A normal pass time on long-haul flights is drinking alcohol and napping. Turns out, it might not be as relaxing and good for your body as you presumed.
A new study has found out that it may present health risks to everyone, including young and healthy passengers. It also revealed that both these activities together can exacerbate the fall in the oxygen level saturation (SpO2) caused by the reduced atmospheric pressure in aircraft cabins and increase the heart rate.
This German study was published last week in the respiratory journal Thorax.
The combination of alcohol consumption, sleep, and the low oxygen concentration at high altitudes can cause harm to the cardiovascular system of our body and extend the duration of hypoxemia i.e. low levels of oxygen in the blood.
They also added that this condition can increase with higher alcohol consumption, especially among the elderly with pre-existing health conditions.
The researchers at the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine and Aachen University also said that this activity can reduce the quality of sleep and suggested that airlines consider restricting alcohol consumption on flights.
A further drop in SpO2 is defined as hypobaric hypoxia which is also known as low blood oxygen level at higher altitudes.
The researchers have highlighted that alcohol relaxes the blood vessels and increases heart rate during sleep, an effect similar to that of hypobaric hypoxia. Therefore, they suggest that alcohol consumption be decreased during long flights.
Two groups of healthy individuals were taken. Forty-eight people were randomly allocated to two groups. Half were assigned to a sleep lab under normal air pressure conditions (sea level) and half to an altitude chamber that mimicked cabin pressure at cruising altitude (2,438 m above sea level). Twelve in each group slept for 4 hours, having drunk alcohol and not having drunk alcohol. Two 8-hour recovery nights were scheduled between conditions. Polysomnography, SpO2, and heart rate were recorded.
The results indicate that even in young and healthy individuals, the combined activities i.e. alcohol consumption and sleeping under hypobaric conditions inflight can cause a lot of stress to the heart and can worsen the condition of patients with cardiac or pulmonary diseases.
Lab tests confirmed that the participants' blood oxygen levels decreased further after consuming alcohol, their heart rate increased and deep sleep was reduced.
Therefore, the study results concluded that the combination of alcohol and inflight hypobaric hypoxia reduced sleep quality, challenged the cardiovascular system, and led to an extended duration of hypoxemia.
Study co-author Eva-Maria Elmenhorst told NBC News that she and her team were surprised to see the effect was so strong.
References:
https://thorax.bmj.com/content/thoraxjnl/early/2024/05/03/thorax-2023-220998.full.pdf
Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Aditi Madathingal/MSM)
