Scientists from the Institute of Aviation Medicine at the German Aerospace Center conducted a study to explore the effects of alcohol on the body during a flight. The study involved 40 volunteers who agreed to participate in tests inside special chambers simulating conditions similar to those on a plane flying at an altitude of 2,438 meters.
The participants were divided into groups. One group stayed in an isolated chamber with normal air pressure, equivalent to that found at ground level. The second group spent time in a chamber where the air pressure was reduced to simulate the conditions experienced during a flight. Some volunteers were allowed to consume either two cans of beer or two glasses of wine. During the experiment, participants could also sleep, but for no longer than four hours, as longer sleep is challenging on an actual flight. The study groups consisted of: people sleeping in normal air pressure with or without alcohol and those in simulated flight conditions (again, with or without alcohol).
The results showed that the combination of alcohol and a nap could harm heart health, primarily due to a phenomenon known as hypobaric hypoxia. This condition occurs when, due to higher altitude and lower oxygen levels in the air, blood oxygen saturation begins to drop. Saturation refers to the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin in the blood.
This is the first study to examine the combined effects of hypobaric hypoxia and alcohol, including during sleep
- wrote the researchers in an article published in the journal Thorax.
Alcohol and long flights
The study revealed that at normal air pressure, participants who consumed alcohol had an average blood oxygen level of 94.97%, with a heart rate of 76.97 beats per minute. For those who did not consume alcohol, the oxygen saturation was 95.88%, with a heart rate of 63.74 beats per minute. However, in simulated flight conditions with reduced air pressure, those who drank alcohol had only 85.32% oxygen in their blood, with a heart rate of 87.73 beats per minute (it’s important to note that the clinical norm for oxygen saturation is 90%). For participants who did not drink, the readings were 88.07% for blood oxygenation and 72.90 beats per minute for heart rate.
In other words, people in the simulated flight conditions had lower oxygen levels in their blood and higher heart rates compared to those in the control group, with these differences being even greater for participants who consumed alcohol. Additionally, alcohol and reduced air pressure disrupted both deep sleep and REM phases, which are crucial for sleep quality.
Low blood oxygen levels and high heart rates place additional strain on the cardiovascular system, and there is concern that our long-distance travel habits unnecessarily increase the risk of heart problems - especially for people with pre-existing conditions
- the experts conclude.
