Drinking alcohol on long-haul flights can have adverse effects on your health, according to the findings from a new study.
The research, published in the journal Thorax, suggests that the low pressure experienced during flights can cause a significant increase in heart rate, even in young, healthy individuals.
The study involved 48 healthy adults aged between 18 and 40, who were split into two groups.
Half of the participants slept in a lab that maintained sea-level air pressure, while the other half slept in an altitude chamber designed to replicate the air pressure inside an aeroplane cabin, NBC News reported.
In each group, 12 individuals slept for four hours after consuming the equivalent of two cans of beer, while the remaining participants slept without having any alcohol.
The procedure was then reversed after a two-day break, with those who had previously slept without alcohol now consuming the same amount, and vice versa.
After examining the data, researchers discovered that individuals who drank alcohol before snoozing in an altitude simulator experienced a staggering 85 percent plunge in oxygen saturation.
This caused their heart rate to soar in an effort to make up for the deficit – with an average of 88 beats per minute.
Dr Eva-Maria Elmenhorsten, who contributed to the study, warned: “The decrease in oxygen saturation together with the increase in heart rate could exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions”.
As a result, she firmly advises against drinking alcoholic beverages during flights.
Dr Elmenhorsten also warned young, fit individuals without any cardiac issues, highlighting that the impact of alcohol at reduced pressure was “very strong”.
The study concluded: “The combination of alcohol and inflight hypobaric hypoxia reduced sleep quality, challenged the cardiovascular system and led to extended duration of hypoxaemia.”
