While enjoying a pre-airport pint before flying is a common British tradition, and imbibing in-flight can make long-haul flights more enjoyable, a new study reveals the potential health implications of consuming alcohol while flying. The combination of alcohol with cabin pressure, which decreases with altitude, can threaten plane passengers’ heart health. This is particularly concerning during naps after consuming alcohol, as it can lower blood oxygen levels and raise heart rate, even in young and healthy individuals. The study, published in the respiratory journal Thorax, suggests that the higher the alcohol consumption, the greater the impact, especially among older passengers and those with medical conditions. Researchers recommend tougher restrictions on alcohol service on board airplanes.
The science behind this phenomenon lies in the decrease in atmospheric pressure with altitude, which causes a drop in blood oxygen saturation levels. Alcohol’s effect of relaxing blood vessel walls and increasing heart rate during sleep can exacerbate this effect. The study’s authors aimed to determine whether combining alcohol with cabin pressure at cruising altitude had an additional impact on sleeping passengers.
In a controlled study with 48 participants, researchers randomly assigned them to groups based on age, gender, and BMI. Half of the participants slept in a sleep lab under normal air pressure conditions, while the other half slept in a chamber that recreated cabin pressure levels at cruising altitude. Within each group, 12 people slept for four hours sober, while 12 slept for the same duration after consuming alcohol equivalent to two cans of 5% beer or two glasses of 12% wine. The results showed that deep sleep was significantly impacted among those who consumed alcohol, reducing to just 46.5 minutes under the combination of alcohol and cruising altitude levels compared to an average of 67.5 minutes without alcohol.
The study concluded that even in young and healthy individuals, combining alcohol intake with sleeping under hypobaric conditions (low blood oxygen levels at higher altitude) poses a strain on the cardiac system and may worsen symptoms in patients with cardiac or pulmonary diseases. The researchers emphasize the need for informed decisions and potential regulations to restrict alcohol access on board airplanes for passenger safety.
