid drinking alcohol during a flight.”
The research team suggested that restricting the carry-on of alcohol on long-haul flights should be considered.
Around 7% of in-flight emergencies involve cardiovascular symptoms. The rate of aircraft returning due to cardiac arrest was found to be as high as 58%.
However, the research team added that different results may be observed for passengers in economy class, as the participants in the study were lying down while sleeping. The study was published in the academic journal Thorax.
