A recent study published in the journal Thorax has revealed that consuming alcohol on long-haul flights can pose serious health risks, including a significant increase in heart rate and reduced oxygen saturation.
The research involved 48 healthy adults aged 18 to 40, split into two groups. Half slept in a lab at sea-level air pressure, while the other half slept in an altitude chamber mimicking cabin pressure. In each group, 12 participants consumed the equivalent of two cans of beer before sleeping for four hours, while the rest slept without alcohol. The procedure was reversed after a two-day break.
Results showed that those who drank alcohol before sleeping in the altitude simulator experienced an 85 percent drop in oxygen saturation, causing their heart rate to rise to an average of 88 beats per minute. Dr Eva-Maria Elmenhorsten, a study contributor, warned that this combination could exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions.
Dr Elmenhorsten advised against drinking alcohol during flights, noting that even young, fit individuals without cardiac issues were strongly affected. The study concluded that alcohol combined with inflight hypobaric hypoxia reduces sleep quality, challenges the cardiovascular system, and leads to extended hypoxaemia.
