2024-07-16 14:37:42
Not always harmless: Researchers have investigated how alcohol consumption affects the body when you are on board an airplane.
For some air travelers, it’s part of the experience: a glass of alcohol to celebrate the start of their vacation or to reduce nervousness during the flight. Others believe that they can sleep better after a glass of wine on a long-haul flight. But be careful: drinking alcoholic beverages on an airplane can quickly become a health risk, as recent research shows.
A recently published study by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and RWTH Aachen University has shown that the combination of alcohol and low cabin pressure can endanger heart health. This is especially true for passengers who are sleeping.
The conditions in the air are different from those on earth: air pressure decreases with altitude, which leads to a drop in blood oxygen saturation to almost 90 percent at normal cruising altitudes. In combination with alcohol, oxygen saturation drops even further over a longer period of time, even in young and healthy people. This is compensated by a higher heart rate, which can put a strain on the heart, especially in those with pre-existing conditions.
To obtain these findings, the researchers recreated the cabin pressure in the sleep laboratory and measured the oxygen saturation of 48 subjects:
What is alarming, according to researchers, is “that even in young and healthy people, the combination of alcohol and low air pressure during sleep places a significant strain on the cardiovascular system.” The participants in the study were between 18 and 40 years old.
In addition, the amount of alcohol was comparatively small. “Larger amounts of alcohol than those used in the study could increase the effects, especially in older passengers and those with pre-existing conditions,” says study author Eva Elmenhorst from the DLR’s Sleep and Human Factors Department. In patients with lung or heart disease in particular, drinking alcohol before going to sleep on a long-haul flight could worsen their symptoms and even become life-threatening.
The study is not representative of all passengers, as the test group was relatively small and mostly young and healthy. Nevertheless, the researchers agree: alcohol has no place on an airplane. At least if you want to sleep and are on the road for a long time. They should therefore consider “restricting access to alcohol on board long-haul flights”.