Two mistakes on a plane are really bad for your heart, research says

Airlines should consider restricting access to alcohol on long-haul flights to protect their passengers’ heart health, researchers said. Many holiday goers will celebrate flying on their travels with an alcoholic drink, and some of them may even fall asleep on a plane.

But a small study found that the combination of in-flight alcohol and cabin pressure at cruising altitude can put pressure on sleeping passengers’ hearts. The combination appears to lower blood oxygen and increase heart rate, even among younger adults.

“Drinking alcohol on board is an underestimated health risk that could easily be avoided,” said academics from the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Germany. “It might be beneficial to consider changing regulations to restrict access to alcoholic beverages on board aircraft.”

The researchers point out that cardiac and circulatory problems account for 7% of in-flight medical emergencies, with cardiac arrests causing 58% of all plane hijackings. Writing in the journal Thorax, the researchers said that being a hypobaric environment – an environment where there is low air pressure – is known to lower blood oxygen levels and increase heart rate.

They added that air passengers with heart problems are at increased risk of worsening symptoms due to low cabin pressure at cruising altitude, which is amplified during sleep. Alcohol, often consumed on board, has similar effects, they said.

As a result, they wanted to test the impact of alcohol consumption and sleep in a hypobaric environment. The researchers evaluated 48 people between the ages of 18 and 40.

They spent two nights in either a sleep lab or an altitude chamber – which recreates the same altitude of a cruise plane. Before one of the nights people drank alcohol.

The researchers performed sleep study tests as well as closely monitored heart rate and blood oxygen levels. They found that the combination of alcohol and experiencing low oxygen at high altitudes reduced sleep quality, “challenged the cardiovascular system” and resulted in prolonged low blood oxygen levels.

The authors concluded: “Together, these results indicate that, even in young, healthy individuals, the combination of alcohol consumption and hypobaric sleep places a considerable strain on the cardiac system and could lead to exacerbation of symptoms in patients with heart disease.” or pulmonary. .”